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12/8/2023

Joint Statement on the EU-U.S. Financial Regulatory Forum | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Joint Statement on the EU-U.S. Financial Regulatory Forum
December 8, 2023

WASHINGTON — The EU–U.S. Joint Financial Regulatory Forum took place on December 4-5,
2023, with participants exchanging views on topics of mutual interest as part of their regular
financial regulatory dialogue. The dialogue was hosted by the U.S. Department of the
Treasury and the European Commission.
EU participants included representatives of the European Commission, the European Banking
Authority (EBA), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the European
Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), the European Central Bank (ECB), and
the Single Resolution Board (SRB).
U.S. participants included representatives from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and sta
from independent regulatory agencies, including the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System (FRB), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC), O ice of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The Forum emphasized close ongoing EU and U.S. cooperation in a range of areas and
focused on six themes: (1) market developments and financial stability; (2) regulatory
developments in banking and insurance; (3) anti-money laundering and countering the
financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); (4) sustainable finance; (5) regulatory and supervisory
cooperation in capital markets; and (6) operational resilience and digital finance. Agency
participation varied across themes, with representatives expressing views on issues in their
respective areas of responsibility.
Risks to the financial sector in the EU and the United States have moderated in recent
months, but authorities remain watchful. While the pace of inflation has slowed, risks persist
in the pass-through of higher interest rates, elevated levels of private and public sector debt,
and the current challenging geopolitical situation. Participants rea irmed the importance of
strong prudential standards for banks, e ective resolution frameworks, including in a crossborder context, and robust supervisory practices as well as e ective macroprudential policies.
International cooperation, including in international fora, and continued dialogue remain
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Joint Statement on the EU-U.S. Financial Regulatory Forum | U.S. Department of the Treasury

important for monitoring vulnerabilities and enhancing the resilience of the financial system
and its ability to withstand shocks.
An exchange followed to provide updates on U.S. and EU bank regulatory proposals and
developments, including proposals to strengthen capital requirements and resolution
frameworks. The U.S. federal banking regulators presented their proposed rules which would
implement the final set of Basel III reforms, including the proposed implementation timetable
and proposed transition periods. The European participants provided an update on the state
of play of the EUʼs Banking Package. A discussion on resolution took place, where the EU
updated on the legislative negotiations on the proposal for the review of the EU crisis
management and deposit insurance framework. The FDIC provided an update on work related
to U.S. resolution-related Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR), including the federal
banking agenciesʼ Long Term Debt Requirements for Large Banking Organizations NPR, the
FDICʼs NPR on Resolution Plans Required for Large Depository Institutions, and the FDIC and
FRB notice concerning Title I Guidance to Triennial Full Filers. This was followed by an
exchange on the interactions between U.S. securities laws and open bank bail-in
operationalisation. The EU participants underlined the importance of addressing the legal
uncertainty in the resolution process. Both sides agreed to continued engagement to make
progress on the challenges posed by this issue. Participants continued with an exchange on
insurance-related matters, including discussions on insurance recovery and resolution, as well
as updates on climate-related financial risk assessment and related tools, including updates
on the Federal Insurance O iceʼs ongoing work on climate-related risks and the insurance
sector.
Participants discussed issues relating to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
relevant to citizens and financial firms. U.S. participants provided an update on the ongoing
implementation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, including the Corporate
Transparency Act, notably with reporting requirements of beneficial ownership information for
corporates and the set-up of a register.
Participants discussed issues related to sustainable finance, focusing on their respective work
on climate, sustainability-related financial disclosures, and other sustainability-related
requirements. EU participants gave the state-of-play of the European Sustainability
Reporting Standards and of the stock-taking on fundsʼ disclosures rules. The U.S. Treasury
presented its recently released Principles for Net-Zero Financing and Investment. Participants
also touched upon developments in sustainable finance at the international level, including
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Joint Statement on the EU-U.S. Financial Regulatory Forum | U.S. Department of the Treasury

the work expected in 2024 at the G20ʼs Sustainable Finance Working Group, building on the
G20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap, while the EU provided an update on work of the
International Platform for Sustainable Finance.
On capital markets, participants provided updates on recent developments on capital markets
structure and fund reforms rules. An exchange also took place on the shortening of the
settlement cycle in the United States. The CFTC provided updates on the designation of a
unique product identifier and product classification system to be used in swap recordkeeping
and reporting. Discussions ended with a presentation on the Financial Stability Oversight
Councilʼs (FSOC) new analytic framework for financial stability risks and guidance on nonbank
financial company determinations.
Participants continued to share views and updates on operational resilience and digital
finance. Participants shared an update about their multilateral work on these issues at the
Financial Stability Board and the U.S. Critical Providers Dialogue. The European side updated
on their work on regulatory and technical implementing acts under the Digital Operational
Resilience Act (DORA) regulation and the regulation on markets in crypto-assets. The
discussions touched upon recent market developments regarding crypto-assets and updates
of regulatory and enforcement e orts in the United States. Representatives of the European
Commission updated on the legislative process on the digital euro proposal, with
representatives of the ECB informing about the launch of the preparation phase for the digital
euro. The Forum closed with exchanges on the use of artificial intelligence in financial
services and on financial data sharing proposals.
Participants acknowledged the importance of the Forum in fostering ongoing financial
regulatory dialogue between the United States and the EU and will continue to discuss the
scope of the potential implications of our respective policies and laws in each otherʼs
jurisdictions. They further acknowledged that regular communication on regulatory and
supervisory issues of mutual concern is important to support financial stability, investor
protection, market integrity, and a level playing field.
Participants will continue to engage on these topics, as well as on other topics of mutual
interest, ahead of the next Forum meeting anticipated in summer 2024.
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