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5/25/2021

Joint Statement on U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group Meeting | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Joint Statement on U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group
Meeting
May 24, 2021

U.S. and UK participants held the fourth meeting of the U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working
Group (Working Group) virtually on May 20, 2021. The Working Group was formed in 2018 to
deepen bilateral regulatory cooperation with a view to the further promotion of financial
stability; investor protection; fair, orderly, and e icient markets; and capital formation in both
jurisdictions. As two global financial centers, cooperation between the United States and
the UK continues to be important, particularly during the global recovery from COVID-19.
Participants included o icials and senior sta from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and
HM Treasury, and from the U.S. and UK independent regulatory agencies, including the Board
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Commodity Futures Trading Commission,
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, O ice of Comptroller of the Currency, Securities and
Exchange Commission, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. U.S. and
UK participants shared views on issues in their respective areas of responsibility.
The Working Group meeting focused on seven themes: (1) international and bilateral
cooperation, (2) sustainable finance, (3) updates on domestic initiatives and priorities, (4)
benchmark transition, (5) cross-border regimes, (6) operational resilience, and (7) banking
and insurance.
At the meeting, U.S. and UK participants discussed the financial sector implications of the
UK’s withdrawal from the EU, along with areas of mutual interest where international and
bilateral cooperation could be intensified. In that regard, participants discussed the
importance of preserving the global asset management industry’s portfolio management
delegation model, continuing cooperative e orts to promote the free flow of cross-border
financial services data crucial for e ective financial sector regulation and supervision, and
the need to avoid regulatory fragmentation and data localization as financial authorities
seek to strengthen operational resilience in the financial sector. Participants also noted the
risks around any regulatory driven fragmentation in derivatives clearing markets and
highlighted the benefits that the global nature of derivatives clearing, underpinned by
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Joint Statement on U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group Meeting | U.S. Department of the Treasury

e ective supervisory cooperation, can bring. They also discussed Financial Stability Board
(FSB) work on non-bank financial intermediation, where both U.S. and UK authorities are
actively engaged.
Participants discussed issues and priorities relating to sustainable finance, including the
management of climate-related financial risks, consistent with their respective mandates.
They discussed U.S. administration e orts to tackle climate change and other issues relating
to sustainable finance, and the UK’s implementation of its Green Finance Strategy, including
development of a Green Taxonomy and forward-looking metrics. The United States
provided an update on sustainability-related financial disclosures, and UK participants
shared progress on the implementation of mandatory Task Force on Climate-related
Financial Disclosures-aligned climate-related financial disclosures. Both sides also
exchanged views on a broader assessment of and possible responses to climate-related
financial risks, as well as cooperation on international e orts to address climate change
issues within the financial sector. This included discussions in the G20, where the United
States is co-chairing the Sustainable Finance Working Group; the G7, which, under the UK
Presidency, is strongly focused on climate change; COP26, where the UK holds the
Presidency; IOSCO’s Sustainable Finance Task Force; and the FSB’s work on a Roadmap for
Addressing Climate-Related Financial Risks.
Participants provided updates on their respective financial regulatory agendas, with the
United States outlining the Administration’s priorities, and the United Kingdom discussing its
future approach to financial regulation, including the Future Regulatory Framework Review,
Financial Services Act, and the recent consultation on the supervision of international bank
branches and subsidiaries.
Participants took stock of ongoing public and private e orts in relation to benchmark
transition, SOFR and SONIA market developments, and transition implications for other
jurisdictions, noting the importance of providing a coordinated approach to the challenges
that benchmark transition presents. They also provided updates on their respective crossborder regimes, including their equivalence and substituted compliance frameworks.
Participants also discussed cooperative e orts relating to operational resilience and the
upcoming U.S.-UK Financial Innovation Partnership meeting in June where participants will
discuss further actions to deepen U.S. and UK ties in financial innovation.
Regarding banking, participants discussed the implementation of Basel III reforms. And, on
insurance, participants exchanged updates on their climate-related insurance work, and
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insurance-related COVID responses.
Both sides also reflected on the U.S.-UK financial regulatory relationship and recognized the
continued role that the Working Group will play in supporting and deepening this
relationship. Participants identified follow-up work for the Working Group on the above
topics and other priority issues. Participants will continue to engage bilaterally on these
topics, as well as other topics of mutual interest ahead of the next Working Group meeting,
which is expected to take place in the autumn of 2021.
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