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E U R O P E A N B A N K I N G A U T H O R I T Y
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An
ad-hoc
strategy was developed to com-
municate the 2016 EU-wide stress test, which
included a number of technical briefings and
interviews with journalists and the publication
of relevant material on the website. The an-
nual transparency exercise results have also
attracted strong interest from the press, es-
pecially on the findings on NPLs. The outcome
of the UK referendum on its EU membership
was also a new challenge in terms of both ex-
ternal and internal communication. The EBA’s
official stance on the impact of Brexit on the
Authority was delivered externally through
numerous interviews and speeches, and in-
ternally through the creation of an ad hoc in-
tranet section.
With 173 news items and press releases pub-
lished in 2016, compared with 158 in the previ-
ous year, the EBA is in line with expectations
in terms of reach-out activities. The EBA web-
site registered a regular number of visits: 2.79
million visits (+23% in comparison with 2015),
corresponding to 8.87 million page views
(+17.3%). By the end of the year, the number of
followers of the EBA Twitter account had more
than doubled in comparison with the previous
year, reaching over 4 100. The EBA’s LinkedIn
community also grew in 2016 by 17%, attract-
ing 7 400 followers by the end of the year.
Budgetary and financial management
The EBA’s budget execution in 2016 was 96.8%.
As 2016 was a difficult year for EBA budget
management, principally because of the UK
referendum on EU membership, this can
be considered an acceptable result. While in
2015, the EBA requested an increased amend-
ing budget because of the drop in the value of
the euro against the pound sterling, in 2016
the exchange rates went the other way and in
the summer, the EBA requested a decreased
amending budget of EUR 1.572 million, which
reduced the its budget from EUR 38.064 mil-
lion to EUR 36.492 million. The impact of the
referendum continued through the second
half of the year, resulting in further strength-
ening of the euro. The political uncertainty
also negatively affected the EBA’s recruitment
plans and thus expenditure on staff.
KEY AREAS OF FOCUS IN 2017
Monitoring FinTech and the regulatory perimeter
Developing disclosure documents to inform consumers
about risks, costs and rewards of financial products and
fees for services related to a payment account
Expanding the EBA sample of banks
Preparing for the 2018 stress test exercise
Identifying and addressing potential risks in 2017
Monitoring resolution planning and resolution colleges
in the EU
Increasing competition, enhancing security and
facilitating innovation in the market for retail payments
in the EU
Further supervisory policy development for SREP,
IRRBB and IT risks
Facilitating and monitoring the implementation of
the Single Rulebook by supervisors and assessing
convergence of supervisory practices
Other policy products and guidelines on recovery
planning
Ensuring efficient functioning of colleges of supervisors
Enhancing the EBA’s training activities
Equivalence assessment