Risk & Resilience

The ECB's Q2 2026 supervisory statistics show significant institutions with a stable aggregate CET1 ratio of 16.00%, return on equity of 10.73% (the highest since the series began in 2015), and a cost/income ratio of 53.06% (the lowest on record). The ECB also launched system-wide statistics that combine significant and less significant institutions. This is an informational publication with no new obligations, but it provides updated benchmarks for peer comparison and supervisory dialogue.

The ECB's Q2 2026 supervisory statistics show significant institutions holding a stable aggregate CET1 ratio of 16.00%. Return on equity reached a series high of 10.73%, and the cost-to-income ratio hit a series low of 53.06%. Asset quality and liquidity remain sound, but the ECB has also launched system-wide statistics covering both significant and less significant institutions, which gives compliance teams a broader peer benchmark and signals where supervisory attention may focus.

More than a year after the European Union's Digital Operational Resilience Act took effect, Deloitte surveyed 50 financial entities across 13 countries to examine when they expected to achieve full compliance with the regulation.

The PCAOB concluded its two-day 13th annual Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets on September 11, 2026, featuring 10 academic papers on audit oversight, technology, partner quality, and disclosure. The event imposes no new requirements, but it signals research themes that may shape future PCAOB standards, inspection priorities, and oversight. Compliance and audit-related teams should treat it as a forward-looking indicator rather than an action item.

The FCA has published forms, checklists, and practical guidance supporting the UK's new public offers and admissions to trading regime (POATR and the PRM sourcebook), which took effect on January 19, 2026. Compliance teams must use the correct forms for each submission type, particularly for prospectuses approved under the old UKPR that remain valid, and must update base prospectuses to meet the new single disclosure standard.

Bond market volatility increased toward the end of September, while sovereign and corporate bond spreads widened. For Europe's insurers and occupational pension funds, the movements added to concerns about borrowing costs, asset valuations and the possibility of a broader market correction.

BaFin's Circular 11/2026 (BA), effective September 14, 2026, replaces the 2023 FAQs on trustee and deputy appointments under Sections 7 et seq. of the Pfandbrief Act (PfandBG). It sets out the eligibility criteria, the required documents and their validity periods, the fees, and the rules on remuneration and expenses. Mortgage banks should check their trustee renewal pipeline and internal processes against the new document and timing requirements.