The European Central Bank (ECB) has streamlined how it assesses banks’ capital and securitisation operations. As of January 2026, banks will be able to receive a faster response from the ECB when they seek to reduce their capital by repurchasing shares or other capital instruments, or to reduce their capital requirements after a significant risk transfer.
The faster processes will apply to standardised operations. Despite the faster process, all global standards and European regulation still apply in full. The normal procedure, which entails a more detailed assessment of the operation and of the risks involved, will still apply to operations ineligible for fast-track processing.
The two new fast-track processes aim to cut approval times to two weeks, down from three months currently. In the broader context of streamlining supervision and making it more efficient and effective, these fast-track processes will save time on routine operations and allow supervisors to focus on more complex assessments.