On December 18, 2015, the European Banking Authority launched a consultation on proposed Guidelines on stress testing and supervisory stress testing. The proposed Guidelines cover: (i) internal stress testing by firms, providing detailed guidance for firms when designing and conducting a stress testing program; (ii) the assessment of firms' stress testing by national regulators with the aim of ensuring convergence in the context of the supervisory review and evaluation process; and (iii) supervisory stress testing. The proposed Guidelines provide common organizational requirements, methodologies and processes for firms performing internal stress tests as part of their risk management processes and common methodologies for national regulators when conducting supervisory stress tests but do not set methodologies for the EBA's stress testing in cooperation with national regulators. Once finalized, the Guidelines will replace the current guidelines issued by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors. The consultation is open until March 18, 2016. The EBA aims to publish the final Guidelines in Q2 2016 and expects that they will apply from Q4 2016.

The proposed Guidelines are available at: http://www.eba.europa.eu/documents/10180/1314203/EBA-CP-2015- 28+%28%20CP+on+the+GL+on+stress+testing+and+supervisory+stress+testing%29.pdf.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.