ECB supervisor backs fewer routine checks, not weaker bank safeguards

Frank Elderson, Vice-Chair of the ECB’s Supervisory Board, says lower-priority risks at individual banks need not receive the same intensive scrutiny every year. Speaking at a banking supervisors’ conference in Bali on 30 September, he said the ECB had deliberately increased its tolerance for supervisory risk so that some reviews could be reduced or deferred while attention shifts to more pressing concerns. [1]

Elderson set out three priorities: sharper risk selection, simpler supervision and quicker action to address weaknesses. He said the ECB had reviewed more than 100 supervisory guidance publications and discontinued around 40. The figures concern guidance publications, not banking regulations. [1]

He also reported a roughly 55% reduction in stress-testing data points. For standardised, less risky securitisations, he said average processing time had fallen from three months to around seven days. He said capital-related approval timelines had dropped from several months to less than six days, while digital and AI-enabled tools had shortened assessments of whether bankers are suitable for their roles. [1]