Central Bank of Ireland Markets Update Issue 15 2020 - 21 December 2020 Central Bank of Ireland Central Bank updates Q&A on the payment of distributions and variable remuneration by MiFID investment firms during the COVID-19 pandemic EBA publish final draft technical standards on the prudential treatment of investment firms European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ESMA updates EMIR Q&As ESMA sees significant increase in EU market abuse sanctions to €88 million in 2019 ESMA registers DTCC Data Repository (Ireland) PLC as trade repository under EMIR and SFTR ESMA consults on the impact of algorithmic trading ESMA publishes cloud outsourcing guidelines ESMA publishes draft technical standards under EMIR REFIT ESMA recommends more time to implement a mix of solutions for PSAS to clear ESMA publishes final guidance to address leverage risk in the AIF sector ESMA renews its decision requiring net short position holders to report positions of 0.1% and above ESMA supports IFRS Foundation’s efforts on international standardisation in sustainability reporting ESMA updates guidelines on stress tests for money market funds ESMA reminds users of scheduled IT operations at the end of the Brexit transition period Kroll Bond Rating Agency LLC’s certification status withdrawn ESMA reports on annual market share of credit rating agencies ESMA to recognise Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited (EUI) after Brexit transition period ESMA issues latest double volume cap data ESMA publishes 2020 ESEF XBRL Taxonomy files and ESEF Conformance suite ESAs highlight the change in the status of simple, transparent and standardised (STS) securitisation transactions at the end of the UK transition period ESMA updates reporting under the Money Market Funds Regulation Please note that this Markets Update is intended to be a general summary only and does not purport to constitute an interpretation of, or the Central Bank’s position on, any of the legislative provisions, rules, requirements or guidance referenced herein. In case of any doubt, you should refer to the relevant legislative provision, rule, requirement or guidance document as applicable. The staff of the Central Bank are not authorised and cannot give you legal advice; you should seek this from your own legal advisor, if required.