This Week in Finance — Brussels (#31, 2026)
ECB issues joint controller rules for SSM data; Prospectus format overhaul under 2026/1061; Technical standards on banking benchmarking updated; Poland's €7.9bn recovery payment cleared.
August 09, 2026 to August 15, 2026
ECB issues joint controller rules for SSM data; Prospectus format overhaul under 2026/1061; Technical standards on banking benchmarking updated; Poland's €7.9bn recovery payment cleared.
📋 In This Week's Newsletter
• 🇪🇺 European Commission
• ⚖️ EU Legislation
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week
European Commission
Commission approves Poland’s €7.9 billion NextGenerationEU payment
On 9 August 2026, the European Commission announced its positive assessment of Poland's fifth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, totaling €7.9 billion. The funds are tied to the completion of 16 milestones and 13 targets, including investments in digital tools for schools, expansion of urban public transport, reforms to Poland’s Energy Law, and the deployment of electricity market data infrastructure. The assessment found that Poland met all relevant criteria set out in the Council Implementing Decision. The Commission’s preliminary assessment has been submitted to the Economic and Financial Committee, with payment pending the committee’s opinion and final Commission approval. Poland’s plan, financed by €54.72 billion overall, prioritizes green and digital transitions and healthcare improvements.
EU Legislation (Official Journal)
ECB sets new framework for personal data processing in prudential bank supervision
Decision (EU) 2026/1942 of the ECB, published 14 August 2026 (CELEX: 32026D1942), establishes the allocation of responsibilities and roles for the processing of personal data within the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The Decision defines the ECB and national competent authorities (NCAs) as joint controllers for processing personal data related to prudential supervision of credit institutions, under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and Regulation (EU) 2016/679. The framework specifies division of obligations for supervisory tasks, personal data breach management, and cooperation in handling data subject requests.
Prospectus regulation revised: standardised formats, approval processes streamlined
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1061, published 13 August 2026 (CELEX: 32026R1061), amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980 on the prospectus format and scrutiny for securities offerings. The revision aligns disclosure requirements with EU Growth prospectus practice, mandates standardised prospectus formats, and simplifies approval processes and base prospectus rules. Specific changes address ESG disclosure for non-equity securities, new IPO requirements, and maximum timeframes for competent authority approvals.
Technical standards updated for annual supervisory benchmarking of credit institutions
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1872, published 12 August 2026 (CELEX: 32026R1872), updates the technical standards for supervisory benchmarking under Article 78(2) of Directive 2013/36/EU. Changes reflect new requirements on ESG risk, postpone the application of trading book FRTB standards to 2027, and revise templates for credit risk benchmarking in line with the reporting framework of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3117.
What We're Reading This Week
- Why do women struggle more than men to buy a home?: Persistent gender pay gaps and higher rates of single homeownership make it harder for women to afford buying property.
