Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 32 U.K. Recognition of an administrator located in a third country

1. Until such time as an equivalence decision in accordance with Article 30(2) or (3) is adopted, a benchmark provided by an administrator located in a third country may be used by supervised entities in the Union provided that the administrator acquires prior recognition by the competent authority of its Member State of reference in accordance with this Article.

2. An administrator located in a third country intending to obtain prior recognition as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall comply with the requirements established in this Regulation, excluding Article 11(4) and Articles 16, 20, 21 and 23. The administrator may fulfil that condition by applying the IOSCO principles for financial benchmarks or the IOSCO principles for PRAs, as applicable, provided that such application is equivalent to compliance with the requirements established in this Regulation, excluding Article 11(4), and Articles 16, 20, 21 and 23.

For the purposes of determining whether the condition referred to in the first subparagraph is fulfilled, and in order to assess compliance with the IOSCO principles for financial benchmarks or the IOSCO principles for PRAs, as applicable, the competent authority of the Member State of reference may rely on an assessment by an independent external auditor or, where the administrator located in a third country is subject to supervision, on the certification provided by the competent authority of the third country where the administrator is located.

If, and to the extent that, an administrator is able to demonstrate that a benchmark it provides is a regulated-data benchmark or a commodity benchmark that is not based on submissions by contributors the majority of which are supervised entities, there shall be no obligation on the administrator to comply with requirements not applicable to the provision of regulated-data benchmarks and of commodity benchmarks as provided for in Article 17 and Article 19(1) respectively.

3. An administrator located in a third country intending to obtain prior recognition as referred to in paragraph 1 shall have a legal representative established in its Member State of reference. The legal representative shall be a natural or legal person located in the Union, and which, expressly appointed by the administrator located in a third country, acts on behalf of such administrator vis-à-vis the authorities and any other person in the Union with regard to the administrator's obligations under this Regulation. The legal representative shall perform the oversight function relating to the provision of benchmarks performed by the administrator under this Regulation together with the administrator and, in that respect, shall be accountable to the competent authority of the Member State of reference.

4. The Member State of reference of an administrator located in a third country shall be determined as follows:

(a) where an administrator is part of a group that contains one supervised entity located in the Union, the Member State of reference shall be the Member State where that supervised entity is located. Such supervised entity shall be appointed as the legal representative for the purposes of paragraph 3;

(b) if point (a) does not apply, where an administrator is part of a group that contains more than one supervised entity located in the Union, the Member State of reference shall be the Member State where the highest number of supervised entities are located or, in the event that there is an equal number of supervised entities, the Member State of reference shall be the one where the value of financial instruments, financial contracts or investment funds that reference the benchmark is highest. One of the supervised entities located in the Member State of reference determined pursuant to this point shall be appointed as the legal representative for the purposes of paragraph 3;

(c) if neither point (a) nor (b) of this paragraph applies, where one or more benchmarks provided by the administrator are used as a reference for financial instruments admitted to trading in a trading venue as defined in point (24) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU in one or more Member States, the Member State of reference shall be the Member State where the financial instrument referencing any of those benchmarks was admitted to trading or traded on a trading venue for the first time and is still traded. If the relevant financial instruments were admitted to trading or traded for the first time simultaneously on trading venues in different Member States, and are still traded, the Member State of reference shall be the one where the value of financial instruments, financial contracts or investment funds that reference the benchmark is highest;

(d) if points (a), (b) and (c) do not apply, where one or more benchmarks provided by the administrator are used by supervised entities in more than one Member State, the Member State of reference shall be the Member State where the highest number of such supervised entities are located or, in the event that there is an equal number of supervised entities, the Member State of reference shall be the one where the value of financial instruments, financial contracts or investment funds that reference the benchmark is highest;

(e) if points (a), (b), (c) and (d) do not apply and if the administrator enters into an agreement consenting to the use of a benchmark it provides with a supervised entity, the Member State of reference shall be the Member State where such supervised entity is located.

5. An administrator located in a third country intending to obtain prior recognition as referred to in paragraph 1 shall apply for recognition with the competent authority of its Member State of reference. The applicant administrator shall provide all information necessary to satisfy the competent authority that it has established, at the time of recognition, all the necessary arrangements to meet the requirements referred to in paragraph 2 and shall provide the list of its actual or prospective benchmarks which may be used in the Union and shall, where applicable, indicate the competent authority responsible for its supervision in the third country.

Within 90 working days of receipt of the application referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the competent authority shall verify that the conditions laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 are fulfilled.

If the competent authority considers that the conditions laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 are not fulfilled, it shall refuse the recognition request and set out the reasons for that refusal. In addition, no recognition shall be granted unless the following additional conditions are fulfilled:

(a) where an administrator located in a third country is subject to supervision, an appropriate cooperation arrangement is in place between the competent authority of the Member State of reference and the competent authority of the third country where the administrator is located, in compliance with the regulatory technical standards adopted pursuant to Article 30(5), in order to ensure an efficient exchange of information that allows the competent authority to carry out its duties in accordance with this Regulation;

(b) the effective exercise by the competent authority of its supervisory functions under this Regulation is neither prevented by the laws, regulations or administrative provisions of the third country where the administrator is located, nor, where applicable, by limitations in the supervisory and investigatory powers of that third country's supervisory authority.

6. In the event that the competent authority of the Member State of reference considers that an administrator located in a third country provides a benchmark that fulfils the conditions of a significant or non-significant benchmark, as provided for in Articles 24 and 26 respectively, it shall, without undue delay, notify ESMA thereof. It shall support such assessment with the information provided by the administrator in the relevant application for recognition.

Within one month of receipt of the notification referred to in the first subparagraph, ESMA shall issue advice to the competent authority about the type of the benchmark and the requirements applicable to its provision, as provided for in Articles 24, 25 and 26. The advice may, in particular, address whether ESMA considers that the conditions for such type are fulfilled on the basis of the information provided by the administrator in the application for recognition.

The period of time referred to in paragraph 5 shall be suspended from the date on which the notification is received by ESMA, until such time as ESMA issues advice in accordance with this paragraph.

If the competent authority of the Member State of reference proposes to grant recognition contrary to ESMA's advice referred to in the second subparagraph, it shall inform ESMA thereof, stating its reasons. ESMA shall publish the fact that the competent authority does not comply or intend to comply with that advice. ESMA may also decide, on a case-by-case basis, to publish the reasons provided by the competent authority for not complying with that advice. The competent authority concerned shall receive advance notice of such publication.

7. The competent authority of the Member State of reference shall notify ESMA of any decision to recognise an administrator located in a third country within five working days, along with the list of the benchmarks provided by the administrator which may be used in the Union and, where applicable, the competent authority responsible for its supervision in the third country.

8. The competent authority of the Member State of reference shall suspend or, where appropriate, withdraw the recognition granted in accordance with paragraph 5 if it has well-founded reasons, based on documented evidence, to consider that the administrator is acting in a manner which is clearly prejudicial to the interests of users of its benchmarks or the orderly functioning of markets or the administrator has seriously infringed the relevant requirements set out in this Regulation, or that the administrator made false statements or used any other irregular means to obtain the recognition.

9. ESMA may develop draft regulatory technical standards to determine the form and content of the application referred to in paragraph 5 and, in particular, the presentation of the information required in paragraph 6.

In the event that such draft regulatory technical standards are developed, ESMA shall submit them to the Commission.

Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with the procedure laid down in Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.