Decision (EU) 2015/929 of the European Central BankShow full title

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE OPENING AND OPERATION OF A DEDICATED CASH ACCOUNT IN TARGET2-ECB U.K.

TITLE I U.K. GENERAL PROVISIONS U.K.

Article 1 U.K. Definitions

For the purposes of these Harmonised Conditions (hereinafter the “Conditions”) the following definitions apply:

• “Auto-collateralisation” means intraday credit granted by the euro area national central bank (NCB) in central bank money triggered when a DCA holder has insufficient funds to settle securities transactions, whereby such intraday credit is collateralised either with the securities being purchased (collateral on flow), or with securities held by the DCA holder in favour of the euro area NCB (collateral on stock),

• “Dedicated Cash Account (DCA)” means an account held by a DCA holder, opened in TARGET2-ECB, and used for cash payments in relation to securities settlement in T2S,

• “Immediate liquidity transfer order” means an instruction to make a DCA to PM liquidity transfer order, a PM to DCA liquidity transfer order or a DCA to DCA liquidity transfer order in real-time upon the receipt of the said instruction,

• “Predefined liquidity transfer order” means an instruction to transfer a specified amount of funds from a DCA to a PM account to be executed only once at a defined time or event,

• “Liquidity adjustment” means the authorisation given by the DCA holder, to its participating CSD or the ECB by special contractual arrangement duly documented and registered in the Static Data to initiate liquidity transfers between a DCA and a PM Account, or between two DCAs,

• “DCA to PM liquidity transfer order” means the instruction to transfer a specified amount of funds from a DCA to a PM account,

• “PM to DCA liquidity transfer order” means the instruction to transfer a specified amount of funds from a PM account to a DCA,

• “DCA to DCA liquidity transfer order” means the instruction to transfer a specified amount of funds from (i) a DCA to a DCA linked to the same Main PM account; or (ii) from a DCA to a DCA held by the same legal entity,

• “Main PM account” means the PM Account to which a DCA is linked and on which any remaining balance will be automatically repatriated at end-of-day,

• “Standing liquidity transfer order” means an instruction to transfer a specified amount of cash or “all cash” available in the T2S DCA from a DCA to a PM account to be executed repetitively at a defined time or event in the T2S processing cycle until the order is deleted or the validity period expires,

• “Static Data” means the set of business objects, specific to a DCA holder or central bank, in T2S and owned respectively by that DCA holder or central bank, that T2S requires to process the transactional data related to that DCA holder or central bank,

• “Business Identifier Code (BIC)” means a code as defined by ISO Standard No 9362,

• “ISO country code” means a code as defined by ISO Standard No 3166-1,

• “business day” means any day on which TARGET2 is open for the settlement of payment orders, as set out in Appendix V,

• “capacity opinion” means a participant-specific opinion that contains an assessment of a participant's legal capacity to enter into and carry out its obligations under these Conditions,

• “central banks (CBs)” means the Eurosystem CBs and the connected NCBs,

• “connected NCB” means an NCB, other than a Eurosystem CB, which is connected to TARGET2 pursuant to a specific agreement,

• “credit institution” means either: (a) a credit institution within the meaning of point (1) of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and, Section 2(1) no 2 and Section 2(6) no 2 of the KWG that is subject to supervision by a competent authority; or (b) another credit institution within the meaning of Article 123(2) of the Treaty that is subject to scrutiny of a standard comparable to supervision by a competent authority,

• “euro area NCB” means the NCB of a Member State whose currency is the euro,

• “Eurosystem CB” means the ECB or a euro area NCB,

• “event of default” means any impending or existing event, the occurrence of which may threaten the performance by a participant of its obligations under these Conditions or any other rules applying to the relationship between that participant and the ECB or any other CB, including:

  (a)

  where the participant no longer meets the access criteria laid down in Article 5 or the requirements laid down in Article 6(1)(a)(i);

  (b)

  the opening of insolvency proceedings in relation to the participant;

  (c)

  the submission of an application relating to the proceedings referred to in point (b);

  (d)

  the issue by the participant of a written declaration of its inability to pay all or any part of its debts or to meet its obligations arising in relation to intraday credit;

  (e)

  the entry of the participant into a voluntary general agreement or arrangement with its creditors;

  (f)

  where the participant is, or is deemed by its CB to be, insolvent or unable to pay its debts;

  (g)

  where the participant's credit balance on its PM account or DCA or all or a substantial part of the participant's assets are subject to a freezing order, attachment, seizure or any other procedure that is intended to protect the public interest or the rights of the participant's creditors;

  (h)

  where participation of the participant in another TARGET2 component system and/or in an ancillary system has been suspended or terminated;

  (i)

  where any material representation or pre-contractual statement made by the participant or which is implied to have been made by the participant under the applicable law is incorrect or untrue;

  (j)

  the assignment of all or a substantial part of the participant's assets,

• “insolvency proceedings” means insolvency proceedings within the meaning of Article 2(j) of Directive 98/26/EC,

• “TARGET2 network service provider” means a provider of computerised network connections appointed by the ECB's Governing Council for the purpose of submitting payment messages in TARGET2,

• “T2S network service provider” means an undertaking that has concluded a licence agreement with the Eurosystem to provide connectivity services in the context of T2S,

• “payee”, except where used in Article 28 of these Conditions, means a TARGET2 participant whose DCA will be credited as a result of a payment order being settled,

• “payer”, except where used in Article 28 of these Conditions, means a TARGET2 participant whose DCA will be debited as a result of a payment order being settled,

• “payment order” means a DCA to PM liquidity transfer order, a PM to DCA liquidity transfer order or a DCA to DCA liquidity transfer order,

• “Payments Module (PM)” means an SSP module in which payments of TARGET2 participants are settled on PM accounts,

• “PM account” means an account held by a TARGET2 participant in the PM with a Eurosystem CB which is necessary for such TARGET2 participant to:

  (a)

  submit payment orders or receive payments via TARGET2, and

  (b)

  settle such payments with such Eurosystem CB,

• “Single Shared Platform (SSP)” means the single technical platform infrastructure provided by the SSP-providing NCBs,

• “TARGET2-Securities (T2S)” or “T2S Platform” means the set of hardware, software and other technical infrastructure components through which the Eurosystem provides the services to participating CSDs and Eurosystem CBs that allow core, neutral and borderless settlement of securities transactions on a delivery-versus-payment basis in central bank money,

• “SSP-providing NCBs” means the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Banque de France and the Banca d'Italia in their capacity as the CBs building and operating the SSP for the Eurosystem's benefit,

• “4CBs” means the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Banque de France, the Banca d'Italia and Banco de España in their capacity as the CBs building and operating the T2S Platform for the Eurosystem's benefit,

• “static data collection form” means a form developed by the ECB for the purpose of registering applicants for TARGET2-ECB services and registering any changes in relation to the provision of such services,

• “suspension” means the temporary freezing of the rights and obligations of a participant for a period of time to be determined by the ECB,

• “T2S GUI” means module on the T2S Platform which allows DCA holders to obtain on-line information and gives them the possibility to submit payment orders,

• “TARGET2-ECB” means the TARGET2 component system of the ECB,

• “TARGET2” means the entirety resulting from all TARGET2 component systems of the CBs,

• “TARGET2 component system” means any of the CBs' real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems that form part of TARGET2,

• “TARGET2 participant” means any participant in any TARGET2 component system,

• “participant” or “direct participant” means an entity that holds at least one PM account (PM account holder) and/or one Dedicated Cash Account (DCA holder) with a Eurosystem CB,

• “technical malfunction of TARGET2” means any difficulty, defect or failure in the technical infrastructure and/or the computer systems used by TARGET2-ECB including the SSP or T2S Platform, or any other event that makes it impossible to execute and complete the same-day processing of payments in TARGET2-ECB,

• “available liquidity” means the credit balance on the DCA decreased by the amount of any processed reservations of liquidity or blocking of funds,

• “participating Central Securities Depository” or “participating CSD” means a CSD that has signed the T2S Framework Agreement,

• “A2A” or “Application-to-application” means a connectivity mode allowing the DCA holder to exchange information with the software application of the T2S Platform,

• “U2A” or “User-to-application” means a connectivity mode allowing the DCA holder to exchange information with software applications on the T2S Platform through a graphical user interface,

• “T2S Distinguished Name” or “T2S DN” means the network address for the T2S Platform which must be included in all messages intended for the system,

• “branch” means a branch within the meaning of point (17) of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013,

• “non-settled payment order” means a payment order that is not settled on the same business day as that on which it is accepted,

• “real-time gross settlement” means the processing and settlement of payment orders on a transaction by transaction basis in real-time.

Article 2 U.K. Scope

The present Conditions govern the relationship between the ECB and its DCA holder as far the opening and the operation of the DCA is concerned.

Article 3 U.K. Appendices

1. The following Appendices form an integral part of these Conditions:

Appendix I

:

Parameters of the dedicated cash accounts — Technical specifications;

Appendix II

:

TARGET2 compensation scheme in relation to the opening and the operation of the DCA;

Appendix III

:

Terms of reference for capacity and country opinions;

Appendix IV

:

Business continuity and contingency procedures;

Appendix V

:

Operating schedule;

Appendix VI

:

Fee schedule.

2. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the content of any appendix and the content of any other provision in these Conditions, the latter shall prevail.

Article 4 U.K. General description of T2S and TARGET2

1. TARGET2 provides real-time gross settlement for payments in euro, with settlement in central bank money across PM accounts and DCAs. By virtue of Guideline ECB/2012/27 (*), TARGET2 also provides real-time gross settlement services in respect of T2S transactions for DCA holders having ensured a link with a securities account at a participating CSD. Such services are provided on the T2S Platform, enabling the exchange of standardised messages in respect of the transfers from and to the DCAs opened on the books of the relevant euro area NCB in TARGET2.

2. The following transactions are processed in TARGET2-ECB:

(a) payment orders directly resulting from or made in connection with Eurosystem monetary policy operations;

(b) settlement of the euro leg of foreign exchange operations involving the Eurosystem;

(c) settlement of euro transfers resulting from transactions in cross-border large-value netting systems;

(d) settlement of euro transfers resulting from transactions in euro retail payment systems of systemic importance;

(e) settlement of the cash leg of securities transactions;

(f) DCA to DCA liquidity transfer orders, DCA to PM liquidity transfer orders and PM to DCA liquidity transfer orders; and

(g) any other payment orders in euro addressed to TARGET2 participants.

3. TARGET2 provides real-time gross settlement for payments in euro, with settlement in central bank money across PM accounts and DCAs. TARGET2 is established and functions on the basis of the SSP through which all payment orders are submitted and processed and through which payments are ultimately received in the same technical manner. As far as the technical operation of the Dedicated Cash Accounts on T2S is concerned, TARGET2 is technically established and functions on the basis of the T2S Platform. The ECB is the provider of services under these Conditions. Acts and omissions of the SSP-providing NCBs and the 4CBs shall be considered acts and omissions of the ECB, for which it shall assume liability in accordance with Article 21 below. Participation pursuant to these Conditions shall not create a contractual relationship between participants and SSP-providing NCBs or the 4CBs when any of the latter act in that capacity. Instructions, messages or information which a participant receives from, or sends to, the SSP or T2S Platform in relation to the services provided under these Conditions are deemed to be received from, or sent to, the ECB.

4. TARGET2 is legally structured as a multiplicity of payment systems composed of all the TARGET2 component systems, which are designated as “systems” under the national laws implementing Directive 98/26/EC. TARGET2-ECB is designated as a “system” under the national laws implementing Directive 98/26/EC. TARGET2-ECB is designated as a system under Section 1(16) of the KWG.

5. Participation in TARGET2 takes effect via participation in a TARGET2 component system. These Conditions describe the mutual rights and obligations of DCA holders in TARGET2-ECB and the ECB. The rules on the processing of payment orders under these Conditions (Title IV of this Annex and Appendix I) refer to all payment orders submitted or payments received by any TARGET2 participant.

TITLE II U.K. PARTICIPATION U.K.

Article 5 U.K. Access criteria

Entities managing ancillary systems (including entities established outside the EEA) and acting in that capacity, whose access to TARGET2-ECB has been approved by the Governing Council, shall be the only entities that are eligible to become DCA holders upon request in TARGET2-ECB.

Article 6 U.K. Application procedure

1. In order for the ECB to open a DCA for an entity, such entity must comply with the access criteria of Article 5 and shall:

(a) fulfil the following technical requirements:

(i)

install, manage, operate and monitor and ensure the security of the necessary IT infrastructure to provide a technical connection to the SSP and/or the T2S Platform and submit payment orders to it. In doing so, applicant participants may involve third parties, but retain sole liability. In particular, when connecting directly to the T2S Platform, applicant DCA holders shall enter into an agreement with a T2S network service provider to obtain the necessary connection and admissions, in accordance with the technical specifications in Appendix I; and

(ii)

have passed the certification testing and obtained the authorisation required by the ECB; and

(b) fulfil the following legal requirements:

(i)

provide a capacity opinion in the form specified in Appendix III, unless the information and representations to be provided in such capacity opinion have already been obtained by the ECB in another context; and

(ii)

for entities established outside the EEA, acting through a branch established in the EEA, provide a country opinion in the form specified in Appendix III, unless the information and representations to be provided in such country opinion have already been obtained by the ECB in another context.

2. Entities wishing to open a DCA shall apply in writing to the ECB, as a minimum enclosing the following documents/information:

(a) completed static data collection forms as provided by the ECB;

(b) the capacity opinion, if required by the ECB; and

(c) the country opinion, if required by the ECB.

3. The ECB may also request any additional information it deems necessary to decide on the application to participate.

4. The ECB shall reject the application to open a DCA if:

(a) the access criteria referred to in Article 5 are not met;

(b) one or more of the participation criteria referred to in paragraph 1 are not met; and/or

(c) in the ECB's assessment, opening a DCA would endanger the overall stability, soundness and safety of TARGET2-ECB or of any other TARGET2 component system, or would jeopardise the ECB's performance of its tasks as described in the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, or poses risks on the grounds of prudence.

5. The ECB shall communicate its decision on the application to open a DCA to the applicant within one month of the ECB's receipt thereof. Where the ECB requests additional information pursuant to paragraph 3, the decision shall be communicated within one month of the ECB's receipt of this information from the applicant. Any rejection decision shall contain reasons for the rejection.

Article 7 U.K. DCA holders

DCA holders in TARGET2-ECB shall comply with the requirements set out in Article 6. They shall have at least one DCA with the ECB.

Article 8 U.K. Links between securities accounts and DCAs

1. A DCA holder may request the ECB to link its DCA to one or more securities account(s) held on its own behalf or on behalf of its clients which hold securities accounts in one or more participating CSD.

2. DCA holders linking their DCA to securities account(s) on behalf of clients as set out in paragraph 1 are responsible for establishing and maintaining the list of linked securities accounts and, where relevant, the set-up of the client-collateralisation feature.

3. As a result of the request under paragraph 1, the DCA holder is deemed to have given a mandate to the CSD where such linked securities accounts are maintained to debit the DCA with the amounts resulting from securities transactions taking place on these securities accounts.

4. Paragraph 3 shall apply regardless of any agreements the DCA holder has with the CSD and/or the securities account holders.

TITLE III U.K. OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES U.K.

Article 9 U.K. Obligations of the ECB and the DCA holders

1. The ECB shall open upon request of the DCA holder and operate one or more DCA(s) denominated in euro. Save where otherwise provided in these Conditions or required by law, the ECB shall use all reasonable means within its power to perform its obligations under these Conditions, without guaranteeing a result.

2. The fees for DCA services are laid down in Appendix VI. The holder of the Main PM account to which the DCA is linked is liable for paying these fees.

3. DCA holders shall ensure that they are connected to TARGET2-ECB on business days, in accordance with the operating schedule in Appendix V.

4. The DCA holder represents and warrants to the ECB that the performance of its obligations under these Conditions does not breach any law, regulation or by-law applicable to it or any agreement by which it is bound.

5. DCA holders shall ensure that the liquidity in the DCA during the day is properly managed. This obligation shall include but is not limited to obtaining regular information on their liquidity position. The ECB shall provide a daily statement of accounts to any DCA holder that has opted for such service on the T2S Platform provided that the DCA holder is connected to the T2S Platform via a T2S network service provider.

Article 10 U.K. Cooperation and information exchange

1. In performing their obligations and exercising their rights under these Conditions, the ECB and DCA holders shall cooperate closely to ensure the stability, soundness and safety of TARGET2-ECB. They shall provide each other with any information or documents relevant for the performance of their respective obligations and the exercise of their respective rights under these Conditions, without prejudice to any banking secrecy obligations.

2. The ECB shall establish and maintain a system support desk to assist DCA holders in relation to difficulties arising in connection with system operations.

3. Up-to-date information on the operational status of the TARGET2 platform and the T2S Platform shall be available on the TARGET2 Information System (T2IS) and the TARGET2-Securities Information System respectively. The T2IS and the TARGET2 Securities Information System may be used to obtain information on any event affecting the normal operation of the respective platforms.

4. The ECB may either communicate messages to DCA holders by means of broadcast messages or by any other means of communication. DCA holders may collect information via the ICM, to the extent they also hold a PM account, or otherwise via the T2S GUI.

5. DCA holders are responsible for the timely update of existing static data collection forms and the submission of new static data collection forms to the ECB. DCA holders are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information relating to them that is entered into TARGET2-ECB by the ECB.

6. The ECB shall be deemed to be authorised to communicate to the SSP-providing NCBs or the 4CBs any information relating to DCA holders which the former may need in their role as service administrators, in accordance with the contract entered into with the TARGET2 network service provider and/or the T2S network service provider.

7. DCA holders shall inform the ECB about any change in their legal capacity and relevant legislative changes affecting issues covered by the country opinion relating to them.

8. DCA holders shall inform the ECB of:

(a) any new holder of a securities account linked to the DCA pursuant to Article 8(1), which they accept; and

(b) any changes related to the holders of securities accounts listed in point (a).

9. DCA holders shall immediately inform the ECB if an event of default occurs in relation to themselves.

Article 11 U.K. Designation, suspension or termination of the Main PM account

1. The DCA holder shall designate a Main PM account to which the DCA is linked. The Main PM account may be held in a TARGET2 component system other than TARGET2-ECB and may belong to a different legal entity from the DCA holder.

2. A participant using internet based access cannot be designated as a Main PM account holder.

3. If the holder of the Main PM account and the holder of the DCA are different legal entities and in the event that the participation of that designated Main PM account holder is suspended or terminated, the ECB and the DCA holder shall take all reasonable and practicable steps to mitigate any ensuing damage or loss. The DCA holder shall take all necessary steps to designate a new Main PM account without undue delay which will then be liable for any outstanding invoices. On the day of the suspension or termination of the Main PM account holder and until a new Main PM account holder has been designated, any funds remaining on the DCA at the end of the day shall be moved to an account of the ECB. These funds will be subject to the remuneration conditions of Article 10(3) of Annex I to this Decision.

4. The ECB shall not be liable for any losses incurred by the DCA holder as a consequence of the suspension or termination of the Main PM account holder's participation.

TITLE IV U.K. OPENING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DCA AND PROCESSING OF OPERATIONS U.K.

Article 12 U.K. Opening and management of the DCA

1. The ECB shall open and operate at least one DCA for each DCA holder. A DCA shall be identified by means of a unique 34 character account number which will be structured as follows.

	Name	Format	Content
Part A	Account type	1 char. exactly	“C” for cash account
	Country code of the central bank	2 char. exactly	ISO country code 3166-1
	Currency code	3 char. exactly	EUR
Part B	Account holder	11 char. exactly	BIC Code
Part C	Sub-classification of the account	Up to 17 char.	Free text (alphanumeric) to be provided by the DCA holder

2. No debit balance shall be allowed on DCAs.

3. The DCA shall not hold any funds overnight. At the beginning and end of a business day, there shall be a zero balance on the DCAs. DCA holders shall be deemed to have instructed the ECB to transfer any remaining balance at the end of a business day as defined in Appendix V to the Main PM account referred to in Article 11(1).

4. The DCA shall only be used within the period between the T2S start-of-day and T2S end-of-day as defined in the T2S User Detailed Functional Specifications (UDFS).

5. DCAs shall be interest free.

Article 13 U.K. Operations that may be carried out through the DCA

Subject to the DCA holder designating the necessary securities account(s), the DCA holder may carry out the following operations through the DCA either on its own behalf or on behalf of its customers:

(a)

DCA to PM liquidity transfer orders;

(b)

DCA to DCA liquidity transfer orders;

(c)

the settlement of cash instructions stemming from the T2S Platform; and

(d)

cash transfers between the DCA and the DCA of the ECB in the particular context of paragraphs 8 and 9 of Annex IIIa to Guideline ECB/2012/27.

Article 14 U.K. Acceptance and rejection of payment orders

1. Payment orders submitted by DCA holders are deemed accepted by the ECB if:

(a) the payment message complies with the rules established by the T2S network service provider;

(b) the payment message complies with the formatting rules and conditions of TARGET2-ECB and passes the double-entry check described in Appendix I; and

(c) in cases where a payer or a payee has been suspended, the suspended participant's CB's explicit consent has been obtained.

2. The ECB shall immediately reject any payment order that does not fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 1. The ECB shall inform the DCA holder of any rejection of a payment order, as specified in Appendix I.

3. The T2S Platform determines the timestamp for the processing of payment orders on the basis of the time when it receives and accepts the payment order.

Article 15 U.K. Reservation and blocking of liquidity

1. Participants may reserve or block liquidity on their DCA. This does not constitute a settlement guarantee in favour of any third party.

2. By requesting to reserve or block an amount of liquidity, a participant instructs the ECB to decrease the available liquidity by this amount.

3. A reservation request is an instruction by which, if the available liquidity is equal to or higher than the amount to be reserved, the reservation is processed. If the available liquidity is lower, it is reserved and the shortfall may be met by incoming liquidity until the full amount of the reservation is available.

4. A blocking request is an instruction by which, if the available liquidity is equal to or higher than the amount to be blocked, the blocking request is processed. If the available liquidity is lower, no amount is blocked and the blocking request is resubmitted, until the full amount of the blocking request can be met by available liquidity.

5. The participant may at any time during the business day on which a request to reserve or block liquidity has been processed, instruct the ECB to cancel the reservation or blocking. Partial cancelation shall not be permitted.

6. All requests for reservation or blocking of liquidity under this article shall expire at the end of the business day.

Article 16 U.K. Moment of entry, moment of irrevocability

1. For the purposes of the first sentence of Article 3(1) and Article 5 of Directive 98/26/EC, and the third sentence of Section 116, Section 96(2), Section 82 and Section 340(3) of the German Insolvency Code (Insolvenzordnung) and the last sentence of Section 46(2) of the KWG, DCA to DCA liquidity transfer orders or DCA to PM liquidity transfer orders are deemed entered into TARGET2-ECB and are irrevocable at the moment that the relevant DCA holder's DCA is debited. PM to DCA liquidity transfer orders are governed by the Harmonised Conditions for the Opening and Operation of a PM account in TARGET2 applicable to the TARGET2 component system from which they originate.

2. For the purposes of the first sentence of Article 3(1) and Article 5 of Directive 98/26/EC, and the third sentence of Section 116, Section 96(2), Section 82 and Section 340(3) of the German Insolvency Code (Insolvenzordnung) and the last sentence of Section 46(2) of the KWG, and for all transactions settling on DCAs and which are subject to matching of two separate transfer orders, such transfer orders are deemed entered into TARGET2-ECB and are irrevocable at the moment that the relevant DCA holder's DCA is debited.

3. The rules provided for in paragraph 2 shall be replaced by the rules below two weeks after the Governing Council of the ECB has determined that an agreement has been signed between the Eurosystem CBs and the Connected NCBs, on the one hand, and all CSDs participating in T2S at the date of such agreement, on the other hand, on the provision of information and liability.

(a) For all transactions settling on DCAs and which are subject to matching of two separate transfer orders, such transfer orders are deemed entered into TARGET2-ECB at the moment at which they have been declared compliant with the technical rules of T2S by the T2S Platform and irrevocable at the moment the transaction has been given the status “matched” on the T2S Platform; or

(b) As an exception to point (a), for transactions involving one participating CSD having a separate matching component where transfer orders are sent directly to that participating CSD to be matched in its separate matching component, transfer orders are deemed entered into TARGET2-ECB at the moment at which they have been declared compliant with the technical rules of T2S by that participating CSD and irrevocable from the moment the transaction has been given the status “matched” on the T2S Platform. A list of CSDs for which this point (b) applies is available on the website of the ECB.

TITLE V U.K. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS, CONTINGENCY ISSUES AND USER INTERFACES U.K.

Article 17 U.K. Business continuity and contingency procedures

In the event of an abnormal external event or any other event which affects transactions on the DCAs, the business continuity and contingency procedures described in Appendix IV shall apply.

Article 18 U.K. Security requirements

1. DCA holders shall implement adequate security controls to protect their systems from unauthorised access and use. DCA holders shall be exclusively responsible for adequate protection to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their systems.

2. DCA holders shall inform the ECB of any security-related incidents in their technical infrastructure and, where appropriate, security-related incidents that occur in the technical infrastructure of the third party providers. The ECB may request further information about the incident and request that the DCA holders take appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence of such an event.

3. The ECB may impose additional security requirements on all DCA holders and/or on DCA holders that are considered critical by the ECB.

Article 19 U.K. User interfaces

1. The DCA holder, or the Main PM account holder acting on its behalf, shall use either one or both of the following means to access that DCA:

(a) direct connection to the T2S Platform in either U2A or A2A modes; or

(b) the TARGET2 ICM in combination with TARGET2 value-added services for T2S.

2. A direct connection to the T2S Platform allows DCA holders:

(a) to access and, when applicable, amend information relating to their accounts;

(b) to manage liquidity and to initiate liquidity transfer orders from the DCAs.

3. The TARGET2 ICM in combination with TARGET2 value-added services for T2S allows the holder of the Main PM account:

(a) to access information relating to their accounts;

(b) to manage liquidity and to initiate liquidity transfer orders to and from the DCAs.

Further technical details relating to the TARGET2 ICM are contained in [insert national provisions implementing Appendix I to Annex II to the Guideline].

TITLE VI U.K. COMPENSATION, LIABILITY REGIME AND EVIDENCE U.K.

Article 20 U.K. Compensation scheme

In the event that funds remain overnight on a DCA due to a technical malfunction of either the SSP or the T2S Platform, the ECB shall offer to compensate the participants concerned in accordance with the special procedure laid down in Appendix II.

Article 21 U.K. Liability regime

1. In performing their obligations pursuant to these Conditions, the ECB and the DCA holders shall be bound by a general duty of reasonable care in relation to each other.

2. The ECB shall be liable to its DCA holders in cases of fraud (including but not limited to wilful misconduct) or gross negligence, for any loss arising out of the operation of TARGET2-ECB. In cases of ordinary negligence, the ECB's liability shall be limited to the DCA holder's direct loss, i.e. the amount of the transaction in question and/or the loss of interest thereon, excluding any consequential loss.

3. The ECB is not liable for any loss that results from any malfunction or failure in the technical infrastructure (including but not limited to the ECB's computer infrastructure, programmes, data, applications or networks), if such malfunction or failure arises in spite of the ECB having adopted those measures that are reasonably necessary to protect such infrastructure against malfunction or failure, and to resolve the consequences of such malfunction or failure (the latter including but not limited to initiating and completing the business continuity and contingency procedures referred to in Appendix IV).

4. The ECB shall not be liable:

(a) to the extent that the loss is caused by the DCA holder; or

(b) if the loss arises out of external events beyond the ECB's reasonable control (force majeure).

5. Notwithstanding Sections 675u, 675v, 675x, 675y 675z, 676a, 676c of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch), paragraphs 1 to 4 shall apply to the extent that the ECB's liability can be excluded.

6. The ECB and the DCA holders shall take all reasonable and practicable steps to mitigate any damage or loss referred to in this Article.

7. In performing some or all of its obligations under these Conditions, the ECB may commission third parties in its own name, particularly telecommunications or other network providers or other entities, if this is necessary to meet the ECB's obligations or is standard market practice. The ECB's obligation shall be limited to the due selection and commissioning of any such third parties and the ECB's liability shall be limited accordingly. For the purposes of this paragraph, the SSP-providing NCBs and the 4CBs shall not be considered as third parties.

Article 22 U.K. Evidence

1. Unless otherwise provided in these Conditions, all payment and payment processing-related messages in relation to the DCAs, such as confirmations of debits or credits, or statement messages, between the ECB and the DCA holders shall be made through the T2S network service provider.

2. Electronic or written records of the messages retained by the ECB or by the T2S network service provider shall be accepted as a means of evidence of the payments processed through the ECB. The saved or printed version of the original message of the T2S network service provider shall be accepted as a means of evidence, regardless of the form of the original message.

3. If a DCA holder's connection to the T2S network service provider fails, the DCA holder shall use an alternative means of transmission of messages agreed with the ECB. In such cases, the saved or printed version of the message produced by the ECB shall have the same evidential value as the original message, regardless of its form.

4. The ECB shall keep complete records of payment orders submitted and payments received by DCA holders for a period of 10 years from the time at which such payment orders are submitted and payments are received, provided that such complete records shall cover a minimum of five years for any DCA holder in TARGET2 that is subject to continuous vigilance pursuant to restrictive measures adopted by the Council of the European Union or Member States, or more if required by specific regulations.

5. The ECB's own books and records (whether kept on paper, microfilm, microfiche, by electronic or magnetic recording, in any other mechanically reproducible form or otherwise) shall be accepted as a means of evidence of any obligations of the DCA holders and of any facts and events that the parties rely on.

TITLE VII U.K. TERMINATION AND CLOSURE OF DCAS U.K.

Article 23 U.K. Duration and ordinary termination of DCAs

1. Without prejudice to Article 24, a DCA in TARGET2-ECB is opened for an indefinite period of time.

2. A DCA holder may terminate its DCA in TARGET2-ECB at any time giving 14 business days' notice thereof, unless it agrees a shorter notice period with the ECB.

3. The ECB may terminate a DCA holder's DCA in TARGET2-ECB at any time giving three months' notice thereof, unless it agrees a different notice period with that DCA holder.

4. On termination of the DCA, the confidentiality duties laid down in Article 27 remain in force for a period of five years starting on the date of termination.

5. On termination of the DCA, it shall be closed in accordance with Article 25.

Article 24 U.K. Suspension and extraordinary termination of participation

1. A DCA holder's participation in TARGET2-ECB shall be immediately terminated without prior notice or suspended if one of the following events of default occurs:

(a) the opening of insolvency proceedings; and/or

(b) the DCA holder no longer meets the access criteria laid down in Article 5.

2. The ECB may terminate without prior notice or suspend the DCA holder's participation in TARGET2-ECB if:

(a) one or more events of default (other than those referred to in paragraph 1) occur;

(b) the DCA holder is in material breach of these Conditions;

(c) the DCA holder fails to carry out any material obligation to the ECB;

(d) the DCA holder is excluded from, or otherwise ceases to be a member of, a T2S Closed Group of Users (CGU); and/or

(e) any other event related to the DCA holder occurs which, in the ECB's assessment, would threaten the overall stability, soundness and safety of TARGET2-E CB reference or of any other TARGET2 component system, or which would jeopardise the ECB's performance of its tasks as described in the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, or poses risks on the grounds of prudence.

3. In exercising its discretion under paragraph 2, the ECB shall take into account, inter alia, the seriousness of the event of default or events mentioned in points (a) to (c).

4. (a) In the event that the ECB suspends or terminates a DCA holder's participation in TARGET2-ECB under paragraph 1 or 2, the ECB shall immediately inform that DCA holder, other CBs and the other participants of such suspension or termination by means of an ICM broadcast message or a T2S broadcast message depending on which technical option provided for in Article 19 the DCA holder uses.

(b) In the event that the ECB is informed by another CB of a suspension or termination of a participant in another TARGET2 component system, the ECB shall immediately inform its participants of such suspension or termination by means of an ICM broadcast message or of a T2S broadcast message depending on which technical option provided for in Article 19 the DCA holder uses.

(c) Once such an ICM broadcast message (in the case of PM account holders) or T2S broadcast message (in the case of DCA holders) has been received by the participants, such participants shall be deemed informed of the termination/suspension of a DCA holder's participation in TARGET2-ECB or another TARGET2 component system. The participants shall bear any losses arising from the submission of a payment order to participants whose participation has been suspended or terminated if such payment order was entered into TARGET2-ECB after receipt of the ICM broadcast message or of the T2S broadcast message depending on which technical option provided for in Article 19 the DCA holder uses.

5. Upon termination of a DCA holder's participation, TARGET2-ECB shall not accept any new payment orders to or from that DCA holder.

6. If a DCA holder is suspended from TARGET2-ECB, all its incoming and outgoing payment orders shall only be presented for settlement after they have been explicitly accepted by the suspended DCA holder's CB.

Article 25 U.K. Closure of DCAs

1. DCA holders may request the ECB to close their DCAs at any time provided they give the ECB 14 business days' notice thereof.

2. On termination of participation, pursuant to either Article 23 or 24, the ECB shall close the DCA of the DCA holder concerned, after having settled or returned any unsettled payment orders and made use of its rights of pledge and set-off under Article 26.

TITLE VIII U.K. FINAL PROVISIONS U.K.

Article 26 U.K. The ECB's rights of pledge and set-off

1. The ECB shall have a pledge over the DCA holder's existing and future credit balances on its DCAs, thereby collateralising any current and future claims arising out of the legal relationship between the parties.

2. On the occurrence of:

(a) an event of default referred to in Article 24(1); or

(b) any other event of default or event referred to in Article 24(2) that has led to the termination or suspension of the DCA holder's participation, notwithstanding the commencement of any insolvency proceedings in respect of a DCA holder and notwithstanding any assignment, judicial or other attachment or other disposition of or in respect of the DCA holder's rights;

all obligations of the DCA holder shall be automatically and immediately accelerated, without prior notice and without the need for any prior approval of any authority, so as to be immediately due. In addition, the mutual obligations of the DCA holder and the ECB shall automatically be set off against each other, and the party owing the higher amount shall pay to the other the difference.

3. The ECB shall promptly give the DCA holder notice of any set-off pursuant to paragraph 4 after such set-off has taken place.

4. The ECB may without prior notice debit any DCA holder's DCA by any amount which the DCA holder owes the ECB resulting from the legal relationship between the DCA holder and the ECB.

Article 27 U.K. Confidentiality

1. The ECB shall keep confidential all sensitive or secret information, including when such information relates to payment, technical or organisational information belonging to the DCA holder or the DCA holder's customers, unless the DCA holder or its customer has given its written consent to disclose.

2. By derogation from paragraph 1, the DCA holder agrees that the ECB may disclose payment order, technical or organisational information regarding the DCA holder, other DCAs held by DCA holders of the same group, or the DCA holder's customers obtained in the course of the operation of TARGET2-ECB to other CBs or third parties that are involved in the operation of TARGET2-ECB, to the extent that this is necessary for the efficient functioning of TARGET2, or the monitoring of the DCA holder's or its group's exposure, or to supervisory and oversight authorities of Member States and the Union to the extent that this is necessary for the performance of their public tasks, and provided in all such cases that the disclosure is not in conflict with the applicable law. The ECB shall not be liable for the financial and commercial consequences of such disclosure.

3. By derogation from paragraph 1 and provided this does not make it possible, whether directly or indirectly, to identify the DCA holder or the DCA holder's customers, the ECB may use, disclose or publish payment information regarding the DCA holder or the DCA holder's customers for statistical, historical, scientific or other purposes in the exercise of its public functions or of functions of other public entities to whom the information is disclosed.

4. Information relating to the operation of TARGET2-ECB to which DCA holders have had access, may only be used for the purposes laid down in these Conditions. DCA holders shall keep such information confidential, unless the ECB has explicitly given its written consent to disclose. DCA holders shall ensure that any third parties to whom they outsource, delegate or subcontract tasks which have or may have an impact on the performance of their obligations under these Conditions are bound by the confidentiality requirements in this Article.

5. The ECB shall be authorised, in order to settle payment orders, to process and transfer the necessary data to the T2S network service provider.

Article 28 U.K. Data protection, prevention of money laundering, administrative or restrictive measures and related issues

1. DCA holders shall be deemed to be aware of, and shall comply with, all obligations on them relating to legislation on data protection, prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism, proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities and the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems, in particular in terms of implementing appropriate measures concerning any payment orders debited or credited on their DCAs. Prior to entering into the contractual relationship with its T2S network service provider, DCA holders shall acquaint themselves with its data retrieval policy.

2. DCA holders shall be deemed to have authorised the ECB to obtain any information relating to them from any financial or supervisory authority or trade body, whether national or foreign, if such information is necessary for the DCA holders' participation in TARGET2-ECB.

3. DCA holders, when acting as the payment service provider of a payer or payee, shall comply with all requirements resulting from administrative or restrictive measures imposed pursuant to Articles 75 or 215 of the Treaty to which they are subject, including with respect to notification and/or the obtaining of consent from a competent authority in relation to the processing of transactions. In addition:

(a) when the ECB is the payment service provider of a DCA holder that is a payer:

(i)

the DCA holder shall make the required notification or obtain consent on behalf of the central bank that is primarily required to make notification or obtain consent, and shall provide the ECB with evidence of having made a notification or having received consent;

(ii)

the DCA holder shall not enter any DCA to PM liquidity transfer order or DCA to DCA liquidity transfer order into TARGET2 until it has obtained confirmation from the ECB that the required notification has been made or the consent has been obtained by or on behalf of the payment service provider of the payee;

(b) when the ECB is a payment service provider of a DCA holder that is a payee, the DCA holder shall make the required notification or obtain consent on behalf of the central bank that is primarily required to make notification or obtain consent, and shall provide the ECB with evidence of having made a notification or having received consent.

For the purposes of this paragraph, the terms “payment service provider”, “payer” and “payee” shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the applicable administrative or restrictive measures.

Article 29 U.K. Notices

1. Except where otherwise provided for in these Conditions, all notices required or permitted pursuant to these Conditions shall be sent by registered post, facsimile or otherwise in writing or by an authenticated message through the T2S network service provider. Notices to the ECB shall be submitted to the Director-General of the ECB's Directorate-General Payment Systems and Market Infrastructure, Sonnemannstrasse 20, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, or to the BIC address of the ECB. Notices to the DCA holder shall be sent to it at the address, fax number or its BIC address as the DCA holder may from time to time notify to the ECB.

2. To prove that a notice has been sent, it shall be sufficient to prove that the notice was delivered to the relevant address or that the envelope containing such notice was properly addressed and posted.

3. All notices shall be given in English.

4. DCA holders shall be bound by all forms and documents of the ECB that the DCA holders have filled in and/or signed, including but not limited to static data collection forms, as referred to in Article 6(2)(a), and information provided under Article 10(5), which were submitted in compliance with paragraphs 1 and 2 and which the ECB reasonably believes to have received from the DCA holders, their employees or agents.

Article 30 U.K. Contractual relationship with T2S network service provider

1. Each DCA holder may enter into a separate agreement with a T2S network service provider regarding the services to be provided in relation to the DCA holder's use of the DCA. The legal relationship between a DCA holder and the T2S network service provider shall be exclusively governed by the terms and conditions of their separate agreement.

2. The services to be provided by the T2S network service provider shall not form part of the services to be performed by the ECB in respect of TARGET2.

3. The ECB shall not be liable for any acts, errors or omissions of the T2S network service provider (including its directors, staff and subcontractors), or for any acts, errors or omissions of third parties selected by DCA holders to gain access to the T2S network service provider's network.

Article 31 U.K. Amendment procedure

The ECB may at any time unilaterally amend these Conditions, including their Appendices. Amendments to these Conditions, including their Appendices, shall be announced by means of communication in writing to the participants. Amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted unless the DCA holder expressly objects within 14 days of being informed of such amendments. In the event that a DCA holder objects to the amendment, the ECB is entitled immediately to terminate and close that DCA holder's DCA in TARGET2-ECB.

Article 32 U.K. Third party rights

1. Any rights, interests, obligations, responsibilities and claims arising from or relating to these Conditions shall not be transferred, pledged or assigned by DCA holders to any third party without the ECB's written consent.

2. These Conditions do not create any rights in favour of or obligations in relation to any entity other than the ECB and DCA holders in TARGET2-ECB.

Article 33 U.K. Governing law, jurisdiction and place of performance

1. The bilateral relationship between the ECB and DCA holders in TARGET2-ECB shall be governed by German law.

2. Without prejudice to the competence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, any dispute arising from a matter relating to the relationship referred to in paragraph 1 falls under the exclusive competence of the courts of Frankfurt am Main.

3. The place of performance concerning the legal relationship between the ECB and the DCA holders shall be Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Article 34 U.K. Severability

If any provision in these Conditions is or becomes invalid, this shall not prejudice the applicability of all the other provisions of these Conditions.

Article 35 U.K. Entry into force and binding nature

1. These Conditions become effective from 22 June 2015.

2. By requesting a DCA in TARGET2-ECB, applying entities automatically agree to these Conditions between themselves and in relation to the ECB.