Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

TITLE III U.K. TRANSPARENCY FOR SYSTEMATIC INTERNALISERS AND INVESTMENT FIRMS TRADING OTC

Article 14 U.K. Obligation for systematic internalisers to make public firm quotes in respect of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments

1. Investment firms shall make public firm quotes in respect of those shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments traded on a trading venue for which they are systematic internalisers and for which there is a liquid market.

Where there is not a liquid market for the financial instruments referred to in the first subparagraph, systematic internalisers shall disclose quotes to their clients upon request.

2. This Article and Articles 15, 16 and 17 shall apply to systematic internalisers when they deal in sizes up to standard market size. Systematic internalisers shall not be subject to this Article and Articles 15, 16 and 17 when they deal in sizes above standard market size.

3. Systematic internalisers may decide the size or sizes at which they will quote. The minimum quote size shall be at least the equivalent of 10 % of the standard market size of a share, depositary receipt, ETF, certificate or other similar financial instrument traded on a trading venue. For a particular share, depositary receipt, ETF, certificate or other similar financial instrument traded on a trading venue each quote shall include a firm bid and offer price or prices for a size or sizes which could be up to standard market size for the class of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates or other similar financial instruments to which the financial instrument belongs. The price or prices shall reflect the prevailing market conditions for that share, depositary receipt, ETF, certificate or other similar financial instrument.

4. Shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments shall be grouped in classes on the basis of the arithmetic average value of the orders executed in the market for that financial instrument. The standard market size for each class of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments shall be a size representative of the arithmetic average value of the orders executed in the market for the financial instruments included in each class.

5. The market for each share, depositary receipt, ETF, certificate or other similar financial instrument shall be comprised of all orders executed in the Union in respect of that financial instrument excluding those that are large in scale compared to normal market size.

6. The competent authority of the most relevant market in terms of liquidity as defined in Article 26 for each share, depositary receipt, ETF, certificate and other similar financial instrument shall determine at least annually, on the basis of the arithmetic average value of the orders executed in the market in respect of that financial instrument, the class to which it belongs. That information shall be made public to all market participants and communicated to ESMA which shall publish the information on its website.

7. In order to ensure the efficient valuation of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments and maximise the possibility of investment firms to obtain the best deal for their clients, ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify further the arrangements for the publication of a firm quote as referred to in paragraph 1, the determination of whether prices reflect prevailing market conditions as referred to in paragraph 3, and of the standard market size as referred to in paragraphs 2 and 4.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

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

Article 15 U.K. Execution of client orders

1. Systematic internalisers shall make public their quotes on a regular and continuous basis during normal trading hours. They may update their quotes at any time. They shall be allowed, under exceptional market conditions, to withdraw their quotes.

Member States shall require that firms that meet the definition of systematic internaliser notify their competent authority. Such notification shall be transmitted to ESMA. ESMA shall establish a list of all SIs in the Union.

The quotes shall be made public in a manner which is easily accessible to other market participants on a reasonable commercial basis.

2. Systematic internalisers shall, while complying with Article 27 of Directive 2014/65//EU, execute the orders they receive from their clients in relation to the shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments for which they are systematic internalisers at the quoted prices at the time of reception of the order.

However, in justified cases, they may execute those orders at a better price provided that the price falls within a public range close to market conditions.

3. Systematic internalisers may execute orders they receive from their professional clients at prices different than their quoted ones without having to comply with the requirements established in paragraph 2, in respect of transactions where execution in several securities is part of one transaction or in respect of orders that are subject to conditions other than the current market price.

4. Where a systematic internaliser quoting only one quote or whose highest quote is lower than the standard market size receives an order from a client of a size bigger than its quotation size, but lower than the standard market size, it may decide to execute that part of the order which exceeds its quotation size, provided that it is executed at the quoted price, except where otherwise permitted under the conditions laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3. Where the systematic internaliser is quoting in different sizes and receives an order between those sizes, which it chooses to execute, it shall execute the order at one of the quoted prices in compliance with Article 28 of Directive 2014/65/EU, except where otherwise permitted under the conditions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article.

5. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 50, clarifying what constitutes a reasonable commercial basis to make quotes public as referred to in paragraph 1.

Article 16 U.K. Obligations of competent authorities

The competent authorities shall check the following:

(a)

that investment firms regularly update bid and offer prices published in accordance with Article 14 and maintain prices which reflect the prevailing market conditions;

(b)

that investment firms comply with the conditions for price improvement laid down in Article 15(2).

Article 17 U.K. Access to quotes

1. Systematic internalisers shall be allowed to decide, on the basis of their commercial policy and in an objective non-discriminatory way, the clients to whom they give access to their quotes. To that end there shall be clear standards for governing access to their quotes. Systematic internalisers may refuse to enter into or discontinue business relationships with clients on the basis of commercial considerations such as the client credit status, the counterparty risk and the final settlement of the transaction.

2. In order to limit the risk of exposure to multiple transactions from the same client, systematic internalisers shall be allowed to limit in a non-discriminatory way the number of transactions from the same client which they undertake to enter at the published conditions. They may, in a non-discriminatory way and in accordance with Article 28 of Directive 2014/65//EU, limit the total number of transactions from different clients at the same time provided that this is allowable only where the number and/or volume of orders sought by clients considerably exceeds the norm.

3. In order to ensure the efficient valuation of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments and maximise the possibility for investment firms to obtain the best deal for their clients, the Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 50 specifying:

(a) the criteria specifying when a quote is published on a regular and continuous basis and is easily accessible as referred to in Article 15(1) as well as the means by which investment firms may comply with their obligation to make public their quotes, which shall include the following possibilities:

(i)

through the facilities of any regulated market which has admitted the financial instrument in question to trading;

(ii)

through an APA;

(iii)

through proprietary arrangements;

(b) the criteria specifying those transactions where execution in several securities is part of one transaction or those orders that are subject to conditions other than current market price as referred to in Article 15(3);

(c) the criteria specifying what can be considered as exceptional market conditions that allow for the withdrawal of quotes as well as the conditions for updating quotes as referred to in Article 15(1);

(d) the criteria specifying when the number and/or volume of orders sought by clients considerably exceeds the norm as referred to in paragraph 2.

(e) the criteria specifying when prices fall within a public range close to market conditions as referred to in Article 15(2).

Article 18 U.K. Obligation for systematic internalisers to make public firm quotes in respect of bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives

1. Investment firms shall make public firm quotes in respect of bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives traded on a trading venue for which they are systematic internalisers and for which there is a liquid market when the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) they are prompted for a quote by a client of the systematic internaliser;

(b) they agree to provide a quote.

2. In relation to bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives traded on a trading venue for which there is not a liquid market, systematic internalisers shall disclose quotes to their clients on request if they agree to provide a quote. That obligation may be waived where the conditions specified in Article 9(1) are met.

3. Systematic internalisers may update their quotes at any time. They may withdraw their quotes under exceptional market conditions.

4. Member States shall require that firms that meet the definition of systematic internaliser notify their competent authority. Such notification shall be transmitted to ESMA. ESMA shall establish a list of all systematic internalisers in the Union.

5. Systematic internalisers shall make the firm quotes published in accordance with paragraph 1 available to their other clients. Notwithstanding, they shall be allowed to decide, on the basis of their commercial policy and in an objective non-discriminatory way, the clients to whom they give access to their quotes. To that end, systematic internalisers shall have in place clear standards for governing access to their quotes. Systematic internalisers may refuse to enter into or discontinue business relationships with clients on the basis of commercial considerations such as the client credit status, the counterparty risk and the final settlement of the transaction.

6. Systematic internalisers shall undertake to enter into transactions under the published conditions with any other client to whom the quote is made available in accordance with paragraph 5 when the quoted size is at or below the size specific to the financial instrument determined in accordance with Article 9(5)(d).

Systematic internalisers shall not be subject to the obligation to publish a firm quote pursuant to paragraph 1 for financial instruments that fall below the threshold of liquidity determined in accordance with Article 9(4).

7. Systematic internalisers shall be allowed to establish non-discriminatory and transparent limits on the number of transactions they undertake to enter into with clients pursuant to any given quote.

8. The quotes published pursuant to paragraph 1 and 5 and those at or below the size referred to in paragraph 6 shall be made public in a manner which is easily accessible to other market participants on a reasonable commercial basis.

9. The quoted price or prices shall be such as to ensure that the systematic internaliser complies with its obligations under Article 27 of Directive 2014/65/EU, where applicable, and shall reflect prevailing market conditions in relation to prices at which transactions are concluded for the same or similar financial instruments on a trading venue.

However, in justified cases, they may execute orders at a better price provided that the price falls within a public range close to market conditions.

10. Systematic internalisers shall not be subject to this Article when they deal in sizes above the size specific to the financial instrument determined in accordance with Article 9(5)(d).

[F1 11. In respect of a package order and without prejudice to paragraph 2, the obligations in this Article shall only apply to the package order as a whole and not to any component of the package order separately.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Inserted by Regulation (EU) 2016/1033 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 June 2016 amending Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 on markets in financial instruments, Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse and Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories (Text with EEA relevance).

Article 19 U.K. Monitoring by ESMA

1. Competent authorities and ESMA shall monitor the application of Article 18 regarding the sizes at which quotes are made available to clients of the investment firm and to other market participants relative to other trading activity of the firm, and the degree to which the quotes reflect prevailing market conditions in relation to transactions in the same or similar financial instruments on a trading venue. By [F2 3 January 2020], ESMA shall submit a report to the Commission on the application of Article 18. In the event of significant quoting and trading activity just beyond the threshold referred to in Article 18(6) or outside prevailing market conditions, ESMA shall submit a report to the Commission before that date.

2. The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 50 specifying the sizes referred to in Article 18(6) at which a firm shall enter into transactions with any other client to whom the quote is made available. The size specific to the financial instrument shall be determined in accordance with the criteria set in Article 9(5)(d).

3. The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 50 clarifying what constitutes a reasonable commercial basis to make quotes public as referred to in Article 18(8).

Textual Amendments

F2 Substituted by Regulation (EU) 2016/1033 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 June 2016 amending Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 on markets in financial instruments, Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse and Regulation (EU) No 909/2014 on improving securities settlement in the European Union and on central securities depositories (Text with EEA relevance).

Article 20 U.K. Post-trade disclosure by investment firms, including systematic internalisers, in respect of shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments

1. Investment firms which, either on own account or on behalf of clients, conclude transactions in shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments traded on a trading venue, shall make public the volume and price of those transactions and the time at which they were concluded. That information shall be made public through an APA.

2. The information which is made public in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article and the time-limits within which it is published shall comply with the requirements adopted pursuant to Article 6, including the regulatory technical standards adopted in accordance with Article 7(2)(a). Where the measures adopted pursuant to Article 7 provide for deferred publication for certain categories of transaction in shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments traded on a trading venue, that possibility shall also apply to those transactions when undertaken outside trading venues.

3. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the following:

(a) identifiers for the different types of transactions published under this Article, distinguishing between those determined by factors linked primarily to the valuation of the financial instruments and those determined by other factors;

(b) the application of the obligation under paragraph 1 to transactions involving the use of those financial instruments for collateral, lending or other purposes where the exchange of financial instruments is determined by factors other than the current market valuation of the financial instrument;

(c) the party to a transaction that has to make the transaction public in accordance with paragraph 1 if both parties to the transaction are investment firms.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

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

Article 21 U.K. Post-trade disclosure by investment firms, including systematic internalisers, in respect of bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives

1. Investment firms which, either on own account or on behalf of clients, conclude transactions in bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives traded on a trading venue shall make public the volume and price of those transactions and the time at which they were concluded. That information shall be made public through an APA.

2. Each individual transaction shall be made public once through a single APA.

3. The information which is made public in accordance with paragraph 1 and the time-limits within which it is published shall comply with the requirements adopted pursuant to Article 10, including the regulatory technical standards adopted in accordance with Article 11(4)(a) and (b).

4. Competent authorities shall be able to authorise investment firms to provide for deferred publication, or may request the publication of limited details of a transaction or details of several transactions in an aggregated form, or a combination thereof, during the time period of the deferral or may allow the omission of the publication of the volume for individual transactions during an extended time period of deferral, or in the case of non-equity financial instruments that are not sovereign debt, may allow the publication of several transactions in an aggregated form during an extended time period of deferral, or in the case of sovereign debt instruments may allow the publication of several transactions in an aggregated form for an indefinite period of time, and may temporarily suspend the obligations referred to in paragraph 1 on the same conditions as laid down in Article 11.

Where the measures adopted pursuant to Article 11 provide for deferred publication and publication of limited details or details in an aggregated form, or a combination thereof, or for omission of the publication of the volume for certain categories of transactions in bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and derivatives traded on a trading venue, that possibility shall also apply to those transactions when undertaken outside trading venues.

5. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards in such a way as to enable the publication of information required under Article 64 of Directive 2014/65/EU to specify the following:

(a) the identifiers for the different types of transactions published in accordance with this Article, distinguishing between those determined by factors linked primarily to the valuation of the financial instruments and those determined by other factors;

(b) the application of the obligation under paragraph 1 to transactions involving the use of those financial instruments for collateral, lending or other purposes where the exchange of financial instruments is determined by factors other than the current market valuation of the financial instrument;

(c) the party to a transaction that has to make the transaction public in accordance with paragraph 1 if both parties to the transaction are investment firms.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

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

Article 22 U.K. Providing information for the purposes of transparency and other calculations

1. In order to carry out calculations for determining the requirements for the pre-trade and post-trade transparency and the trading obligation regimes imposed by Articles 3 to 11, Articles 14 to 21 and Article 32, which are applicable to financial instruments and for determining whether an investment firm is a systematic internaliser, competent authorities may require information from:

(a) trading venues;

(b) APAs; and

(c) CTPs.

2. Trading venues, APAs and CTPs shall store the necessary data for a sufficient period of time.

3. Competent authorities shall transmit to ESMA such information as ESMA requires to produce the reports referred to in Article 5(4), (5) and (6).

4. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the content and frequency of data requests and the formats and the timeframe in which trading venues, APAs and CTPs must respond to such requests in accordance with paragraph 1, the type of data that must be stored, and the minimum period of time for which trading venues, APAs and CTPs must store data in order to be able to respond to such requests in accordance with paragraph 2.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.

Article 23 U.K. Trading obligation for investment firms

1. An investment firm shall ensure the trades it undertakes in shares admitted to trading on a regulated market or traded on a trading venue shall take place on a regulated market, MTF or systematic internaliser, or a third-country trading venue assessed as equivalent in accordance with Article 25(4)(a) of Directive 2014/65/EU, as appropriate, unless their characteristics include that they:

(a) are non-systematic, ad-hoc, irregular and infrequent; or

(b) are carried out between eligible and/or professional counterparties and do not contribute to the price discovery process.

2. An investment firm that operates an internal matching system which executes client orders in shares, depositary receipts, ETFs, certificates and other similar financial instruments on a multilateral basis must ensure it is authorised as an MTF under Directive 2014/65/EU and comply with all relevant provisions pertaining to such authorisations.

3. ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the particular characteristics of those transactions in shares that do not contribute to the price discovery process as referred to in paragraph 1, taking into consideration cases such as:

(a) non-addressable liquidity trades; or

(b) where the exchange of such financial instruments is determined by factors other than the current market valuation of the financial instrument.

ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

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