FPC’s welcoming statement for policy statement (PS) 20/25 – The Strong and Simple Framework: The simplified capital regime for Small Domestic Deposit Takers (SDDTs) – near final
Executive Summary
The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) welcomes the Prudential Regulation Authority's (PRA) Policy Statement (PS) 20/25, which finalizes the second phase of the "Strong and Simple Framework" by introducing a simplified capital regime for Small Domestic Deposit Takers (SDDTs), alongside liquidity simplifications. This matters because it reduces regulatory burdens, enhances competition among smaller UK banks and building societies, and maintains resilience without full Basel 3.1 standards, with implementation on 1 January 2027. #
What Changed
- Pillar 1 simplifications: Adoption of Basel 3.1 standardised approaches to credit and operational risk; disapplication of due diligence for credit risk, simplifications to market risk, removal of counterparty credit risk and CVA requirements for derivatives (with exceptions), and adjustments to Leverage Ratio and Large Exposures. - Pillar 2A methodologies: Simplifications for credit risk, credit concentration risk (CCoR), and operational risk; amendments to single-name concentration monitoring (cluster limit tightened to 200%, excluding credit institutions); full deduction for certain qualifying holdings, securitisations, and free deliveries. - Capital buffers: Introduction of a new Single Capital Buffer (SCB) replacing the Capital Conservation Buffer (CCoB), Countercyclical Capital Buff
What You Need To Do
- Assess SDDT eligibility
- Update capital frameworks
- ICR transitions
- Policy and process revisions
- Supervisory engagement
- Systems and training
Key Dates
Compliance Impact
Urgency: High – With full implementation on 1 January 2027 (less than 12 months from today), SDDTs face tight timelines for capital recalibrations, ICR exits, and reporting overhauls; missing deadlines risks supervisory intervention or full Basel 3.1 compliance costs. This significantly eases burdens (e.g., simpler buffers, reduced reporting) but requires proactive gap analysis to leverage simplif
Who is Affected
Summary
The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) welcomes today the Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA’s) policy statement 20/25 – The Strong and Simple Framework: The simplified capital regime for Small Domestic Deposit Takers (SDDTs) – near-final.