IFPRU 2.1 Application and purpose

This chapter implements certain provisions of CRD relating to governance and contains guidance related to Section III of Chapter 2, Title VII of CRD (Supervisory review and evaluation process).

This section amplifies Principle 4, under which a firm must maintain adequate financial resources. It is concerned with the adequacy of the financial resources that a firm needs to hold in order to meet its liabilities as they fall due. These resources include both capital and liquidity resources.

This section has rules requiring a firm to identify and assess risks to its ability to meet its liabilities as they fall due, how it intends to deal with those risks, and the amount and nature of financial resources that the firm considers necessary. IFPRU 2.2.43 R (Documentation of risk assessment) provides that a firm should document that assessment. The FCA will review that assessment as part of its own assessment of the adequacy of a firm's capital under its supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). When forming a view of any individual capital guidance to be given to the firm, the FCA will also review the regulator's risk assessment and any other issues arising from day-to-day supervision.

This section has rules requiring a firm to carry out appropriate stress tests and scenario analyses for the risks it has previously identified and to establish the amount of financial resources and internal capital needed in each of the circumstances and events considered in that analyses. The FCA will consider, as part of its SREP, whether the firm should hold a capital planning buffer and the amount and quality of that buffer. The capital planning buffer is an amount separate, though related to, the individual capital guidance in so far as its purpose is to ensure that a firm is able to continue to meet the overall financial adequacy rule throughout the relevant capital planning period in the face of adverse circumstances, after allowing for realistic management actions. Therefore, when forming its view on a firm's capital planning buffer, the FCA will take into account the assessment made in relation to the firm's ICG.