The report aims to simplify reporting requirements across the EU by harmonizing processes and integrating modern tools to enhance efficiency. It proposes a significant reduction in required data points while ensuring that collected information meets supervisory needs. This initiative is expected to alleviate the reporting burden for financial institutions, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.
This document is a report entitled "Report on simplification of reporting" published by the European Banking Authority (EBA) in April 2026. It concerns the simplification and efficiency of prudential reporting requirements in the European banking sector. The scope covers harmonized reporting requirements at the European Union level, national requests from competent authorities, as well as coordination and data integration initiatives. The analysis period extends up to 2025, with medium and long-term perspectives for the implementation of measures.
The report addresses the simplification and improvement of the efficiency of the harmonized prudential reporting framework at the European Union level, led by the EBA. This topic is crucial as banking reporting is complex, costly, and fragmented between European and national requirements, which particularly burdens small and medium-sized institutions. The report presents a comprehensive revision of the regulatory technical standards (ITS) on reporting, aiming to reduce the number of data points in the harmonized framework by 16%, with an overall reduction of about 50% when including the simplification of stress test exercises (-55%) and prudential benchmarking (-65%). Proportionality is strengthened, notably for small and non-complex institutions (SNCI) which benefit from an additional 18% reduction in data points. Furthermore, a European public database of data requests is under development to improve transparency and coordination between authorities, with guidelines to harmonize request practices. The report also highlights the transition towards integrated reporting, harmonizing definitions and data between prudential, resolution, and statistical reporting via the joint JBRC committee. On the technical side, the modernization of the data model (DPM 2.0) and associated tools facilitates reporting management and prepares for integration with ECB statistics. Finally, the report emphasizes improving change management, with better communication, strengthened impact assessments, and stabilization of update cycles, notably a two-year freeze before the planned implementation in September 2027. These measures align with the European strategy for competitiveness and compliance cost reduction, and their impact will be assessed through the ongoing public consultation (p. 3-17).
Since its creation, the EBA aims to harmonize prudential reporting within the EU to ensure efficiency, convergence, and fairness among institutions. Despite previous simplification efforts, notably a 2021 compliance cost study that enabled up to 25% cost reductions for SNCIs, the framework remains complex and fragmented due to ongoing regulatory evolution and additional national requests. The report continues the 2025 report on the effectiveness of the regulatory and prudential framework, with objectives to simplify the stock and flow of reporting requirements, improve coordination between European and national authorities, strengthen proportionality, and prepare for long-term integrated reporting. The scope covers harmonized European requirements, national requests, stress test and benchmarking exercises, as well as technical tools and change management. Limitations notably concern legislative constraints that may limit the frequency and timing of changes (p. 5-7, 11-13).
Simplification of the reporting framework:
- Complete revision of ITS on supervised reporting (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3117) with a 16% reduction in modeled data points, targeting "need-to-have" information.
- Integration of requirements related to IFRS 18, ESG, and FRTB to ensure alignment with supervisory needs.
- Reduction of 55% of data points in stress test exercises and 65% in benchmarking exercises, notably for credit and IFRS 9.
- Strengthened proportionality: SNCIs, which already represent 49% of requirements, benefit from an additional 18% reduction in data points and decreased reporting frequencies.
Coordination and transparency of national requests:
- In 2025, 671 national requests were recorded, totaling nearly 980,000 data points.
- National simplifications already implemented or planned, reducing requests by 17.4% (EEA) and 18.5% (SSM).
- Establishment of a European public repository of data requests to avoid duplication, improve transparency, and facilitate sharing between authorities.
- Development of harmonized guidelines for data request practices, aiming to strengthen convergence and accountability.
Integrated reporting and semantic harmonization:
- Long-term objective of integrating prudential, resolution, and statistical reporting via the joint JBRC committee.
- Construction of a common data dictionary and harmonized glossary to reduce redundancies and facilitate compliance.
- Although integrated reporting may increase data granularity, it aims to simplify design and improve automation.
Technical innovations and tools:
- Transition to Data Point Model (DPM) 2.0, improving concept representation, data lifecycle management, and compatibility with ECB statistics.
- Deployment of DPM Studio for more agile development of technical packages.
- Introduction of XBRL CSV taxonomies, enhancing clarity and predictability.
- Launch of the Pillar 3 Data Hub in 2025, centralizing disclosure data in machine-readable format, facilitating transparency and comparison.
Change management:
- Improvement of communication, impact assessments, and change visibility.
- Proposal to limit updates to one or two times per year to stabilize the framework.
- Implementation of a two-year stability period before the application of new rules in September 2027.
- Development of tools such as Reporting Time Traveller, Signposting Tool, and Mapping Tool to facilitate information access.
Future work:
- Consultation on simplification of interest rate risk reporting in the banking book (IRRBB).
- Simplification of reporting related to remuneration and diversity.
- Revision of guidelines on funding plans with a potential 20 to 30% reduction in data points.
- Revision of securitization reporting requirements, with a reduction of over 35% of data fields and introduction of simplified models for private securitizations.
- Preparation of a revision of resolution reporting requirements.
Implementation of previous recommendations:
- Most recommendations from the 2021 compliance cost study have been implemented, notably limiting annual updates, signaling requirements according to institution size, exemption of certain reports for SNCIs, and increased coordination of national requests.
- Work is ongoing to harmonize ad hoc request practices and develop coordination guidelines.
- Increased use of FinTech/RegTech technologies is encouraged to reduce costs, especially for SNCIs (p. 7-21).
Established facts:
- The EBA harmonized reporting framework includes approximately 220 templates, with 92,000 modeled data points.
- SNCIs represent 49% of requirements by number of data points but report only 30% of actual volumes.
- The proposed ITS revision will lead to a net reduction of about 50% of data points in the harmonized framework, including stress tests and benchmarking.
- National simplifications have already reduced data requests by 17.4% to 18.5% depending on jurisdictions.
- The establishment of a European public repository of data requests is planned for early 2027.
Assumptions:
- Data point reductions are a proxy for cost savings, pending confirmation through public consultation.
- Expanding the SNCI scope could lead to additional significant reductions.
- Integrated reporting could increase data granularity but simplify design and automation.
Interpretations:
- Simplification and coordination are essential to reduce reporting burden without compromising supervision.
- Use of modern technologies and standards like DPM 2.0 is a key lever for modernization and integration.
- Improved change management is crucial to reduce costs related to frequency and complexity of updates.
Uncertainties:
- The exact impact of measures on costs remains to be confirmed by sector stakeholders.
- Legislative constraints may limit the ability to group or delay changes.
- Acceptance and adoption of common tools and repositories by all authorities and institutions remain to be observed (p. 3-17, 21).
The EBA concludes that simplification and streamlining of the prudential reporting framework are feasible and necessary to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen proportionality, notably for SNCIs. The report recommends:
- Adoption of the proposed ITS revision on supervised reporting, including data point reduction, frequency decrease, and integration of stress test and benchmarking exercises.
- Rapid implementation of the European public repository of data requests and harmonized guidelines to improve coordination and transparency.
- Continued development of integrated reporting via the JBRC, focusing on semantic harmonization and creation of a common dictionary.
- Deployment of modern technical tools (DPM 2.0, DPM Studio, Pillar 3 Data Hub) to support modernization and automation.
- Improvement of change management, with enhanced communication, detailed impact assessments, and stabilization of update cycles, including a two-year stability period before implementation in September 2027.
- Continuation of future work on IRRBB reporting, remuneration, diversity, funding plans, and securitization.
These measures align with the European strategy for competitiveness and compliance cost reduction. The EBA awaits feedback from the public consultation to refine impact and implementation (p. 3-17, 21-22).
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