164 Quarterly Bulletin 2016 Q4

Ring-fencing: what is it and how will it

affect banks and their customers?
By Katie Britton, Lindsey Dawkes, Simon Debbage and Talib Idris of the Bank’s Major UK Deposit Takers
Supervision Directorate.

• The largest UK banks are required by UK law to separate core retail banking services from their
investment and international banking activities by 1 January 2019. This is known as ring-fencing.
• The aim of ring-fencing is to protect the core retail banking services on which customers rely from
risks associated with activities outside the ring-fence.
• Ring-fencing is intended to improve the resilience of the largest UK banks. It also seeks to ensure
that if a large bank was to fail, there would be minimal disruption to banking services used by
individuals and small businesses in the United Kingdom.
• To implement ring-fencing, banks will need to significantly restructure their activities during
2017 and 2018, with implications for their customers, counterparties and suppliers.

Overview

The global financial crisis revealed the need for fundamental and providing overdrafts for UK retail customers and small
changes to how banks are run. In response, the Government businesses — from other activities that banks undertake.
developed legislation to require UK banks to separate within This will help protect core services from problems which may
their groups the provision of core retail services from other arise elsewhere within a banking group. Banks which have
activities such as investment and international banking. been separated from the rest of their groups in this way are
These requirements are known as ring-fencing. The aim known as ring-fenced bodies.
is to protect UK retail banking from shocks originating
elsewhere in the group and in global financial markets. Ring-fencing requirements will apply to banks with more
Ring-fencing — also referred to as ‘structural reform’ than £25 billion of retail deposits from 2019. Large
— is a key part of the Government’s package of banking UK banking groups must ensure that the structure of their
reforms designed to increase the stability of the UK financial businesses is consistent with ring-fencing requirements. This
system and prevent the costs of banks failing falling on means that most will need to adopt new legal structures and
taxpayers. ways of operating, through large and complex restructuring
programmes in 2017 and 2018. These changes will also
Today, many banking groups provide a mix of services, for affect some of the banks’ customers, counterparties and
example, taking deposits from households and small suppliers. For example, the sort codes of some customers
businesses, mortgage lending, payments processing, will change.
corporate lending and trading in financial markets. The
risks associated with these activities are very different, but The legislation requires the Prudential Regulation Authority
often they are provided alongside each other within a (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to develop
banking group. rules to set out how banks should implement ring-fencing.
The majority of these rules have now been finalised.
One implication of this is that problems in one type of
activity can disrupt a bank’s ability to provide services in The implementation of ring-fencing is being closely managed
other areas. Ring-fencing will result in the separation of by the banks, and monitored by the PRA and the FCA.
core banking services — taking deposits, making payments
 Topical articles Ring-fencing 165

Introduction referred to as ‘prohibited’ or ‘excluded’ activities. A bank in

the scope of the reform that undertakes these activities will
Ring-fencing will result in fundamental changes to the either need to stop doing so, divest them to a third party,
United Kingdom’s large banking groups, with the aim of or place them within separate legal entities outside the
improving financial stability. It is a key part of the ring-fence in its banking group. When banks choose to do the
Government’s package of banking reforms, developed in latter, the legislation requires that there is sufficient
response to the global financial crisis. It also contributes separation between that entity and the RFB. In particular, any
to broader work on solving the problem of banks being financial, management or operational relationship between an
‘too big to fail’ by making banks safer and reducing the RFB and other members of its group cannot pose a threat to
impact for UK taxpayers and the economy if a large bank the RFB’s provision of core retail services.
was to fail in the future.
Ring-fencing requires adequate separation between RFBs and
The Government has decided that banks with more than entities which undertake prohibited or excluded activities. But
£25 billion of core retail deposits should be ring-fenced.(1) ring-fencing does not prevent RFBs being owned by a parent
Banks in scope of the reform will need to make significant company that also owns a bank that undertakes prohibited or
changes to their organisational and operational structures in excluded activities; such entities can sit within the same
2017 and 2018 to comply with the new regime, which comes banking group as an RFB so long as this is consistent with the
into force on 1 January 2019.(2) Once implemented, around objectives of ring-fencing.
75% of UK retail deposits will be held within banking groups
subject to ring-fencing.(3) As required by the legislation, the Ring-fencing will result in a significant restructuring of the
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial UK banking system. To conform with ring-fencing
Conduct Authority (FCA) have also developed new rules for requirements, some banks will need to undertake very large
implementing ring-fencing. and complicated programmes of work of a type and scale not
attempted before. The changes that banks will need to make
Large banks typically provide a wide range of banking services. will also affect their customers, counterparties and suppliers.
Some are domestic retail banking functions on which Some may find they will need to deal with a different part of
individuals and small businesses depend — such as payments the bank as a result of ring-fencing, and the nature of their
processing and mortgage lending. But banking groups can relationship may also change as the bank ensures the services
operate globally or take risks that are unrelated to their retail it provides from different parts of the group are consistent
operations, through activities like investment banking. with ring-fencing requirements. This may involve changes to
customers’ terms and conditions, or amendments to contracts
The aim of ring-fencing is to protect the provision of retail
with suppliers and counterparties. Other key groups, such as
banking functions used by UK customers by separating — or
bank employees or bank pensioners, may also be affected but
‘ring-fencing’ — them from other activities to be conducted
the implications for these groups are not included in the scope
outside the ring-fence. The ring-fenced bodies (RFBs) which
of this article.
provide such core services for customers — defined in the
legislation as making and receiving payments, deposit-taking
Background to ring-fencing
and providing overdrafts — will be subject to requirements
which should make them less likely to fail. But this does not Assessing the need for banking reform
mean the intention is to create a ‘zero-failure’ regime for RFBs. The global financial crisis led to the run on Northern Rock in
If, in the future, an RFB was to get into difficulty, ring-fencing September 2007, the collapse of Lehman Brothers in
is designed to support measures to ensure that its customers September 2008 and the UK Government’s support packages
would still be able to receive core services. for Lloyds Banking Group after its acquisition of HBOS,
and the Royal Bank of Scotland, in October 2008. As part
Banks typically operate as a group of separate, but related, of its response to the crisis, the Government established
legal entities (a ‘banking group’). This is because banks may the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), led by
choose, or be required by regulation, to establish a separate Sir John Vickers, to recommend banking reforms to promote
legal entity to provide a particular financial service or to financial stability and competition in the United Kingdom.
operate in a particular country. Having a number of legal
entities may also be the result of mergers or acquisitions,
(1) The Government argued that applying ring-fencing to smaller banks may result in
where a business was bought by the group and its separate disproportionate costs and hinder competition. See HM Treasury/Department for
legal entity status was maintained. Business, Innovation and Skills (2012), Banking reform: delivering stability and
supporting a sustainable economy, June.
(2) See Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013, www.legislation.gov.uk/
One of the key requirements of ring-fencing is that the legal ukpga/2013/33/contents/enacted. In October 2016, the Deputy Governor for
Prudential Regulation and Chief Executive of the PRA reiterated that the PRA will
entity within a banking group that provides core retail continue to implement ring-fencing in accordance with the legislative requirements
activities cannot also provide other activities such as and timetable set out by the Government. See Woods (2016).
(3) Building societies are not subject to ring-fencing, but are subject to certain activity
investment and international banking. Such activities are restrictions under the Building Societies Act 1986.
166 Quarterly Bulletin 2016 Q4

In its 2011 report, the ICB proposed a package of measures consulting the FCA and with the consent of the Treasury,
designed to make banks better able to absorb losses, make it and the PRA’s decision can be challenged in a judicial
easier and less costly to repair banks that face difficulties, and tribunal.
curb incentives for banks to take excessive risks. In particular,
• A requirement that the PRA report annually to Parliament
the ICB recommended greater levels of capital and other
on the extent to which RFBs use the exceptions specified in
resources to absorb losses that banks may face, as well as the
the legislation to the ring-fencing requirements, and to
ring-fencing of UK retail banks.(1)
review two years after the implementation of ring-fencing
The ICB argued that if Lloyds and RBS had been ring-fenced whether there is a case for further restrictions on
prior to the crisis, it may have reduced the need for proprietary trading. Additional reviews by independent
government support during the crisis. For example, most of experts of the ring-fencing legislation and proprietary
RBS’s losses arose in its global markets activities; a ring-fence trading are also required.
would have reduced the likelihood that those losses would
The Act was supplemented by two pieces of secondary
affect the bank’s retail operations. The ICB also argued that
legislation in 2014. The first sets out that banks with more
ring-fencing would have provided the Government with
than £25 billion of ‘core deposits’ (mainly those from retail and
alternative options to having to make a capital injection to
small business customers) will be required to implement
ensure banks were able to continue to provide banking
ring-fencing.(4)
services. These may have included, for example, isolating the
RFB for sale or temporary public ownership, while winding The second sets out more detail on the restrictions imposed on
down the rest of the group. the business of RFBs.(5) It defines activities which RFBs cannot
undertake in addition to ‘dealing in investments as principal’.
Aside from ring-fencing, there are other initiatives to
It also lists the types of exposures the RFBs cannot have. A
implement structural reforms for banks. In the United States,
number of exceptions to these restrictions are also specified.
the Volcker rule prohibits banks from engaging in proprietary
These restrictions are designed to ensure RFBs are not exposed
trading (trading in financial instruments on their own behalf),
to risks from investment or international banking.
and in the European Union, the European Commission has
proposed prohibiting the largest retail banks from undertaking How will banks be structured after
proprietary trading as well as conferring new powers on bank
supervisors to require further activity restrictions.
implementing ring-fencing?
As described above, the legislation specifies the core retail
Legislating for banking reform
activities that must be provided within RFBs. It also specifies
The Government concluded that ring-fencing would result in a
which activities must not sit within RFBs, and must instead be
significant net benefit to the UK economy and accepted the
provided by separate legal entities. This article uses the term
majority of the ICB proposals.(2) These were implemented
‘investment bank’ as shorthand for entities carrying on
though the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013
activities that the RFB cannot do, although in practice these
(‘the Act’), which has the following key features:
entities may not always undertake all of the sorts of activities
• The specification of the ‘core activities’ which banks typically associated with the term ‘investment bank’. Similarly,
must place into RFBs — ie the accepting of deposits by by ‘international banking’ we mean activities undertaken in
UK banks from retail and small business customers in the non-EEA entities.
United Kingdom or elsewhere in the European Economic
Beyond these legislative requirements on the activities that
Area (EEA).(3)
must or must not be undertaken in the RFB or the investment
• The requirement that RFBs do not ‘deal in investments as bank, there is a degree of flexibility for banking groups when
principal’, that is, they do not buy or sell financial assets on deciding how to restructure. For example, the Act does not
the bank’s own behalf, ie undertake proprietary trading. mandate what sort of entity may carry out activities such as
mortgage lending or taking deposits from large corporates.
• The amendment of the objectives of the PRA and FCA Some banking groups will place such activities in their RFBs,
to reflect the aims of ring-fencing, and a requirement that alongside their retail deposit-taking operations, but others may
the PRA and FCA make rules to ensure banks implement not. Examples of the activities which are mandated, prohibited
ring-fencing in accordance with the principles of the or permitted to be placed in the RFB are listed in Figure 1.
legislation. The box on page 167 describes the PRA’s
ring-fencing objectives. (1) ICB (2011).
(2) See HM Treasury/Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2012).
• Powers for the PRA to require further restructuring of (3) The legislation makes no distinction between UK and other EEA banking services,
consistent with requirements under EU law.
banking groups if they fail to deliver the essential elements (4) The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Ring-fenced Bodies and Core Activities)
Order 2014.
of ring-fencing (known as the ring-fence ‘electrification’ (5) The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Excluded Activities and Prohibitions)
powers). The PRA can exercise these powers only after Order 2014.
 Topical articles Ring-fencing 167

The PRA’s ring-fencing objectives(1) i. ensure that the business of RFBs is carried on in a way that
avoids any adverse effect on the continuity of the
The general objective of the PRA is to promote the safety and provision in the United Kingdom of core services;
soundness of the firms it regulates. It does this primarily by ii. ensure that the business of RFBs is protected from risks
seeking to: (arising in the United Kingdom or elsewhere) that could
adversely affect the continuity of the provision in the
(a) ensure that the business of PRA-authorised firms is United Kingdom of core services; and
carried on in a way which avoids any adverse effect iii. minimise the risk that the failure of a ring-fenced body or
on the stability of the UK financial system; and of a member of an RFB’s group could affect the continuity
(b) minimise the adverse effect that the failure of a of the provision in the United Kingdom of core services.
PRA-authorised firm could be expected to have on the
stability of the UK financial system.

The ring-fencing legislation requires the PRA also to (1) See Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/8/
contents and Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013; www.legislation.gov.uk/
discharge its general functions in a way that seeks to: ukpga/2013/33/contents/enacted.

Figure 1 Activities within groups that contain an RFB The development of the ring-fencing rules

The legislation requires the PRA to make rules with which RFBs
Ring-fenced Entity which is will need to comply in order to meet the ring-fencing
Entity which is not an RFB
body (RFB) Entity which
not anisRFB
not an RFB
principles set out by the Government. These rules must
deliver several outcomes, which can broadly be thought of as
• Retail and small business • Trading and selling securities,
deposit-taking commodities and derivatives ensuring that RFBs are sufficiently financially, operationally
• Having exposures to financial and organisationally separate from other entities in their
institutions other than building
societies and other RFBs banking groups (see the box on page 168 for more detail).
• Having operations outside This aims to ensure that RFBs are insulated from risks arising
the EEA
• Underwriting securities elsewhere in their banking groups. The PRA’s rules seek to
• Buying securitisations of achieve this in two main ways.
other financial institutions

First, the extent of the relationships between the RFB and

other members of its banking group will be limited. This
means, for example, that the RFB should not be financially
dependent on other group members, and that it has a
governance and management structure which is able to make
decisions in the interests of the RFB and independently of the
Activities which can be provided rest of the group. This reduces the likelihood of contagion
by either entity:
from other group entities.
• Deposit-taking activities for large corporates,
building societies and other RFBs
• Lending to individuals and corporates Second, the RFB should be sufficiently capitalised and have
• Transactions with central banks enough liquidity so that it is able to withstand financial stress,
• Holding own securitisations
• Trade finance
including from other parts of the group. This means the RFB
• Payment services should be better able to withstand such risks, and would not
• Hedging liquidity, interest rate, currency, need to rely on other group members for financial support.
commodity and credit risks
• Selling simple derivatives to corporates,
building societies and other RFBs
In developing its rules, the PRA’s approach has been to ensure
RFBs will operate in a way which is consistent with the
As a result, banks are able to take different approaches to the legislative requirements, but without being overly prescriptive
restructuring of their businesses. Some groups are creating about how banks meet those outcomes given the differences
RFBs which are focused on the provision of retail services to in the structure and activities of the firms in scope. For
individuals and small businesses. Other groups have created example, the PRA requires that an RFB manages any exposures
much broader ring-fenced businesses, which include a larger that it is has to other members of its group to the same
set of permitted activities. Each of these choices is compatible standards it applies to the management of its exposures to
with the objectives of ring-fencing and reflects the strategies third parties. But the PRA has not sought to define precisely
and business models of different banking groups. how banks go about meeting this requirement; instead banks
168 Quarterly Bulletin 2016 Q4

The group ring-fencing purposes (b) ensure RFBs are able to take decisions independently of
the rest of their banking groups;
The PRA is required to make rules to ensure the continuity of (c) reduce an RFB’s dependency on financial or other
the RFB’s core activities, and to achieve sufficient separation resources provided to it from other members of the
of the RFB from the rest of its group.(1) banking group; and
(d) ensure RFBs are able to carry on their business even if
What constitutes sufficient separation is set out by the
other group members fail.
legislation, which requires the PRA to seek to:

(a) reduce the potential for risks which originate elsewhere in

a banking group to affect an RFB; (1) See Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013.

are expected to devise their own approach that will satisfy Figure 2 Moving to a ring-fenced structure
the outcome specified in the PRA’s policy. This approach
recognises the diversity of the banks subject to the reform
Current structure
and enables PRA supervisors to implement ring-fencing in a
proportionate manner. The PRA has a power to waive rules
for a firm where the application of the rule would be unduly Parent
burdensome or would not meet the purpose of the rule, company
but only if doing so would be consistent with the PRA’s
objectives.(1) Universal bank
The ring-fencing rules have also been developed to be
consistent with other elements of the post-crisis regulatory Retail deposits Investment banking
reform agenda. In particular, the rules have been designed to
support measures to ensure RFBs have a recovery plan and are £
resolvable, ie that public authorities will be able to intervene Mortgages Corporate lending
to ensure the failure of a firm is orderly.(2) The rules are also
consistent with delivering safer banks through the application
of higher capital requirements in the form of the systemic risk
buffer and the PRA’s Senior Managers Regime.(3)
Future ring-fenced structure
A wide-ranging set of policies has been developed by the PRA
to implement ring-fencing. Where possible, these build on
Parent
existing frameworks and approaches for bank regulation. The
company
PRA undertook extensive consultation in developing its
proposed policy. The majority of the PRA’s rules are now
finalised, giving the banks certainty over how they need to
restructure their organisations.(4) Key examples of these Ring-fenced body Investment bank
policies are set out in the box on page 169.
Retail deposits
How will ring-fencing be delivered? Investment banking

Ring-fencing requires significant work for most of the banks in £

scope of the reform. Most of these banks currently undertake Mortgages Corporate lending

a mix of retail, international and investment banking activities.

These activities are often spread across a number of legal
entities in the banking group, and a legal entity may undertake
a range of very different activities. Ring-fencing will mean that
(1) For further discussion, in particular in respect of the PRA’s rules on governance
banking groups need to ensure that RFBs undertake only those arrangements for RFBs, see the speech by Andrew Bailey, ‘Progress on prudential
regulation and three areas to complete’, October 2015; www.bankofengland.co.uk/
activities which the legislation permits. publications/Documents/speeches/2015/speech854.pdf.
(2) See Sellar and Adeleye (2016).
Figure 2 illustrates some of the changes which may need to be (3) Government legislation applies higher capital requirements in the form of the
systemic risk buffer to RFBs (as well as large building societies). This recognises that
made to a banking group’s ownership structure, and to where these institutions are systemically important to the domestic financial system. The
Senior Managers Regime allocates responsibilities to key decision-makers and
activities may sit within that ownership structure. It shows strengthens the PRA’s enforcement powers over these individuals.
how a ‘universal’ bank providing a range of activities will need (4) See Bank of England (2016a).
 Topical articles Ring-fencing 169

Summary of PRA ring-fencing policy(1) Operational continuity

• RFBs can outsource services, for example those supporting
This box summarises some of the key areas of the PRA’s IT processing or treasury ‘back office’ functions, to other
ring-fencing policy. The PRA will expect the banks to satisfy RFBs or designated services companies within the RFB’s
these requirements as they implement their ring-fences. wider banking group, but not to entities such as investment
These policies will be applied in a proportionate way; for banks. RFBs are able to outsource to approved suppliers
example, a PRA rule may be modified or waived where this is outside the group too (Figure C).(2)
consistent with PRA objectives. • This ensures that an RFB is not dependent on an investment
bank to provide services which may threaten the continuity
Structure of banking groups of its operations if the investment bank experiences
• The PRA’s expectation is that RFBs do not own investment financial stress or operational disruption.
banks. This helps insulate the RFB from risks arising in
international and wholesale financial markets. Figure C Possible providers of services to an RFB
• The PRA also expects that RFBs are not owned by
Services Group
investment banks. This supports the RFB’s ability to make
RFB services
decisions independently. company
• Instead, if a banking group includes both an RFB and an
investment bank, these should be ‘siblings’ in the group’s
Services
structure (Figure A). Services
• The RFB will need to meet regulatory capital and liquidity
requirements on its own, in addition to requirements that Another RFB External
will also need to be met at group level. in the same outsourcing
• The RFB’s transactions with other group members must be group company
on arm’s length and third-party terms.

Figure A Simplified legal entity structure Payments schemes participation

RFBs are required to be direct participants in the main
Parent company payment systems they use, where possible, rather than using
another bank to provide them access (indirect participation).
This ensures RFBs are not dependent on other entities to
continue providing core payment services (Figure D).
RFB Investment bank
Figure D Access to payment systems
Independent governance
• The RFB’s Board must be able to take decisions Payment
independently of the rest of its group. For example, system

requirements include that the majority of the RFB Board

must be independent non-executive directors, including the
Chair. No more than a third of the RFB Board may sit on
the Boards of other group entities (Figure B). This will help
ensure that the RFB Board is able to make independent Other Other
judgements in the interests of the RFB. There are a range of RFB direct direct
participant participant
other requirements relating to the governance, systems and
controls of an RFB to support this outcome.

Figure B RFB independent governance

Indirect Indirect
participant participant

(1) The diagrams in this box are indicative and for illustrative purposes only; real bank
group structures and arrangements may not resemble these simplified examples.
(2) RFBs will also need to meet general PRA requirements on operational continuity,
Independent chair
including that functions which require senior management judgement, or
Independent non-executive directors decision-making that could affect the soundness or risk appetite of the firm, should
Members who sit on other group boards not be outsourced. See Bank of England (2016b).
170 Quarterly Bulletin 2016 Q4

to be separated into an RFB and (at least) one other entity. complex and will require extensive planning to reduce the
These should sit as sibling entities in the ownership structure, risk that customers experience any disruption when
as described in the box on page 169. The banking group will systems changes are implemented.
also need to ensure that activities undertaken by its various
legal entities are located across the group in a way that is • RFBs may also need to make changes to the way they
consistent with the requirements in the legislation. connect to payment systems, in order to meet the
requirements described in the box on page 169. Payment
The reorganisation of these activities will involve a complex set systems are essential in supporting economic activity, and
of changes to be made by the banks in scope of the reform. banks play a key role in enabling their customers to make
The extent of change will reflect the range of activities and receive payments. The banks will need to ensure
currently undertaken by a banking group, and how the group is payments are made and received as expected when they
currently structured. Banks’ customers, counterparties and implement their ring-fences.
suppliers may also be affected. The changes associated with
ring-fencing are being closely managed by the banks, and • Some groups are choosing to reconsider how they brand
monitored by the PRA and the FCA. their businesses — such as renaming and rebranding their
banking entities to align better with their new structures
Below we highlight some of the main changes that a bank may and strategies. Other banking groups will have only one
need to take. brand, but will need to make clear to customers whether
Step 1: setting up the new ring-fenced body the entity they deal with is ring-fenced or not.
• Banking groups may need to redesign their legal entity
structures. This is an extensive exercise given the size and Step 2: moving activities into the new structure
complexity of these groups. Some groups will seek to Once the structure of the new banking group has been
create new UK banking entities (requiring new banking established, groups may need to move assets (such as loans)
licences), either to be their RFBs or to undertake activities and liabilities (such as deposits) between different legal
that RFBs cannot. These newly formed or reconfigured entities — to put the flesh on the bones of their skeleton
entities would need to be able to satisfy capital, liquidity structures.
and other regulatory requirements.
For some banking groups, this will mean moving activities like
• Banking groups need to review the way they govern their retail deposit-taking into entities that will become RFBs. For
businesses to ensure that RFBs are able to manage others, this will mean moving activities like investment
themselves independently of the rest of their banking banking out of entities that will become RFBs. For some, it
group. This may require them to set up new boards and may mean a mix of both (Figure 3).
management committees and appoint new individuals to
perform separate roles for the RFB and other members of Figure 3 Reorganising banking activities into the ring-fenced
the group. Reporting lines may need to be amended or structure
replaced to ensure that the RFB retains the ability to take
decisions independently and satisfies Senior Managers
Regime requirements. Core deposits
move to entity
• Banking groups will need to review how their new RFB which becomes RFB
interacts with the rest of the group to ensure it has an
adequate degree of financial independence. Any Parent company
relationships between the RFB and other group members,
such as providing business services like IT or operational
support, or entering into financial transactions, will need RFB A
to be re-examined to ensure that they comply with
Investment bank
ring-fencing requirements. Banking groups may face
significant work just to map out which services are currently RFB B
provided to and from different entities in the group
— even before they start updating their many contracts.

• Banking groups will need to change their internal systems

Investment banking activity
to ensure they can operate under their new structures. For moves to entity which becomes
example, IT systems may need to be redesigned so that the investment bank
RFB is not reliant on technology provided by an investment
bank in the group. Changes to such systems are often very
 Topical articles Ring-fencing 171

Most of these assets and liabilities will be transferred When customers are moved between legal entities, the bank
through a ‘ring-fencing transfer scheme’ (RFTS). This is a will need to decide whether the old sort code will follow the
process the Government has created through which banks customers being moved, or stay with the customers which
can apply to the court to transfer business between different remain. Those account holders who do not keep the old sort
legal entities. The application is supported by a detailed code will be allocated a new one. Because sort codes have to
report by a ‘skilled person’, an expert who acts on behalf be linked to a single legal entity, it is not possible that account
of the court and who is independent of the bank and the holders in an RFB can share the same sort code as an account
regulators. The skilled person assesses whether different holder outside of the RFB.
groups, such as the bank’s customers and counterparties,
would be affected adversely by the transfers, and whether For most account holders, there will be no need to change sort
the effects are no more adverse than reasonably necessary codes, and the banks are working to minimise the impact
to restructure the banking group in order to implement for those who do need to be allocated a new sort code.
ring-fencing.(1) In particular, existing systems will be used to ensure payments
made referencing an old sort code are redirected to the right
These transfers are likely to complete during 2018. Figure 4 recipient. The PRA and FCA are monitoring the progress of the
shows an illustrative timeline showing when some of the steps banks as they implement sort code changes. The FCA is
could be taken by the banks. focused, in particular, on risks to its consumer protection
objectives. The PRA will consider the implications for its
Ring-fencing means that banks will need to ensure that ring-fencing objectives related to the continuity of core
different types of customers sit within different legal services.
entities in their banking groups. For example, some banks’ The Bank of England also needs to make changes to its
ring-fencing plans involve moving customers which are large systems and processes to accommodate ring-fencing. The
companies or financial institutions out of what will become an Bank needs to be able to continue to transact with banks after
RFB. Other banks plan to move retail and small business they have restructured so that it can implement monetary
customers into a new RFB. policy and provide liquidity effectively where necessary.
The Bank will also work with the banks to ensure they can
While most bank customers will experience little disruption continue to access payment systems that use Bank
as ring-fencing is implemented, some may notice changes infrastructure. In addition, the Bank will also need to
associated with the transfer of banking services between ensure the issuance of banknotes by banks in the scope
different legal entities within the same banking group. As a of ring-fencing is not affected by banks’ restructuring.
result, some customers will experience changes to their
account details, and in particular the sort codes which are used
to ensure payments are routed to the right destination. (1) See Bank of England (2016c) and FCA (2016).

Figure 4 Illustrative timeline of ring-fencing implementation changes

PRA/FCA deliverables Some banking groups are The PRA and FCA certify that
creating new entities which the the new entities have adequate
Other deliverables PRA and FCA must authorise financial resources

New banks Certificates as to Financial

authorised Resources are issued

Jan. July Jan. July Jan.

17 17 18 18 19

Skilled Person First Second RFTS

approvals court hearing court hearing effective When the bank
implements
the ring-fencing
The PRA approves the independent The court considers The court hears transfer scheme
reviewer (a ‘Skilled Person’) who the bank’s proposed objections. The court
will perform an assessment ring-fencing will determine whether
of each bank’s ring-fencing transfer scheme. the ring-fencing
transfer scheme transfer scheme
should be approved
172 Quarterly Bulletin 2016 Q4

Conclusion affect some of the banks’ customers, counterparties and

suppliers. The banks are working to ensure this change is
The ring-fencing of the core retail activities of the managed as smoothly as possible. The PRA and FCA are
United Kingdom’s largest banking groups represents an closely monitoring the banks’ plans.
important part of the response to the financial crisis and
meeting the objectives of ending ‘too big to fail’ and Looking forward, following the implementation of ring-fencing
preventing the costs of bank failures falling on taxpayers. in 2019, the PRA will have an ongoing role to play in
Ring-fencing aims to ensure that banks providing services on supervising the new ring-fenced bank structures, as well as in
which individuals and small businesses depend will be less reviewing and reporting on firms’ compliance with the
likely to fail, and — if they do so — the impact of their failure ring-fencing regime. Through these activities the PRA will seek
on the UK financial system will be lower. to meet its ring-fencing objectives and support the stability of
the UK financial system by ensuring the continuous provision
The implementation of ring-fencing will bring about a of key retail banking services. The FCA will continue to assess
significant restructuring of the UK banking system and will how ring-fencing will affect its objectives for consumer
involve a large degree of change for the banks. It will also protection, market integrity and competition.

References

Bailey, A (2015), ‘Progress on prudential regulation and three areas to complete’, October, available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/
Documents/speeches/2015/speech854.pdf.

Bank of England (2016a), ‘The implementation of ring-fencing: prudential requirements, intragroup arrangements and use of financial market
infrastructures’, July, available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/Documents/publications/ps/2016/ps2016.pdf.

Bank of England (2016b), ‘Ensuring operational continuity in resolution’, Prudential Regulation Authority Policy Statement PS21/16, July,
available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/Documents/publications/ps/2016/ps2116.pdf.

Bank of England (2016c), ‘The implementation of ring-fencing: the PRA’s approach to ring-fencing transfer schemes’, March,
available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/Documents/publications/sop/2016/rftssop.pdf.

Financial Conduct Authority (2016) ‘Finalised Guidance on the FCA’s approach to the implementation of ring-fencing and ring-fencing transfer
schemes’, March.

HM Treasury/Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2012), Banking reform: delivering stability and supporting a sustainable
economy, June.

Independent Commission on Banking (2011), Final Report, September.

Sellar, P and Adeleye, D (2016), ‘Recovery planning: preparing for stress’, Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 56, No. 4, pages 200–10,
available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/quarterlybulletin/2016/q4/a4.aspx.

Woods, S (2016), ‘The revolution is over. Long live the revolution!’, October, available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/
speeches/2016/speech933.pdf.