El BCE acelera los test de idoneidad para que la banca atraiga talento

The European Central Bank (BCE) is accelerating the suitability tests for bank directors to attract talent and streamline the decision-making process. These tests, known as fit and proper tests, have been reduced by more than 10%, bringing them below 100 days, down from an average of 109 days. The European Banking Supervision Council, guided by Claudia Buch, aims to reduce this further.

The European Central Bank (ECB) seeks to enhance efficiency by delegating less complex decisions to senior officials rather than requiring input from the ECB president and the ECB's governing council. The institution also plans to increase automation and digitalization to further streamline processes. One tool used is artificial intelligence (AI) for faster assessments.

The ECB emphasizes that Heimdall, a key tool, does not make decisions but prepares the ground for supervisors to focus on complex cases. The institution is particularly focused on how information and documents are requested during appointments, especially those involving professionals previously deemed suitable by the ECB. The ECB believes improvements in suitability testing times will be available in the second half of the year, along with other efficiency-enhancing measures.

Suitability tests are a common procedure in European banking supervision and a key factor in ensuring the robustness of banks, equally important to financial ratios. Although the process can be invasive and time-consuming for banks, the ECB believes that top management significantly influences the solidity of an entity as much as financial ratios.

Approximately 50% of the ECB's annual supervisory decisions relate to suitability tests of professionals in supervised entities. Initially, each decision required authorization from the president of the central bank, but significant progress has been made in optimizing these processes.