2022-01-01 | JPRF-A-2022-022The Financial Policy and Regulation Board (JPRF) of Ecuador issued Resolution No. JPRF-A-2022-022 to formally approve its internal Operating Regulations. This regulation defines the Board's composition, extensive regulatory functions regarding financial and insurance sectors, and the specific duties of its President, members, and Technical Secretariat. It establishes strict procedural rules for ordinary and extraordinary sessions, including quorum requirements, voting protocols that prohibit abstention, and confidentiality obligations for all participants.
Resolution No. JPRF-A-2022-022 THE FINANCIAL POLICY AND REGULATION BOARD CONSIDERING: That, through the Organic Law Reforming the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law for the Defense of Dollarization, published in the First Supplement of the Official Register No. 443, of May 3, 2021, the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law was reformed; That, through Article 13 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law, the Financial Policy and Regulation Board was created, part of the Executive Branch, as a public law legal entity, with administrative, financial, and operational autonomy, responsible for the formulation of financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services policy; and its composition and functioning are determined; That, Article 14.1 of the same legal body determines that for the performance of its functions, the Financial Policy and Regulation Board must comply with various duties and exercise faculties, among them, "(...) 20. Issue the operating regulations of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board"; That, the Technical Secretariat of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board, through memorandum No. JPRF-SETEC-2022-0026-M of March 9, 2022, sent to the President of the JPRF, the technical-legal report No. JPRF-CJ-2022-0014 of March 9, 2022, and its extension No. JPRF-CJ-2022-0015 sent with memorandum No. JPRF-SETEC-2022-0027-M of March 15, 2022, which supports the pertinence of this resolution; That, the Financial Policy and Regulation Board, in an extraordinary session held by technological means convened on March 15, 2022, and carried out through video conference on March 16, 2022, resolved to issue the norms that regulate its functioning; and, In exercise of the attributions and duties conferred upon it by Article 14.1 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law, the Financial Policy and Regulation Board issues the following:
OPERATING REGULATIONS OF THE FINANCIAL POLICY AND REGULATION BOARD
CHAPTER I OF THE OBJECT AND SCOPE
Article 1.- Object.- The purpose of these regulations is to regulate the functioning of the sessions of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board and other particulars related to them.
Article 2.- Scope.- These norms are applicable to the members, participants, and attendees of the Board's sessions. It also applies, in aspects related to the functions of the members, the Technical Secretariat, and the Technical Secretary.
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CHAPTER II OF THE BOARD
Article 3.- Board.- The Financial Policy and Regulation Board is the body of the Executive Branch with headquarters in the Metropolitan District of Quito, responsible for the formulation of credit, financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services policy and regulation.
The Financial Policy and Regulation Board is composed of three full-time members. Also participating in the Board's deliberations, with voice but without vote, are the President of the Monetary Policy and Regulation Board, the Superintendent of Banks, the Superintendent of Companies, Securities and Insurance, the Superintendent of Popular and Solidarity Economy, the President of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Deposit Insurance, Liquidity Fund and Private Insurance Fund; and, a delegate of the entity in charge of public finances.
The Financial Policy and Regulation Board will elect from among its members a President and a Substitute President, for a term of two (2) years, who may be re-elected only once.
The participants of the Board may delegate their participation, through the corresponding administrative act, in accordance with the current legal framework.
Article 4.- Absence of the President.- In the event of temporary absence of the President of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board, the Substitute President will act in their place. In the event of definitive absence of the President of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board, the Substitute President will act in their place for the remainder of the term of the titular.
Article 5.- Functions.- The functions, duties, and faculties of the Board are:
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b. Authorize financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services entities to carry out new activities or operations that, although not prohibited, are necessary to fulfill the objectives of financial, credit, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services policy, in accordance with the regulations issued for this effect. 15. Establish, within the scope of its competencies, any measure that contributes to: a. Prevent and seek to eradicate fraudulent and prohibited practices, including money laundering and the financing of crimes such as terrorism, considering current and applicable international standards; b. Protect the privacy of individuals regarding the dissemination of their personal information, as well as national security information; c. The creation of products oriented to promote and facilitate the financial inclusion of priority attention groups. d. Foster financial inclusion, promoting the participation of financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services entities. 16. Regulate the constitution, operation, and liquidation of funds and fiduciary businesses related to the securities market; 17. Dictate the norms that regulate insurance and reinsurance; 18. Regulate the fiduciary management of entities of the public financial sector; 19. Regulate the constitution, organization, functioning, liquidation, and registration of complementary pension funds and their investments, as well as the minimum requirements to exercise the position of administrators; 20. Issue the operating regulations of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board and the Code of Ethics; 21. Require non-binding comments from entities of the national financial system, control bodies, and others considered necessary, regarding preventive regulation proposals, prior to their approval; 22. Appoint the Technical Secretary of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board; 23. Present annually, during the first quarter of each year, to the President of the Republic and the National Assembly the accountability report. Additional reports may be presented when required by the First Mandatary or when the Financial Policy and Regulation Board considers it relevant; 24. Present to the President of the Republic proposals for modification of financial, credit, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services legislation; 25. Apply the provisions of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law and resolve cases not foreseen in the same, within the scope of its competence; 26. Establish, with the purpose of stimulating development, economic reactivation, and financial stability, with adequate technical backing, the system of interest rates and provisions applicable to credit, financial, commercial, and other operations, which may be defined by segments, economic activities, and other criteria. In the execution of these parameters, the principles of financial stability and solidity will be considered and guaranteed at all times; and, 27. Exercise the other functions, duties, and faculties assigned by Law.
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CHAPTER III OF THE PRESIDENT
Article 6.- Functions.- The functions of the President of the Board are the following:
CHAPTER IV OF THE MEMBERS
Article 7.- Members.- The members of the Financial Policy and Regulation Board have the following duties and rights:
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Article 8.- Actions of the members.- The members of the Board must observe standards of ethical conduct in the performance of their functions, act with honesty, independence, impartiality, and without consideration for their private interests, avoiding conflict of interest.
Article 9.- Policy and regulation proposals.- The policy and regulation proposals presented by the Superintendent of Banks; the Superintendent of Companies, Securities and Insurance; the Superintendent of Popular and Solidarity Economy; the President of the Monetary Policy and Regulation Board; and, the legal representative of the Corporation for Deposit Insurance, Liquidity Fund and Private Insurance Fund, must be signed by the proponent, and the reports of the institutional technical and legal areas must be attached to them, with the respective draft resolution, the latter, in editable and PDF format.
The proposals with the information described in this article must be presented to the Board in physical and/or electronic media.
The proposing authorities may participate in the deliberations of the respective sessions, personally or through their delegates, prior request and authorization of the President of the Board.
The Board will promote processes of consultation, coordination, and internal reviews prior to policy and regulation proposals within the scope of its competence.
CHAPTER V OF THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT
Article 10.- Functions of the Technical Secretariat.- The functions of the Technical Secretariat of the Board are the following:
Article 11.- Functions of the Technical Secretary.- The functions of the Technical Secretary of the Board are the following:
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p. Keep an ordered list of all reserved files and information, in the terms determined in Article 17 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial Law, Book I; q. Receive and certify the presentation of communications, petitions, writings, and any other request addressed to the Board; r. Confer certified copies of Board documents, required by competent authority. In the case of reserved information, it will be delivered prior to the authorization of the President of the Board; and, s. Receive and manage the requests, consultations, complaints, and administrative appeals filed against the Board's resolutions.
Article 12.- Absence of the Technical Secretary.- In the event of the absence of the Technical Secretary, the President will assign these functions to the holder of the Technical Coordination, in order to maintain the functioning of the Board's collegiate body.
CHAPTER VI OF THE SESSIONS
Article 13.- Sessions.- The Board sessions will be held for the specific purpose of knowing, treating, and resolving the topics determined in the summons. The Board sessions may be ordinary or extraordinary and will be held in any place.
Ordinary sessions will be held every month and will be convened by the President of the Board.
Extraordinary sessions will be convened by the President of the Board ex officio or at the request of at least two of its members, to treat specific topics.
The quorum required for the installation and voting of the session is the total number of its members, without prejudice to one or more members being temporarily absent during the course of the session.
In the event that the President of the Board is temporarily absent during the development of the session, the Substitute President will preside in order to continue its development.
Interventions in in-person or virtual sessions must be recorded through the respective technological means; however, at the disposition of the President of the Board, those matters declared as reserved may not be recorded.
Attendees to the sessions may participate observing the agenda, prior authorization of the President of the Board, and must keep the secrecy imposed by Law.
At the request of one of the members, the President may suspend the treatment and resolution of any point on the agenda for the time he considers necessary.
The members of the Board, as well as the participants in the deliberations of the Board sessions, will act autonomously, will not seek or accept instructions from third parties, and will keep confidentiality regarding the matters known, treated, and deliberated within the Board that have been classified as reserved.
Article 14.- Form of the Board sessions.- The Board sessions may be...