2011-01-19 | 3/2011The Bank of Albania’s Supervisory Council mandates non-bank financial institutions, savings and loan associations, and their unions to establish comprehensive internal operational risk management systems. These entities must systematically identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate risks through defined policies, clear governance responsibilities for supervisory boards and administrators, and robust business continuity plans. Furthermore, the regulation requires quarterly reporting of early warning indicators to the Bank of Albania and grants supervisory authorities the power to enforce compliance through targeted penalizing measures.
REPUBIC OF ALBANIA BANK OF ALBANIA SUPERVISIORY COUNCIL DECISION No. 03, dated 19.01. 2011 THE APPROVAL OF REGULATION “ON THE OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT” In accordance with Article 12 “a” and Article 43 “c” of the Law No. 8269, dated 23.12.1997 “On the Bank of Albania” as amended; and Article 57, paragraph 4 and Article 58, paragraph 1 “c” and Article 126 of the Law No. 9662, dated 18.12.2006 “On Banks in the Republic of Albania”; and Article 46 and Article 47, paragraph 2 of the Law No. 8782, dated 03.05.2001 “On Savings and Credit Associations”, as amended; having regard to the proposal from Supervision Department, the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania, DECIDED:
YLLI MEMISHA ARDIAN FULLANI
2 REGULATION 1 “ON THE OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT BY NON-BANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR UNIONS” (Approved by Decision No. 03, dated 19.01.2011 and amended by decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania) Chapter I General provisions Article 1 Purpose 2The purpose of this regulation is to determine the requirements and rules for the management of operational risk by the entities subject to this regulation. Article 2 Legal ground This regulation is issued in accordance with: a) Article 12, letter “a” and Article 43, letter “c” of the Law No. 8269 dated 23.12.1997 “On the Bank of Albania”, as amended; b) 3Article 126 of the Law No. 9662, dated 18.12.2006 “On banks in the Republic of Albania”, which shall be referred as the “Law on banks” throughout this regulation; c) 4Articles 60, 62 and 65, paragraph 4 of the Law No. 52/2016, dated 19.5.2016 “On savings and loan associations and their unions”. Article 3 Subjects
1 Amended the title of the regulation by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 2 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 3 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 4 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 5 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
3 2. 6The Bank of Albania, based on its supervisory assessments regarding the volume and complexity of operations, or the level of operational risk exposure, may decide that certain non-bank financial institutions or savings and loan associations, which are subjects of this regulation, to become subject to the regulation “On the operational risk management by banks, payment institutions and electronic money institutions”. 3. 7 In the cases provided in paragraph 2 of this article, the Bank of Albania notifies the non-bank financial institution or savings and loan association, and defines the timeframe within which the entity must ensure compliance with the requirements of the regulation “On the operational risk management by banks, payment institutions and electronic money institutions”. Article 4 Definitions
6 Added by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 7 Added by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 8 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 9 Repealed by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 10 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
4 d) 11 “reputational risk” – is the possibility that an entity may incur financial losses caused by negative perceptions from clients, counterparties, shareholders, investors, debt holders, markets, other stakeholders, regulators, etc., which may negatively impact the entity's ability to continue operating/functioning, create new business relationships, or maintain continuous access to funding sources (e.g., through interbank, capital, and debt markets, or the general public); e) 12 “third parties (outsourcing) agreement" - is an agreement of any form between the entity and a third party (service provider), under which the third party (service provider) performs a process, service, or function that would otherwise be carried out by the entity itself. Chapter II General requirements for the operational risk management Article 5 Operational risk management system
11 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 12 Added by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 13 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 14 Added by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 15 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 16 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 17 Added by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
5 Article 6 18Responsibilities of the supervisory board/administration board/steering council
18 Amended the title of the article by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 19 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 20 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 21 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 22 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 23 Amended the title of the article by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 24 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 25 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
6 2. 26The administrator, for the purpose of the operational risk management, shall be responsible for: a) the implementation of policies, procedures and processes for managing operational risk in all services/products, businesses and systems which are important for the entity; b) the ongoing implementation of all the internal bylaws for the operational risk management from all the entity structures; c) the implementation of responsibilities and the development of reporting lines, to encourage and maintain the accountability, to provide the needed financial and human resources for effective managing of the operational risk; d) clear communication of the entity’s policy for the operational risk management to the employee of all levels, particularly in the units exposed to the operational risk; e) the conduction of 27financial activities of the entity by a qualified staff with the necessary experience and technical capabilities; f) the ensuring that staff, responsible for monitoring the implementation of operational risk management policy, is independent from the units they oversee; g) 28repealed. Chapter III Operational Risk Management Article 8 The identification and assessment of the operational risk
26 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 27 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 28 Repealed by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
7 changes in the industry and technology advancements), which may unfavourably impact the achievement of the entity’s objectives. 4. The entities shall assess their exposure to identified risks, thus defining their risk profile with the purpose the efficient use of human and technical resources for the management of these risks. 5. 29The entities shall set forth their methods and techniques to identify and asses the operational risk, considering also the methods and techniques that entities may use for the operational risk management, foreseen in annex 6 of this regulation. Article 9 The monitoring and reporting of the operational risk
29 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 30 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 31 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
8 a) the data regarding the financial, the internal operational position and the observation of limits set out for the risk indicators, as well as the information on the market important changes to the decision-making; b) a complete statement on each identified problem and instructions for the correcting operations with regard to the unresolved issues. 5. The entities shall ensure the delivery of reports to all management levels and to the business lines representatives, which are affected by the problems reflected in the report. The entities shall analyse these reports to improve the practices and procedures and to compile new policies and procedures for managing the operational risk. Article 10 Control and mitigation of the operational risk
9 f) play special attention to the introduction into unknown markets and/or the commitment of trading activities, which are geographically conducted far from the head office; g) invest in the right use and the information technology security, providing the proper attention with regard to the strengthening of services automating degree; h) establish policies on risk management that arises from the 32 transfer of processes, services or functions of the entity to third parties (outsourcing). 3. The entities shall regularly review their policies and procedures for controlling and mitigating the operational risk, aiming the employment of adequate strategies commensurate with their risk profile, as well as with the established circumstances and environment. Article 11 Business continuity plan
32 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
10 Chapter IV Reporting and supervision Article 12 Reporting to the Bank of Albania 33The entities shall report quarterly to the Bank of Albania, the data accordingly to annexes no. 1 and no. 3 of this regulation. Article 13 Supervisory and penalising measures The Bank of Albania, in case of failure to meet the obligations set forth in this regulation, shall implement the supervisory and/or penalising measures stipulated in the Law on banks and in the 34Law “On savings and loan associations and their unions”. Chapter V Article 14 Transitory provision The subjects of this regulation, shall meet all the requirements set forth in this regulation, within 6 (six) months after the entry into force of this regulation. Article 15 Final provision The annexes attached therein are an integral part of this regulation. CHAIRMAN OF SUPERVISORY COUNCIL ARDIAN FULLANI
33 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 34 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
11 35ANNEXES For the reporting of early warning indicators to the Bank of Albania, the entity shall complete annex no. 1, following the instructions provided in annex no. 2 of this regulation. 36Annex no. 1 Early warning indicators No. Indicator Value Comments 1 Number of new legal cases Number 2 Cost of legal cases Value (ALL) 3 New customers complaints Number 4 Open customers complaints Number 5 Number of fines from authorities Number 6 Value of fines from authorities Value (ALL) 7 Staff turnover Percent (%) 8 Core system failures/interruptions (hours:minutes:seconds) 9 Number of cases identified as fraud Number 10 New problem loans Percent (%)
35 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 36 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
12 37Annex no. 2 Instructions for completing early warning indicators No. Indicator Description 1 Number of new legal cases The number of new legal cases opened during the reporting period, in which the entity is involved and which contain elements of operational risk. Other legal cases, which do not contain elements of operational risk, are excluded. 2 Cost of legal cases The expected loss value estimated by the entity in relation to the legal issues of indicator no. 1. The costs of other legal issues, which do not contain elements of operational risk, are excluded. 3 New customers complaints Number of complaints filed against the entity by customers or third parties during the quarter, received through all communication channels made available by the entity (formal letter, email, social networks, etc.). All complaints received during the quarter are included, whether they were closed, rejected or open at the end of the reporting period (quarter). 4 Open customers complaints The number of complaints filed against the entity by customers, customer groups or the public, which are still open at the end of the reporting period (quarter). 5 Number of fines from authorities The number of fines imposed on the entity by various authorities during the quarter, which are related to financial activity. 6 Value of fines from authorities The value of the fines imposed by various authorities during the quarter, which are related to financial activity. 7 Staff turnover The percentage of staff turnover of all categories, during the reporting period. This includes both full-time and parttime employees. Q=L/(P)*100, (P)=(P0+P1)/2 where: Q-staff turnover; L- number of employees dismissed during the reporting period; (P) - the average number of employees during the reporting period; P0 – the number of employees at the beginning of the reporting period; P1- the number of employees at the end of the reporting period.
37 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
13 8 Core system failures/interruptions Duration of unplanned interruptions of the entity's core system during the quarter, expressed in the format (hours:minutes:seconds). 9 Number of cases identified as fraud The number of cases identified as fraud by the entity during the reporting period. 10 New problem loans The number of new problem loans relative to the total number of new loans disbursed during the reporting period (in %). The numerator includes new problem loans for which no more than 90 days have passed since the payment date.
14 38For operational risk events reporting to the Bank of Albania, the entity fills out the register according to annex no. 3, following the instructions of annex no. 4 of this regulation. For events that have lasted for more than one reporting period and therefore have been reported in previous periods, the entity uses the same identification number in the relevant cell of the register and presents the information about the event for the reporting period. Completion of all annex fields is mandatory for each recorded event, except for the field “recovery date” and “recovered value”, which will be completed when information is available. The comments field is recommended, but it is not mandatory to be filled. The completion of the recovery date and recovery value fields must be accompanied by the mandatory completion of the fields “event identification number” and “event description”. 39Annex no. 3 Operational risk event register Identification number Description Occurrence date (d.m.y) Booking date (d.m.y) Cause (Level 1) Cause (Level 2) Gross/Initial loss value (ALL) Recovery date Recovered value Comments
38 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania. 39 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
15 40Annex no. 4 Instructions for completing the operational risk event register Column Instructions for completion Identification number The event identification number used by the entity in the internal register of operational risk events must be filled in. Description A description of each event recorded in this register is completed. The subject should not include information that is subject to the law “On the protection of personal data”. Occurrence date (d.m.y) The occurrence date or the starting date of the event must be filled in for those events that have had a prolonged effect over time. Booking date (d.m.y) The date on which the event was recorded in the entity's financial statements must be filled in. Cause (Level 1) One of the options from the “Cause of the event, as per level 1” column of annex no. 5 of this regulation must be filled in. Cause (Level 2) One of the options from the “Cause of the event, as per level 2” column of annex no. 5 of this regulation must be filled in. Gross/Initial loss value (ALL) The initial/gross loss of each event occurring in this register must be filled in. The absolute/positive value is recorded, and negative values should never be entered. Recovery date The date on which the recovery value has been accounted must be filled in. Recovered value Any value recovered from the initial loss must be filled in. The recovered value is recorded in this cell and does not affect the value recorded in the gross/initial loss cell. Comments Any relevant comments about the event must be filled in.
40 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
16 41Annex no. 5 Event classification by cause, level 1 and 2 of detailing Cause of the event, as per level 1 Cause of the event, as per level 2 People/employees Accidental causes (people) Lack of adequate training/competency Insufficient level of human resources Ineffective roles and responsibilities Miscommunication Ineffective culture Malice Process failure Procedure/process designation failure Procedure/process implementation failure Mismanagement of projects/changes Governance failure External factors Natural disaster Malice Terrorism/external attacks (excluding cyberattacks) Environment (excluding natural disasters) Geopolitical/economic/social instability Regulatory and legislative environment Systems Functionality issues Performance/capacity issues Lack of maintenance/unsupported legacy Unavailability Inadequate testing/development Release/deployment issues Misconfiguration Inadequate data storage/retention and destruction management Exploitation of IT security vulnerability Technology-related issues Planning issues
41 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
17 42Annex no. 6 Common methods and techniques for managing operational risk by the entity include mainly:
42 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
43Annex no. 7 Examples of operational risk events Event type (as per Level 1) Event type (as per Level 2) Examples Internal fraud Unauthorized actions Transactions not reported (intentional) Abuse of duty, unauthorized activities Mismarking of position (intentional) Internal theft and fraud Fraud/credit fraud/deposits fraud Theft/extortion/embezzlement/robbery Misappropriation of assets Malicious destruction of assets Forgery Check fraud Corruption Account takeover/impersonation/etc. Tax noncompliance/evasion Bribes/kickbacks or failure to comply with the rules in cases of benefits (gifts and invitations given and received) Insider trading (not on firm’s account) External fraud External theft and fraud Theft/robbery Forgery Check fraud Systems security Hacking damage Theft and disclosure of confidential information Employment practices and workplace safety Employee relations Issues related to work compensation, benefits and termination Organized labour activity Safe environment General liability/responsibility related to workplace safety Employee health and safety rules problems Workers’ compensation Diversity and discrimination All discrimination types Clients, products and business practices of the activities Suitability, disclosure and fiduciary Fiduciary breaches, rules violations Issues related to suitability and disclosure of clients’ data, etc. Customer disclosure violations Breach of privacy Aggressive sales Account churning Misuse of confidential information
43 Amended by the Decision No. 52, dated 6.11.2024 of the Supervisory Council of the Bank of Albania.
19 Lender liability Improper business or market practices Antitrust Improper trade/market practices Market manipulation Insider trading Unlicensed activity Money laundering Product flaws Product defects Model errors Selection, sponsorship and exposure Failure to investigate client per guidelines/regulations/lack of knowing the client Exceeding client exposure limits Advisory activities Disputes over performance of advisory activities Damage to physical assets Disasters and other events Natural disaster losses Human losses from external sources (terrorism, vandalism, etc.) Business disruption and system failures Systems Hardware Software Telecommunications Utility outage/disruptions (energy, transport...) Execution, delivery, and process management Transaction recognition, execution and maintenance Miscommunication Data entry, maintenance, or loading error Missed deadline or responsibility Model/system misoperation Accounting error Other task misperformance Delivery failure Collateral management failure Reference data maintenance Monitoring and reporting Failed to comply with reporting requirements (financial or regulatory reporting) Inaccurate external report (loss incurred) Clients registration and documentation Client permissions/disclaimers missing Legal documents missing/incomplete Clients account management Unapproved access given to accounts Incorrect client records Negligent loss or damage of client assets Trade counterparties Nonclient counterparty misperformance Miscellaneous nonclient counterparty disputes Vendors and suppliers Vendors and suppliers disputes