meta_id 3078800

On April 20, 2026, the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) published Amendment No. 2/2026 to Measure No. 4/2015, which modifies and supplements requirements governing risk management systems for banks and foreign bank branches operating in Slovakia. The amendment introduces several substantive changes to the existing regulatory framework. It expands risk management requirements to explicitly include environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks, requiring banks to develop comprehensive strategies addressing these risks across short-term, medium-term, and long-term horizons of at least ten years. Banks must establish identification, measurement, monitoring, and mitigation procedures for ESG risks; conduct regular stress testing to assess resilience against long-term negative impacts; and clearly allocate responsibilities for ESG risk management. The amendment also introduces new operational risk management requirements specifically addressing cryptocurrency exposures. Banks must establish procedures and plans to manage operational risks arising from direct and indirect exposures to crypto-assets and crypto-asset service providers. Additionally, banks planning to accept cryptocurrency exposures must conduct prior assessments considering the adequacy of existing processes and procedures for counterparty and market risk management, with documented reports available to the NBS upon request. For exposures to crypto-assets without identifiable issuers, concentration risk must be evaluated based on exposures to crypto-assets with similar characteristics. The amendment incorporates requirements from European Union Directive 2024/1619, which modifies Directive 2013/36/EU regarding supervisory powers, sanctions, third-country branches, and ESG risks. The measure becomes effective on May 1, 2026. Banks must ensure compliance with all amended requirements by this date.