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European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority

2330

Q&A

Question ID: 2330

Regulation Reference: (EU) No 2015/35 - supplementing Dir 2009/138/EC - taking up & pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (SII)

Topic: Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR)

Article: 84(2)

Status: Final

Date of submission: 15 Sep 2021

Question

It is not very clear how to treat investment level leverage in a fixed income unleveraged AIF. The fund is private debt (loan) fund that engineers the fund by putting a "loan-on-loan" term financing on the debt originating platform level, an Irish DAC company, (as opposed to the leverage in the fund's consolidated structure). Because the bank term loan is on the SPV level, and because the fund consolidates equity, rather than full conso of its assets (US GAAP), only portfolio underlying loans equity value is appearing in look through, and his debt is not being seen neither in fund's financial statements, nor in fund's investor reporting, nor Look-through file. Fund's prospectus confirms fund being unleveraged AIF, and fund manager refers to investment level debt ("back loan"). How is this investment level to be treated in the fixed income framework from perspective of spread module, FX if any, and interest rate module: Should capital charge be calculated on the basis that can be estimated as being fund's GAV ("gross asset value") after multiplication of funds NAV by the LTV of the SPV which would approximate our true exposure of the underlying loans, rather than equity value? Or is it sufficient to put capital charge on the NAV? If it would be an equity investment , the answer would be clear. However it is not clear in a framework of fixed income fund.

Background of the question

Looking for a potential investment in a new fund

EIOPA answer

As per Article 84(2) of the Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/35, indirect exposures to market and counterparty risk should be captured within the Solvency Capital Requirement.

As per Guideline 2 of the Guidelines on look-through, firms should iterate the look-through approach so as to be satisfied that all direct and indirect risks have been captured.

The formulaic calculation of each risk is given in each submodule. The firm should include the indirect exposure to the loan at SPV level in each submodule where there would be a change in own funds arising under the calculation.