Deposit guarantee schemes and investor compensation
Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive
With the Recovery and Resolution Act (RRA), Liechtenstein has significantly improved its financial stability, in that a statutory mechanism is available to counteract the “too big to fail” risk of large, systemically important banks in a crisis. The EEA country has thus transposed the Directive 2014 / 59 / EU on the recovery and resolution of financial institutions (the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive) into national law. On 1 January 2017, the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority (FMA) created a separate organisational unit within its organisational structure which functions as a resolution authority. Its primary objectives are to avoid significant adverse effects on the stability of the Liechtenstein financial market and to protect client funds and client assets. Systemically important banks in Liechtenstein are required to draw up a recovery plan. The recovery plan contains an analysis of measures determined as part of an overall bank stress test that can be taken to restore its financial position under various crisis scenarios.
Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD)
The DGSD requires EEA member states to recognise at least one national guarantee scheme that is responsible for the implementation of the deposit guarantee scheme at banks. All banks must belong to a deposit guarantee scheme which is supervised by the competent national authorities; in Liechtenstein, this function is assumed by the FMA. The new Deposit Guarantee and Investor Compensation Act (DGICA) entered into force on 1 June 2019.
In the event of a compensation case, the Deposit Guarantee and Investor Compensation Foundation PCC (EAS) would ensure that the financial consequences for depositors and investors are at least mitigated by covering depositor claims from eligible deposits up to CHF 100'000 and investor claims up to a maximum of CHF 30'000. Eligible deposits are all kinds of account balances as well as call money and time deposits.