IReF: A Year in Review and the Road Ahead

Date: 9th December 2025
Time: 12:00-12:45pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Format: Live Webinar

IReF reporting now begins in Q4 2029, with a pilot phase and detailed implementation plan due beforehand. The extra time helps, but the gap between banks that have invested in data architecture and those just getting started continues to widen.

In this session, we’ll look at where banks really stand going into the 2029 start date, what to demand from vendors in terms of concrete BIRD/IReF alignment, and whether IReF will be used to repair underlying data architecture or simply sit on top of existing problems.

A useful 45-minutes to close out the year and get ahead of 2026 planning.

Speakers:

• Kira Snow, Senior Implementation Specialist, Suade (Moderator)
• James Osmond, Head of Regulatory Solutions, Risk and Regulatory Reporting SME, Suade
• Diogo Alves, Senior VP of Finance and Reg Reporting

Agenda:

1. IReF: From Regulation to Reality

• ECB push to Q4 2029 and what that means in practice
• Why two extra years haven’t translated to equal progress
• Current status: Early movers vs those facing compressed timelines
• Embedding IReF within wider data and governance programmes

2. The Vendor Question: Build, Buy, or Transform?

• Risks and benefits of internal builds vs vendor solutions
• Why a “reporting layer” can help or hinder data quality
• The essential role of BIRD alignment in implementation
• Seizing IReF as a catalyst to fix data architecture, not just report

3. Ripple Effects Beyond the Eurozone

• IReF’s impact on European and global banking groups
• The push to harmonise data models and avoid parallel systems
• Industry asks: clarity on anchor values, validation, and stability
• What these demands reveal about regulatory reporting’s future

4. Why This Matters Now

• The growing divide between early and late adopters
• How choices today shape cost, resilience, and future readiness
• Key questions banks must answer now to avoid costly pitfalls
• Positioning IReF as a foundation for efficiency, not just compliance