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Best Execution Policy Template (MiFID II Art. 27, Delegated Reg 2026/825, SEC)

Order execution policy: factor ranking by class, venue and broker list, routing, allocation, instructions, OTC price checks, PFOF ban, TCA thresholds, review

ISO та комплаєнсПовнийMiFID II Art. 27 (as amended by 2024/790); MiFIR Art. 39a; Delegated Reg (EU) 2017/565 Art. 64-70; Delegated Reg (EU) 2026/825; SEC IA-5248bestexecutionpolicymath

Як використовувати: Use it when an investment firm executes client orders, places them with brokers in portfolio management or transmits them. Fill the scope by service, the factor ranking per class and the venue list first, then the monitoring thresholds. The main pitfall is still producing RTS 28 reports while running TCA without thresholds or follow-up, and missing that Delegated Regulation 2026/825 applies from 2028-02-12.

Перегляд

Best Execution Policy: [Firm name]

Order execution policy and its monitoring framework for an investment firm that executes client orders, places them with brokers in portfolio management, or receives and transmits them. It sets the execution factors and their relative importance by asset class, the venues and brokers used and how they are selected, order handling and allocation, treatment of specific instructions, costs and the ban on payment for order flow, monitoring and transaction cost analysis, annual review, client information and records. Based on MiFID II (Directive 2014/65/EU) Articles 24, 27 and 28 as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/790 (transposition by 2025-09-29), MiFIR (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014) Article 39a as inserted by Regulation (EU) 2024/791, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/565 Articles 64 to 70, and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/825 on order execution policies (applies from 2028-02-12). US rows reflect the SEC interpretation of the adviser's duty of care (Release IA-5248, 2019). Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a document format, not legal or investment advice. Obtain the law and the rules for the normative text.

Document control

FieldValue
Document ID[POL-BEX-001]
Version[1.0]
Status[Draft / Approved / Superseded]
Owner[@head-of-trading]
Approvers/reviewers[@management-body], [@best-execution-committee], [@compliance], [@risk]
Last updatedYYYY-MM-DD
Classification[Internal; client summary public]
Entities covered[Legal names, licences, competent authorities]
Services covered[Execution of orders / Portfolio management / Reception and transmission / Dealing on own account]
Client categories[Retail / Professional / Eligible counterparties (out of scope under MiFID II Art. 30)]
Effective dateYYYY-MM-DD
Next annual reviewYYYY-MM-DD

Example: POL-BEX-001 version 3.0 for Kestrel Bay Capital Europe (fictional MiFID investment firm: portfolio management and reception and transmission of orders for retail and professional clients) and, in the US rows, its affiliate Kestrel Bay Capital (fictional SEC-registered investment adviser). Kestrel Bay Capital Europe does not deal on own account; it executes euro bond orders itself by request for quote on multilateral trading facilities and places all other orders with approved brokers.

Approvals

Body or roleNameDecisionDate
Management body[Chair][Approved]YYYY-MM-DD
Best execution committee[Chair][Recommended]YYYY-MM-DD
Compliance[Name][Reviewed]YYYY-MM-DD

Revision history

VersionDateAuthorChange
2.0YYYY-MM-DD[@head-of-trading]RTS 28 top-five report removed after Directive (EU) 2024/790 transposition
3.0YYYY-MM-DD[@head-of-trading]Restructured for Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/825; payment for order flow ban confirmed after national exemptions ended on 2026-06-30
[x.y]YYYY-MM-DD[@author][Change]

Contents

1. Purpose scope and legal basis

The firm takes all sufficient steps to obtain, on a consistent basis, the best possible result for its clients when it executes their orders, or when it places or transmits orders with other entities for execution. Best possible result does not mean the best price on every single order; it means a process that is designed to achieve the best result across orders and is shown to work through monitoring.

Service or flowObligation (reference)Section
Execution of client ordersMiFID II Art. 27(1), (4), (5), (7); Del. Reg. 2017/565 Art. 64, 663 to 13
Portfolio management placing orders with brokersDel. Reg. 2017/565 Art. 65(1), (4) to (7)5, 11, 12
Reception and transmission of ordersDel. Reg. 2017/565 Art. 65(2), (4) to (7)5, 11, 12
Client order handlingMiFID II Art. 28; Del. Reg. 2017/565 Art. 67 to 707
Payment for order flowMiFIR Art. 39a10
Execution of client orders, from 2028-02-12Del. Reg. (EU) 2026/825 Art. 2 to 9 (apply as good practice to Art. 65 placement and transmission flows)4 to 6, 11, 12
US adviser tradesAdvisers Act fiduciary duty of care (Release IA-5248)15

Out of scope: transactions with eligible counterparties (MiFID II Article 30), except where the firm has agreed otherwise, and subscriptions or redemptions of fund units dealt at net asset value with the fund's transfer agent, where the only factor the firm controls is the timing of the order and the share class chosen.

Example: all three flows apply to Kestrel Bay Capital Europe: execution (euro bonds by request for quote), portfolio management (equities, ETFs and listed derivatives through brokers) and reception and transmission (advisory clients' orders passed to brokers).

2. Governance and responsibilities

RoleResponsibility
Management bodyApproves the policy and receives the annual effectiveness report
Best execution committeeApproves venue and broker list changes, reviews monitoring results, decides remediation
Head of tradingOwns the policy, factor tables and routing rules; first-line monitoring
TradersApply the policy, record the rationale for non-standard execution
ComplianceIndependent testing, exception review, client complaint review
RiskCounterparty and operational risk assessment of venues and brokers
OperationsSettlement quality data, failed trade reporting

Committee Example: chair is the chief operating officer, members are the head of trading, the head of portfolio management, compliance and risk; meets quarterly and after any trigger in section 12; quorum three members including compliance; minutes kept for five years.

3. Execution factors and their relative importance

The relative importance of the factors depends on the characteristics of the client (retail or professional), of the order (size, urgency, securities financing transaction), of the instrument and of the venues available (Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 64(1)). For retail clients, total consideration (price plus all costs directly related to execution, including venue, clearing and settlement fees) takes precedence; other factors count only to the extent that they improve total consideration.

ClassClient1st2nd3rd4thNotes (Example)
Shares, liquidRetailTotal considerationLikelihood of executionSpeedSizeTotal consideration decides
Shares, liquidProfessionalPriceMarket impact (size)CostsLikelihoodAlgorithms used for orders above 10% of average daily volume
Shares, small capBothLikelihood of executionPriceSizeCostsLiquidity drives the outcome
ETFsBothPrice (spread to fair value)LikelihoodCostsSizeRequest for quote to market makers for large orders
BondsBothPriceLikelihood of executionSizeSettlementAt least three quotes where available
Listed derivativesProfessionalPriceSpeedLikelihoodCostsExchange-traded only
FX for settlementBothPrice (spread)CostsSpeedSettlementCompared with an independent benchmark rate
Fund units at NAVBothTimingCosts (share class)Not applicableNot applicableNo venue choice; outside the best execution scope (section 1), shown for order handling only

Record the reason whenever a trader departs from the ranking, for example by giving speed precedence ahead of an announced event.

4. Classes of instruments and execution approach

Classes in the Annex of Delegated Regulation 2026/825 (names abbreviated): shares and depositary receipts; ETFs, ETNs and ETCs; certificates and other equity-like instruments; bonds and money market instruments; structured finance products; options and futures admitted to trading on a trading venue; other derivatives; contracts for difference; emission allowances; other instruments.

Class IDClass (Annex)Sub-class (firm)Execution methodWho executes
CL-01 (Example)Shares and depositary receiptsEU large and mid capBroker algorithms on lit and dark venuesApproved brokers
CL-02 (Example)Shares and depositary receiptsSmall cap and blocksBroker high-touch, block venuesApproved brokers
CL-03 (Example)ETFs, ETNs, ETCsAllRequest for quote to at least three market makers above EUR 500,000; on exchange belowBrokers and RFQ platforms
CL-04 (Example)Bonds and money market instrumentsEuro government and corporateRequest for quote on MTFsFirm (execution)
CL-05 (Example)Options and futures on a trading venueIndex futuresDirect market access through clearing brokerApproved brokers
[CL-NN][Class][Sub-class][Method][Who]

5. Execution venues and brokers

5.1 Internal list

Venue or broker IDName and identifier (LEI or MIC)Approved onApproved byClassesTransaction typesClient typesLimitations
VEN-001 (Example)[Broker A], LEI [code]2025-03-12Best execution committeeCL-01, CL-02Cash equity, no SFTRetail and professionalNone
VEN-002 (Example)[Broker B], LEI [code]2025-03-12Best execution committeeCL-01, CL-03, CL-05Cash equity, futuresRetail and professionalFutures for professional clients only
VEN-003 (Example)[Bond MTF 1], MIC [code]2024-11-07Best execution committeeCL-04Cash bondsRetail and professionalNone
VEN-004 (Example)[Bond MTF 2], MIC [code]2026-02-19Best execution committeeCL-04Cash bondsProfessionalRetail orders only if no quote on VEN-003
[VEN-NNN][Name, ID]YYYY-MM-DD[Body][Classes][Types][Clients][Limits]

Record the measures the firm takes to confirm that each venue is authorised by its competent authority, or by the third-country authority (Delegated Regulation 2026/825 Article 2(1)(b)).

5.2 Selection and review criteria

Select venues and brokers by reference to the characteristics and needs of the clients and to the execution factors, including the order types available, typical order sizes and frequencies, execution prices compared with reference data, and the fees and costs the firm pays (execution and trading fees, membership and connectivity, clearing, settlement and custody).

Broker scorecard (Example), weights add up to 100%:

CriterionWeightBroker A score (1 to 5)Weighted
Execution quality versus benchmarks40%41.60
Total cost (commission and fees)20%30.60
Settlement quality (fails, timeliness)15%50.75
Operational and counterparty risk15%40.60
Service, access to liquidity, reporting10%40.40
Total100%3.95

Brokers scoring below 3.00 for two consecutive quarters are placed on watch; below 2.50 they are suspended pending committee review (Example thresholds).

5.3 Single venue justification

If one venue or one broker is used for a class or for all orders, explain why that choice obtains the best possible result on a consistent basis and compare it periodically with alternatives (Delegated Regulation 2026/825 Articles 3(3) and 8(3)).

ClassSingle venue or brokerJustificationLast comparison
[Class][Name][Reason, data]YYYY-MM-DD

6. Order routing criteria

CriterionRetail ordersProfessional orders
Class of instrumentDetermines the eligible venuesDetermines the eligible venues
All execution-related costs including the firm's own commissionsDecisive with price (total consideration)Considered with price
Size and nature of the orderOnly where it changes total considerationAlgorithm and venue choice
Market data, including historical dataFill rates and price improvement by venueFill rates, market impact, venue toxicity

Automatic order routing (Example): Broker A's smart order router is used for CL-01. The firm reviews the router's documented logic each year, receives venue-level fill data monthly and tests that routing follows total consideration for retail orders. Record the main characteristics of any router and the arrangements that keep it consistent with these criteria.

7. Order handling aggregation and allocation

Rules:

  • Record each order with time, client or account, instrument, side, size, order type and any instruction before it is worked.
  • Execute otherwise comparable client orders in the sequence received, unless the order characteristics or market conditions make this impracticable or client interests require otherwise.
  • Tell retail clients promptly about any material difficulty in carrying out their orders.
  • Aggregate client orders, or client and own-account orders, only under the conditions of Article 68 and Article 69 of the Delegated Regulation, and allocate under the pre-set allocation below.
  • Allocate partial fills pro rata to the pre-trade intended quantities, at the average price, unless a documented exception applies (minimum lot sizes, de minimis amounts).

Partial fill (Example): an aggregated buy order for 30,000 shares for three portfolios (15,000, 10,000 and 5,000) is 80% filled (24,000 shares at an average price of EUR 42.57). Pro rata allocation: 12,000, 8,000 and 4,000 shares, each at EUR 42.57. Check: 12,000 + 8,000 + 4,000 = 24,000.

8. Specific client instructions

Clients are warned clearly that a specific instruction may prevent the firm from following the steps in this policy for the parts of the order the instruction covers (Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 66(3)(f)). The firm treats only the instructed aspect as instructed and applies this policy to all other aspects of the order.

Instruction typeTreated as specific instruction forPolicy still applies to
Client names a venueVenueTiming, order type, price within the venue
Client sets a limit pricePrice limitVenue, routing, timing within the limit
Client asks for execution at the closeTimingVenue choice for the closing auction
Client chooses one of several options offered by the firmThe option chosenAll other aspects

If the firm invites retail clients to choose a venue, it must not steer the choice by its pricing; where commissions differ by venue, it explains the differences (Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 64(3) and 66(4), (5)). If the client does not choose, the order is routed under this policy.

9. Price fairness for OTC instruments

ClassReference data (Example)Data providerFallback
Euro government bondsComposite mid price at time of execution[Provider]Comparable bonds of the same issuer and maturity
Euro corporate bondsComposite price, evaluated price[Provider]Spread to a comparable bond or curve
FX forwardsSpot plus forward points from an independent source[Provider]Internal model from interest rate differentials
[Class][Data][Provider][Fallback]

Bond request for quote (Example): sell EUR 2,000,000 nominal of a euro corporate bond. Quotes received: 98.62, 98.55 and 98.70. Executed at 98.70 with the best bidder; clean proceeds EUR 1,974,000 (2,000,000 x 0.9870). Improvement against the second-best quote: 0.08 points x EUR 20,000 per point = EUR 1,600. Composite mid at execution was 98.78, so the execution was 0.08 points (8.1 basis points of price) below mid, within the Example threshold of 15 basis points for investment-grade corporate bonds of this size.

The firm does not deal on own account. A firm that does must specify how it obtains the best result when dealing against the client, how it manages the conflict, how it checks price fairness against market prices or, failing that, comparable instruments or a model (Delegated Regulation 2026/825 Article 6).

10. Costs commissions and payment for order flow

Rules:

  • The firm does not receive any fee, commission or non-monetary benefit from a third party for executing client orders on a particular venue or for forwarding them to a third party for execution on a particular venue (MiFIR Article 39a(1)). Rebates or discounts on venue fees under a public tariff are acceptable only if they benefit the client exclusively and give the firm no monetary benefit.
  • Commissions are set per class and are disclosed in the client fee schedule. Where commissions differ by venue, the differences are explained to clients.
  • Any inducement related to execution venues is disclosed and must comply with MiFID II Article 24(9) (Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 66(6)). Research paid with execution commissions follows the Research and Soft Dollar Policy (compliance/research-and-soft-dollar-policy).
  • Portfolio management: third-party payments are not accepted or kept, other than minor non-monetary benefits disclosed to clients (MiFID II Article 24(8)).

Retail total consideration (Example): a retail client buys 200 shares at EUR 42.57; firm commission 0.10% (EUR 8.51), venue and clearing fees EUR 1.50. Total consideration EUR 8,514.00 + 8.51 + 1.50 = EUR 8,524.01. A venue showing EUR 42.56 with EUR 4.00 fees gives EUR 8,512.00 + 8.51 + 4.00 = EUR 8,524.51 (commission unchanged), so the first venue gives the better total consideration despite the worse price.

11. Monitoring and transaction cost analysis

11.1 Measures

Implementation shortfall for a fully executed buy order, in basis points of the arrival value:

ISbp=Q (Pˉexec−Parrival)+C+FQ Parrival×10,000IS_{\text{bp}} = \frac{Q\,(\bar{P}_{\text{exec}} - P_{\text{arrival}}) + C + F}{Q\,P_{\text{arrival}}} \times 10{,}000

where QQ is the quantity, Pˉexec\bar{P}_{\text{exec}} the average execution price, ParrivalP_{\text{arrival}} the price when the order reached the desk, CC the commission and FF other fees. For a sell order, reverse the sign of the price term.

Example: buy 10,000 shares, arrival price EUR 42.50, average execution EUR 42.57, commission 4 basis points on EUR 425,700 (EUR 170.28), fees EUR 25.00.

ComponentEURBasis points of EUR 425,000
Price (10,000 x 0.07)700.0016.47
Commission170.284.01
Fees25.000.59
Total implementation shortfall895.2821.07

The result is within the Example threshold of 25 basis points for CL-01 orders between 5% and 10% of average daily volume.

11.2 Thresholds and sample

ClassReference dataAccepted deviation (Example)Minimum share of volume within reference (Example)Minimum orders in sample (Example)
CL-01Arrival price and venue best bid and offer, consolidated tape where available25 bp implementation shortfall95%200 per quarter
CL-03Fair value from creation basket (iNAV)10 bp from iNAV90%50 per quarter
CL-04Composite mid at execution15 bp from mid90%100 per quarter
[Class][Data][Deviation][%][Number]

11.3 Exceptions and follow-up

Exception IDDateOrder and classBreachRoot causeActionClosed
BEX-EXC-001 (Example)2026-08-14Buy small-cap shares, CL-0262 bp shortfall versus 40 bp thresholdLiquidity fell after a profit warning; trader prioritised completionRationale accepted; no broker issue2026-08-21
BEX-EXC-002 (Example)2026-09-03Sell bond, CL-04Single quote onlyIlliquid issuePrice checked against evaluated price; accepted2026-09-05
[BEX-EXC-NNN]YYYY-MM-DD[Order][Breach][Cause][Action]YYYY-MM-DD

12. Annual review and material change

The review covers at least: monitoring results and exceptions; fees and costs paid to venues and brokers; market developments, including liquidity dry-ups, and their effect on venues; new venues and their functions, fees, transparency and liquidity; venues that disappeared; and, where a single venue is used, a comparison with alternatives.

Trigger IDMaterial change (Example)Action
MC-001A venue or broker relied on significantly is lost, merged or degradedOut-of-cycle review, client notification
MC-002Monitoring shows non-compliance with the policy or the Article 27(1) dutyRoot cause, remediation plan, committee decision
MC-003New consolidated tape data or new venue changes the best available resultReview venue list and routing
MC-004Regulatory change (for example, Delegated Regulation 2026/825 application on 2028-02-12)Policy update and approval

Annual review record (Example): review of 2026-10-08 covered 4,812 orders. CL-01: 96.4% of volume within threshold (minimum 95%); CL-04: 88.0% within threshold (minimum 90%), traced to one MTF with thin dealer participation in high-yield issues. Action: extend VEN-004 to retail high-yield orders and require two venues for every high-yield RFQ; re-test in Q1 2027.

13. Client information and consent

The client summary contains, adapted to the class and service (Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 66(2), (3)):

  • the relative importance of the factors, or the process to set it;
  • the venues or brokers relied on significantly, per class and for retail, professional and securities financing orders;
  • the factors used to select venues, including qualitative ones;
  • whether orders may be executed outside a trading venue, the consequences such as counterparty risk, and more detail on request;
  • a clear warning about specific instructions;
  • a summary of venue selection, execution strategies and how execution quality is monitored and verified.
ItemMethodRecord
Policy summary delivered[Durable medium / website under the Article 3(2) conditions][Date, version]
Prior consent to the policy[Account opening form, tick box][Reference]
Express consent to execution outside a trading venue[General agreement / per transaction][Reference]
Notification of material changes[Email, portal][Date, version]
Venue of execution for instruments under trading obligations[Trade confirmation field]MiFID II Art. 27(3) as replaced
Demonstration on request[Process, response time]MiFID II Art. 27(8)

The public annual reports on execution venues and the top five venues (RTS 27 and RTS 28) are no longer required in the EU; do not describe them to clients as a regulatory publication. Check whether national law or Delegated Regulation 2017/565 Article 65(6) in its current consolidated form still requires any publication for portfolio managers and transmitting firms.

14. Records

RecordContentRetention (Example)
Order recordTime stamps, instructions, routing, venue, fills5 years, or longer if national law requires
Quotes and RFQ logDealers asked, quotes, time, winner5 years
Reference price snapshotsComposite or tape prices used for checks5 years
Trader rationale for exceptionsFree text with time stamp5 years
Monitoring and TCA reportsMonthly, quarterly, annual5 years
Committee minutes and venue approvalsDecisions, approvers, data used5 years
Client consents and notificationsPolicy version, datesLife of relationship plus 5 years
Telephone and electronic communicationsOrder-relatedAs required by MiFID II Art. 16(7) and national law

15. Jurisdiction notes

JurisdictionRule set (names and numbers)Notes as of 2026-10
EUMiFID II Art. 24, 27, 28 (as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/790); MiFIR Art. 39a; Del. Reg. 2017/565 Art. 64 to 70; Del. Reg. (EU) 2026/8252026/825 applies from 2028-02-12; public RTS 27 and RTS 28 reporting removed; payment for order flow banned, national exemptions ended 2026-06-30
UKFCA Handbook COBS 11.2A (MiFID business), COBS 11.2 and 11.2B; PRIN 2A Consumer DutyFCA removed RTS 27 and RTS 28 reporting from 2021-12-01 (PS21/20). Reference only; obtain the Handbook
US, investment adviserAdvisers Act fiduciary duty: duty of care includes the duty to seek best execution (SEC Release IA-5248, 2019); Form ADV Part 2A Item 12 brokerage practices; Exchange Act Section 28(e) for researchPeriodic and systematic evaluation of execution quality is expected; disclose soft dollar and directed brokerage practices
US, broker-dealerFINRA Rule 5310 (cited by number only); SEC Regulation NMS order routing disclosuresApplies to the broker, not to the adviser
[Other][Rule][Note]

16. Glossary and references

TermMeaning
Best possible resultThe outcome the policy is designed to achieve for clients on a consistent basis, judged on the execution factors
Total considerationPrice of the instrument plus all costs directly related to execution, for retail clients
Execution venueRegulated market, MTF, OTF, systematic internaliser, market maker or other liquidity provider, or a similar third-country entity
Request for quote (RFQ)Asking several dealers for prices before trading
Implementation shortfallDifference between the value at arrival price and the value achieved, including costs
iNAVIndicative net asset value of an ETF during the trading day
Payment for order flowA payment from a third party for sending client orders to a particular venue
Consolidated tapeA single stream of trade and quote data across venues, published by an authorised provider

References (obtain the official texts):

  • Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID II), Articles 16, 24, 27, 28 and 30, as amended by Directive (EU) 2021/338 and Directive (EU) 2024/790.
  • Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 (MiFIR), Article 39a, inserted by Regulation (EU) 2024/791.
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/565, Articles 64 to 70 and 72.
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/825 of 14 April 2026 on the criteria for establishing and assessing the effectiveness of order execution policies (OJ L series, 23 July 2026), repealing Delegated Regulations (EU) 2017/575 and (EU) 2017/576.
  • SEC Release IA-5248, Commission Interpretation Regarding Standard of Conduct for Investment Advisers (effective 2019-07-12).
  • FCA PS21/20, FCA Handbook COBS 11.2A and FINRA Rule 5310, cited by reference only.

Standard and licence note

Based on Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID II) as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/790, Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/791, and Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2017/565 and 2026/825, as published on EUR-Lex (reuse authorised with acknowledgement under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU), and on SEC Release IA-5248 (US public material). FCA Handbook modules and FINRA rules are cited by reference only. All text is original; no legislative text is reproduced, and article numbers are given so that the reader can check each requirement. Kestrel Bay Capital Europe, Kestrel Bay Capital, the brokers, venues and all figures are fictional. Check the current consolidated texts, national transposition and the application date of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/825 before use. This is a document format, not legal or investment advice. Template licence: MIT.

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