1. Trading venues and APAs (‘data contributors’) shall, with regard to shares, ETFs and bonds that are traded on a trading venue, and with regard to OTC derivatives as referred to in Article 8a(2), transmit to the data centre of the CTP, as close to real time as technically possible, regulatory data and the data required pursuant to Article 3(1), without prejudice to Article 4, and pursuant to Article 6(1), Article 10(1) and Articles 20 and 21, and, where regulatory technical standards are adopted pursuant to Article 22b(3), point (d), in accordance with the requirements specified therein. Those data shall be transmitted in a harmonised format, through a high-quality transmission protocol.

2. An investment firm operating an SME growth market, or a market operator, whose annual trading volume of shares represents 1 % or less of the annual trading volume of shares in the Union shall not be required to transmit its data to the CTP where:

(a) that investment firm or market operator is not a part of a group comprising or having close links with an investment firm or a market operator whose annual trading volume of shares represents more than 1 % of the annual trading volume of shares in the Union; or

(b) the regulated market or SME growth market operated by that investment firm or market operator accounts for more than 85 % of the annual trading volume of shares that were initially admitted to trading on that regulated market or SME growth market.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, an investment firm operating an SME growth market, or a market operator, which meets the conditions laid down in that paragraph may decide to transmit data to the CTP in accordance with paragraph 1, provided that it notifies ESMA and the CTP accordingly. Such an investment firm or market operator shall start transmitting data to the CTP within 30 working days of the date of the notification to ESMA.

4. ESMA shall publish on its website and keep up to date a list of investment firms operating SME growth markets and market operators that meet the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, indicating which of them have decided to apply paragraph 3.

5.Each CTP shall choose, from among the types of transmission protocols that the data contributors offer to other users, which trans­ mission protocol is to be used for the direct transmission of the data referred to in paragraph 1 to the data centre of the CTP.

6. Data contributors shall not receive any remuneration for trans­ mitting the data referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article or the trans­ mission protocol referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article, other than the revenue received pursuant to Article 27h(5), (6) and (7).

7. Data contributors shall, where applicable, apply the deferrals laid down in Articles 7, 11 and 11a, Article 20(2) and Article 21(4) to the data to be transmitted to the CTP.

8. Where the CTP considers the quality of the data to be insufficient, it shall notify the competent authority of the data contributor accordingly. The competent authority shall take the necessary measures in accordance with Article 38g of this Regulation and Articles 69 and 70 of Directive 2014/65/EU.