Derivs - People and Markets

CME Group has once again increased its two-tier, front end-loaded tender offer for GFI Group to $5.85 per share, matching BGC Partners’ contingent $5.85 per share all-cash offer announced on 15 January. This price escalation represents the newest development in a nearly eight month bidding war for the firm, and nearly a $0.40 per share escalation since 15 January.

A memorandum of understanding from the European Securities and Markets Authority recognising the Hong Kong clearing regime as equivalent to the European regime under European Markets Infrastructure Regulation is not enough to avoid fragmenting the market, according to lawyers, who said ESMA must prioritise the key issue of US clearing house equivalence.

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has reshuffled its organisational structure to better respond to cross-border issues. Steven Kennedy, ex-head of strategy, research and communications at ISDA, is now global head of public policy. ISDA has also created a regulatory and legal practice group based in Washington DC in addition to a non-cleared margin implementation initiative.

BGC Partners has retaliated within hours of CME Group announcing an increased tender offer for GFI Group at $5.60 per share, offering a non-contingent $5.75 per share offer that can increase up to $5.85 should the tender offer be accepted by the extended 29 January 2015 deadline. This price escalation represents the newest development in a nearly eight-month bidding war for the firm.

CME Group has increased its two-tier, front end-loaded tender offer for GFI Group to $5.60 per share, matching BGC Partners’ $5.60 per share all-cash offer announced on 14 January. This price escalation represents the newest development in a nearly eight-month bidding war for the firm.

The Swiss National Bank shocked markets on Thursday when it abandoned its Sfr1.20 floor on the euro and cut the interest rate on sight deposit balances to minus 0.75%. The SNB and some investor portfolios will suffer big losses.

The way that firms report trade and transaction data under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive could converge before the implementation of MiFID II in January 2017.

Derivatives end users in the US and Asia are likely to face the biggest hurdles complying with the clearing mandate under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation when it kicks in towards the end of this year, according to lawyers.

2014 continued to be an active year for financial regulation in the EU, with a push to finalise much of the outstanding primary legislation on the regulatory reform agenda and to move towards implementation of regulation already in place. The derivatives market will be particularly affected by the new regulatory landscape and the market will face many new challenges in 2015 and beyond.

The Singapore Exchange and ICAP’s electronic FX business, EBS, have teamed up to develop a new range of Asian currency products and services which will strengthen the liquidity in the FX over-the-counter derivatives and futures markets in Asia.

Under MiFID II, forward contracts as currently defined will be considered financial instruments, which is raising significant concerns for commodity derivatives market participants as they will be subject to regulation that they weren’t previously.

New BNP Paribas investment bank boss Yann Gérardin is an equity derivatives man through and through, having built the business from scratch since he joined in 1987.