Derivs - Regulation

Four banks have teamed up with law firm Simmons & Simmons to introduce market standard documentation for use in listed and unlisted repackaging transactions, in a move that they hope will ease hedging counterparty concerns for investors and help drive activity in this part of the market.

The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has announced plans to launch a renminbi futures contract, with Gaurang Desai, CEO of the exchange, telling GlobalRMB the contract has already received regulatory approval.

The fast approaching March 1 roll out of variation margin rules for uncleared derivatives has prompted an overhaul of battle plans at major law firms, which are increasingly pairing up with technology companies, low-cost legal services firms and other financial services providers as competition mounts to secure big mandates from banks.

The UK should not rely too heavily on EU law ‘equivalence’ preserving its dominance as a financial centre, bankers and lawyers have warned, after Bank of England governor Mark Carney suggested that use of the concept in Brexit negotiations could provide a template for a global regulatory system.

The coming market rush to comply with margin rules on uncleared swaps will be a big challenge in itself, but regulators need to think hard about the unintended repo risks they are creating by requiring collateral building at breakneck speed.

Rising costs for derivatives clearing and difficulties gaining access to dealers present a mounting challenge for small end users in the US and Europe, some of which may have to find other means to hedge risk, a study by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association has found.

Icap has bought Abide Financial, a global regulatory reporting specialist.

Rules proposed by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission this week on cross-border swap trading are a good first step, according to lawyers, but more clarity is needed on how Dodd-Frank requirements will apply.

The acceleration of Europe’s push to impose margin on uncleared derivatives trades has galvanised big banks to ramp up clearing across products as they face a tighter deadline to comply than expected. The European Council’s timeline for approving the rules makes a January rollout likely, writes Dan Alderson.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is to hold an open hearing on its plans to introduce an industry benchmarks regulation, having recently published draft technical standards.

The European Parliament will fast-track its approval of margin rules for uncleared swaps, adding certainty to the deadline for implementation but also accelerating the workload for the first wave of major banks that will need to comply.

There was both palpable relief and vexation among derivatives market professionals this week as the European Commission approved, albeit with amendments, rules for collecting margin on uncleared derivatives. Although this traversed a key hurdle as Europe seeks to catch up with Canada, Japan and the US, it also brought into question why there had been a delay in the first place.