Initial margin for non-cleared derivatives: getting ready for the next phase
01 October 2019
David Beatrix, of BNP Paribas Securities Services, outlines what the break-up of the final phase of the Uncleared Margin Rules means for the industry
Image: Shutterstock
Changing rules for non-centrally cleared derivatives
Exchanging initial margin (IM) on non-cleared derivative trades is now an established practice, at least for the firms that have fallen under the scope of the rules in their early phases (one to four).
However, IM rules have many specificities, due to the nature of the calculation of the IM amounts, the principle of bilateral exchange of margin, where each party posts and receives at the same time, and custodial segregation aspects. The compliance process is complex and can take from 12 to 18 months on average, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA).
What is the timeline?
The timeline under which firms are impacted depends on if their aggregate average notional amount (AANA) of non-centrally cleared derivatives at a consolidated group level fall above a pre-determined regulatory threshold. All instruments, including physically settled forex forward and forex swap transactions, count for the purpose of calculating the AANA, even if they eventually benefit from an exemption of IM exchange.
Until recently, September 2020 was supposed to be the fifth and last phase, affecting the greatest number of entities, with an AANA threshold set at €8 billion. Given the steep increase in the number of institutions in-scope of the September 2020 deadline, in July 2019 The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (BCBS/IOSCO) published a revised policy framework stating that the threshold applicable in 2020 would be raised from €8 billion to €50 billion and that the €8 billion threshold would be postponed to September 2021. This statement will be transposed in every jurisdiction in the near future.
Which counterparties are concerned?
Most financial counterparties trading non-cleared derivatives will be in-scope and the exemptions are very limited. As of today the rules have been transposed in many jurisdictions, including the EU, the US, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and since September 2019, counterparties with an AANA of non-cleared derivatives above €750 billion (equivalent) are impacted. In many jurisdictions where the rules have been implemented, the treatment of third-country entities implies that most cross-border transactions entered into with entities incorporated in third-country jurisdictions are in-scope.
A study by ISDA and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) in July 2018 estimated that over 1,000 firms fall under the scope of the final phase (AANA threshold set at €8 billion).
Which instruments are concerned?
The scope of non-cleared derivative instruments that are subject to the collection of IM is generally consistent across the main jurisdictions in Europe, Asia Pacific and the US. Physically settled forex forwards and swaps are excluded across all jurisdictions. However, some jurisdictions may have specific exemptions, either on a permanent basis (for example, equity options and forwards are out of scope in the US) or on a temporary basis, such as equity options, which are exempted in the EU only until 4 January 2020.
Moving to the implementation phase
The implementation of IM rules ramps-up gradually at each new phase. However, phases five and six will impact a large number of institutions, which will have to comply within the next two years. According to the study from ISDA and SIFMA in July 2018, over 9,000 new collateral relationships would have to be in place. And, unlike variation margin, which is a concept well-established for most firms, IM is quite new, especially for institutional investors. It involves not only the trading parties, but also custodians because of the collateral segregation aspects.
Calculating IM
IM is a risk-based calculation, and as such is very different from variation margin (based on the market values of trades).
As per the rules globally, the calculation of IM should rely either on a table-based method, or on an internal model, with a one-tailed 99 percent confidence interval over a ‘margin period of risk’ (horizon) of at least 10 days.
Regarding the internal model, ISDA has developed a standard IM model (SIMM), with a view, among others, to facilitate the implementation of the calculation process by market participants and avoid inextricable disputes on the IM numbers. This model has been adopted by a majority of firms that are in-scope because it takes into account the offsetting risks in a derivatives portfolio, and as such is deemed more efficient than the table-based method.
For firms choosing the internal model approach (which the SIMM is considered to be part of), the rules also mandate the implemention of a ‘prudential-style’ governance with a continuous back-testing process (note that this requirement applies only to swap dealers and major swap participants in the US).
Achieving collateral segregation
The regulations require an insolvency-remote framework with no-reuse for the collateral. As such, the IMs are transferred in favour of the secured party under a security interest regime, and a specific custody framework has to be implemented to protect the assets in case one of the trading parties goes into default. This framework is based on a dedicated ‘trilateral’ account control agreement (ACA) signed between the parties and a custodian.
The instruction mechanism for pledge and release of collateral can be complex. The vast majority of firms in scope of the early phases have chosen to use triparty agents because of their natural ability to operate those pledge/release movements same-day and simply upon reception of exposure messages (MT527/required value message).
Anticipating the changes
Despite the recent change of timeline, giving one more year to phase six firms (with an AANA between €8 billion and €50 billion) to comply, planning the implementation should remain high on the agenda for firms who anticipate falling under the scope of IM rules.
Firms may have different options to comply, such as implementing the rules by their own means, or appointing a service provider who can offer an end-to-end solution from IM calculations, exposure management, triparty agent services and custody segregation. In addition, combining the management of initial and variation margins within the same team brings operational efficiencies such as:
Consistent trade records for the calculation of IM and variation margin exposure amounts
Consistent models for the valuation and sensitivities calculations
Simplified communication channels for margin calls and resolution of disputes with counterparties
Whatever the option retained, firms will face a learning curve and will need to put in place a robust governance and project management structure. When it comes to the timeline and planning, it is key to factor-in the dependencies across internal departments (front-office, risk, legal, operations and IT) and external providers (service providers and custodians) to avoid a last minute rush to the compliance date.
UMR timeline:
Since 1 September 2016, initial margin rules for non-cleared derivative transactions have been progressively entering into force.
As the rules are phased-in (1 September 2019 was the fourth phase), increasing numbers of market participants are subject to the requirements every year.
Phases five (September 2020) and six (September 2021) are still ahead and will impact a significant number of firms, including institutional investors.
Exchanging initial margin (IM) on non-cleared derivative trades is now an established practice, at least for the firms that have fallen under the scope of the rules in their early phases (one to four).
However, IM rules have many specificities, due to the nature of the calculation of the IM amounts, the principle of bilateral exchange of margin, where each party posts and receives at the same time, and custodial segregation aspects. The compliance process is complex and can take from 12 to 18 months on average, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA).
What is the timeline?
The timeline under which firms are impacted depends on if their aggregate average notional amount (AANA) of non-centrally cleared derivatives at a consolidated group level fall above a pre-determined regulatory threshold. All instruments, including physically settled forex forward and forex swap transactions, count for the purpose of calculating the AANA, even if they eventually benefit from an exemption of IM exchange.
Until recently, September 2020 was supposed to be the fifth and last phase, affecting the greatest number of entities, with an AANA threshold set at €8 billion. Given the steep increase in the number of institutions in-scope of the September 2020 deadline, in July 2019 The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (BCBS/IOSCO) published a revised policy framework stating that the threshold applicable in 2020 would be raised from €8 billion to €50 billion and that the €8 billion threshold would be postponed to September 2021. This statement will be transposed in every jurisdiction in the near future.
Which counterparties are concerned?
Most financial counterparties trading non-cleared derivatives will be in-scope and the exemptions are very limited. As of today the rules have been transposed in many jurisdictions, including the EU, the US, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and since September 2019, counterparties with an AANA of non-cleared derivatives above €750 billion (equivalent) are impacted. In many jurisdictions where the rules have been implemented, the treatment of third-country entities implies that most cross-border transactions entered into with entities incorporated in third-country jurisdictions are in-scope.
A study by ISDA and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) in July 2018 estimated that over 1,000 firms fall under the scope of the final phase (AANA threshold set at €8 billion).
Which instruments are concerned?
The scope of non-cleared derivative instruments that are subject to the collection of IM is generally consistent across the main jurisdictions in Europe, Asia Pacific and the US. Physically settled forex forwards and swaps are excluded across all jurisdictions. However, some jurisdictions may have specific exemptions, either on a permanent basis (for example, equity options and forwards are out of scope in the US) or on a temporary basis, such as equity options, which are exempted in the EU only until 4 January 2020.
Moving to the implementation phase
The implementation of IM rules ramps-up gradually at each new phase. However, phases five and six will impact a large number of institutions, which will have to comply within the next two years. According to the study from ISDA and SIFMA in July 2018, over 9,000 new collateral relationships would have to be in place. And, unlike variation margin, which is a concept well-established for most firms, IM is quite new, especially for institutional investors. It involves not only the trading parties, but also custodians because of the collateral segregation aspects.
Calculating IM
IM is a risk-based calculation, and as such is very different from variation margin (based on the market values of trades).
As per the rules globally, the calculation of IM should rely either on a table-based method, or on an internal model, with a one-tailed 99 percent confidence interval over a ‘margin period of risk’ (horizon) of at least 10 days.
Regarding the internal model, ISDA has developed a standard IM model (SIMM), with a view, among others, to facilitate the implementation of the calculation process by market participants and avoid inextricable disputes on the IM numbers. This model has been adopted by a majority of firms that are in-scope because it takes into account the offsetting risks in a derivatives portfolio, and as such is deemed more efficient than the table-based method.
For firms choosing the internal model approach (which the SIMM is considered to be part of), the rules also mandate the implemention of a ‘prudential-style’ governance with a continuous back-testing process (note that this requirement applies only to swap dealers and major swap participants in the US).
Achieving collateral segregation
The regulations require an insolvency-remote framework with no-reuse for the collateral. As such, the IMs are transferred in favour of the secured party under a security interest regime, and a specific custody framework has to be implemented to protect the assets in case one of the trading parties goes into default. This framework is based on a dedicated ‘trilateral’ account control agreement (ACA) signed between the parties and a custodian.
The instruction mechanism for pledge and release of collateral can be complex. The vast majority of firms in scope of the early phases have chosen to use triparty agents because of their natural ability to operate those pledge/release movements same-day and simply upon reception of exposure messages (MT527/required value message).
Anticipating the changes
Despite the recent change of timeline, giving one more year to phase six firms (with an AANA between €8 billion and €50 billion) to comply, planning the implementation should remain high on the agenda for firms who anticipate falling under the scope of IM rules.
Firms may have different options to comply, such as implementing the rules by their own means, or appointing a service provider who can offer an end-to-end solution from IM calculations, exposure management, triparty agent services and custody segregation. In addition, combining the management of initial and variation margins within the same team brings operational efficiencies such as:
Consistent trade records for the calculation of IM and variation margin exposure amounts
Consistent models for the valuation and sensitivities calculations
Simplified communication channels for margin calls and resolution of disputes with counterparties
Whatever the option retained, firms will face a learning curve and will need to put in place a robust governance and project management structure. When it comes to the timeline and planning, it is key to factor-in the dependencies across internal departments (front-office, risk, legal, operations and IT) and external providers (service providers and custodians) to avoid a last minute rush to the compliance date.
UMR timeline:
Since 1 September 2016, initial margin rules for non-cleared derivative transactions have been progressively entering into force.
As the rules are phased-in (1 September 2019 was the fourth phase), increasing numbers of market participants are subject to the requirements every year.
Phases five (September 2020) and six (September 2021) are still ahead and will impact a significant number of firms, including institutional investors.
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