WFH has almost certainly reduced the levels of casual internal discussions occurring across different departments. Did this exacerbate the problems around Archegos?
As we move into the last nine months of transition away from sterling LIBOR, the regulators have written a ‘Dear CEO letter’ to CEOs of UK regulated firms
The process to transition linear derivatives (FRAs, Swaps) to a new RFR rate is now well understood. The issue of the transition of non-linear interest rate products, like options, is slightly more complicated. We can recognise this by observing that option prices are driven by more factors than just the underlying rate. For vanilla options, there are three main factors that drive the price, all of which will affect the fair transition process.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today formally announced the future cessation or loss of representativeness of the 35 LIBOR benchmark settings currently published by the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA), which is regulated by the FCA.
Andrew Hauser, Executive Director for Markets, spoke at the recent Risk.net LIBOR Telethon. He said that following the announcements of recent weeks and subject to the ICE Benchmark Administration’s consultations, there can be little doubt that the LIBOR panels for sterling, yen, Swiss franc, euro and the less heavily traded dollar tenors will cease at the end of 2021.
In summary, LIBOR’s days are numbered and conversion to the new benchmarks, like SONIA, is a necessity - this will inevitably and unavoidably bring some challenges for corporates, but there is plenty of skilled assistance available to be called upon as the choppy waters are navigated and the calmer SONIA waters can be reached.
The Association of Corporate Treasurers held an International Treasury Week webinar during May. A session covered market progress on the transition away from IBOR and on to Risk Free Rates (‘RFR’s). Edwin Schooling Latter, Director of Markets and Wholesale Policy gave the Financial Conduct Authority’s update.
Recently, the gap between IBOR rates and the rates intended to replace them have widened. The new ‘Risk-Free Rates’ (RFRs) are, as the name suggests, (mostly) risk-free, whereas IBOR rates (by design) contain information about bank credit risk. In normal times, this spread is small, but in times of stress the gap between these two benchmarks widens.
As the coronavirus piles mounting pressure on businesses with sharply diminished activity levels and falling revenues, many are finding the pandemic is also impacting their FX hedge portfolio.
Without action, companies will be effectively running speculative FX positions at a time of high market volatility.
The FCA has recently completed a review of four key areas in the market abuse systems and controls employed at several market-making firms. The firms were positioned in the small and mid-cap equity market making space but their findings are relevant to most trading firms which undertake a broad range of activities, where conflicts of interest could arise.
Last year the focus of the UK financial services regulatory landscape shifted from high-profile fines levied by regulators on banks for Libor and FX rigging towards individuals’ conduct and their responsibility for abuses.
