RFRs

ISDA Publishes Statement on Benchmark Fallbacks

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On November 27,the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA“) published a statement of the preliminary results of its consultation on new benchmark fallbacks for derivatives contracts that reference certain interbank offered rates (“IBORs“).

The consultation suggests four options for calculating the applicable adjusted risk-free rates (“RFRs“), if fallbacks are triggered, and three options for calculating spread adjustments, as well as setting out which of the options the ISDA expects to proceed with and include in its standard definitions.

The information in the statement is subject to the final decision of the ISDA Benchmark Committee and only reflects its preliminary findings at this stage.

The full statement can be found here.

FSB Statement on Reforms to Interest Rate Benchmarks

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On July 12, 2018, the Financial Stability Board (“FSB“) published a statement on reforms to interbank offered rates (“IBORs“) and the development of overnight risk-free rates (“RFRs“) and term rates. The FSB’s comments include the following.

  • Benchmarks that are used extensively must be especially robust to ensure financial stability. The FSB welcomes the progress that has been made by public authorities and the private sector in identifying and developing overnight RFRs that are sufficiently robust.
  • Overnight RFRs are robust because they are anchored in active, liquid underlying markets. However, the lack of underlying transactions in the term interbank and wholesale unsecured funding markets could make IBORs susceptible to manipulation. The FSB therefore encourages the development and adoption of overnight RFRs where appropriate, for example in businesses where term properties are not needed, or where exposure to bank credit risk is not necessary or desirable.
  • In the markets where IBORs are disappearing, for example, those currently reliant on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR“), there needs to be a transition to new reference rates. In some other markets, authorities and market participants continue to work on further reform or strengthening of IBORs, in tandem with their efforts to identify and facilitate the wider use of RFRs.
  • An overnight RFR may not, however, be the optimal rate in all the cases where term IBORs are currently used. The FSB recognises that in some cases there may be a role for term rates, including RFR-derived term rates, or term rates derived from other liquid markets.

ISDA, AFME, ICMA, SIFMA and SIFMA AMG Publish Global Benchmark Report

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The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA“), the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (“AFME“), International Capital Market Association (“ICMA“) and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA“) and its asset management group (SIFMA AMG) have published a new report that assesses the issues involved with benchmark reform, and makes recommendations on steps firms can take to prepare for the transition from interbank offered rates (“IBORs“) to alternative risk-free rates (“RFRs“). Click here to read the full report.