The ISDA Margin Survey looks at the impact of regulatory and other changes on collateral practices, and analyzes the amount and type of initial margin (IM) and variation margin (VM) posted for non-cleared derivatives, and the IM posted for cleared transactions.
The survey finds that the 20 largest market participants (phase-one firms) collected approximately $157.9 billion of regulatory and discretionary IM for their non-cleared derivatives transactions at year-end 2018. Of this amount, $83.8 billion was collected from counterparties currently in scope of the margin regulatory requirements. A further $74.1 billion of discretionary IM was collected from counterparties and/or for transactions not currently in scope of the rules.
In addition to these amounts, phase-one firms reported they had set aside $39.4 billion of IM for their inter-affiliate derivatives transactions to meet US prudential rules at year-end 2018. Seven other market participants – four phase-two firms and three phase-three entities – provided data for the survey. The total amount of IM collected by these firms was $4.8 billion at year-end 2018.
The survey also finds that $217.9 billion in IM had been posted by all market participants to major central counterparties (CCPs) for their cleared interest rate derivatives (IRD) and credit default swap (CDS) transactions at the end of 2018.
Read the full survey by clicking on the PDF below.
Documents (1) for ISDA Margin Survey Year-End 2018
Latest
ISDA, FIA and SIFMA Letter on Sunset of Swaps LTR Rules (Part 20)
On May 20, 2026, ISDA, FIA and SIFMA submitted a joint letter to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to request the CFTC to sunset large trader reporting rules (LTR) rules for physical commodity swaps pursuant to Regulation 20.9.
ISDA-SIFMA Letter – CFTC-SEC Harmonization
On May 19, 2026, ISDA and SIFMA submitted a joint letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on SEC and CFTC harmonization, as part of the agencies’ Joint Harmonization Initiative which...
ISDA AGM Studio: Jim Byrd, RBC Capital Markets
Jim Byrd, global head, macro products, at RBC Capital Markets, joins the ISDA AGM studio to discuss the main risks and opportunities in the current trading environment and what needs to be done to avoid liquidity squeezes during periods of...
ISDA AGM Studio: Michelle Beck, FCA
Michelle Beck, director for wholesale buy‑side oversight at the Financial Conduct Authority, speaks with ISDA’s global head of public policy, Steven Kennedy, about the regulatory approach to systemic risk in non‑bank financial intermediation after a panel discussion on how robust...
