Interest Rate Swaps: Cleared and Customized

As policymakers in emerging and frontier markets consider the regulatory framework for financial markets in their jurisdictions, the need for customized risk management tools by market participants remains important.

Market participants use over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives because they are able to customize the terms of their contracts to align more precisely with their specific hedging needs. 

With the expansion of central clearing for OTC derivatives, there is a perception that cleared IRD transactions have become standardized, like interest rate futures.

Using data from the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, this paper examines the population of cleared fixed-for-floating IRS and demonstrates that cleared products remain highly customizable as compared to futures contracts, enabling buyers and sellers to agree on bespoke terms to better manage the risks to which they are exposed in the normal course of their business operations.

Click on the attached PDF to read the full report. 

Documents (1) for Interest Rate Swaps: Cleared and Customized

Paper on Proposal 6 on Margin Transparency

On November 16, ISDA published a document that looked at proposal 6 in the final Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) report on margin transparency. Proposal...

Tender Issued for DC Administrator Role

ISDA and the Credit Derivatives Governance Committee have issued an invitation to tender for an independent regulated entity to serve as the administrator for the Credit Derivatives Determinations Committees (DCs), which includes assuming the role of DC secretary. The DC...

ISDA SIMM: The Standard for IM Calculations

The ISDA Standard Initial Margin Model (ISDA SIMM) plays an important role in ensuring margin calculations are consistent, transparent and aligned with global best practices and regulatory requirements. Since its launch in 2016, the model has been rigorously tested, regularly...