The ISDA Margin Survey analyzes the amount and type of initial margin (IM) and variation margin (VM) posted for non-cleared derivatives. The survey also reviews the amount of IM posted by all market participants to major central counterparties (CCPs) for their cleared interest rate derivatives (IRD) and credit default swap (CDS) transactions.
The latest survey finds that the 20 largest market participants (phase-one firms) collected approximately $207.3 billion of IM for their non-cleared derivatives transactions at year-end 2020. Of this amount, $129.2 billion was collected from counterparties currently in scope of the regulatory IM requirements. A further $78.1 billion of IM (independent amount, or IA) was collected from counterparties and/or for transactions that are not in scope of the non-cleared margin rules, including legacy transactions.
In addition to regulatory IM and IA, phase-one firms collected $1.2 trillion of VM for their non-cleared derivatives transactions at year-end 2020, including $638.5 billion of regulatory VM and $526.1 billion of discretionary VM.
The survey also finds that $330.6 billion of IM was posted by all market participants to major CCPs for their cleared IRD and CDS transactions at the end of 2020.
Read the full survey by clicking on the PDF below.
Documents (1) for ISDA Margin Survey Year-End 2020
Latest
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...
ISDA In Review – October 2025
A compendium of links to new documents, research papers, press releases and comment letters published by ISDA in October 2025.
