On November 10, ISDA and seven other trade associations wrote to the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) to ask them to provide guidance to national competent authorities (NCAs) to exercise their supervisory powers in relation to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) margin requirements for equity options in a proportionate and risk-based manner between January 4, 2024 and the go-live date for EMIR III. Alternatively, the ESAs should extend the temporary exemption in the EMIR bilateral margin regulatory technical standards beyond the current January 4, 2024 expiry date or until EMIR III takes effect.
It is expected that the European Parliament and Council of the EU will support a permanent exemption for equity options from EMIR bilateral margin requirements.
The EMIR bilateral margin requirements have included a time-limited exemption for equity options since they first entered into force in 2016. This exemption has been extended several times, accompanied by guidance from the ESAs that NCAs should exercise their supervisory powers in a proportionate and risk-based way to bridge gaps between the expiry of previous exemptions and the entry into force of amended bilateral margin rules extending the derogation.
Documents (1) for Joint Trade Association Letter on EMIR Bilateral Margin Requirements for Equity Options
Latest
ISDA ALF: Katherine Tew Darras Opening Remarks
ISDA Annual Legal Forum London, February 11, 2026 Opening Remarks Katherine Tew Darras ISDA General Counsel Good morning and welcome to ISDA’s Annual Legal Forum. Thank you for joining us today and thanks to our platinum sponsors – Cleary...
Maintaining Focus on Basel III Endgame Recalibration
In its original form, the US Basel III endgame proposal would have resulted in disproportionate increases in capital for trading book activities, forcing banks to make difficult choices about their participation in certain businesses. After two-and-a-half years, a revised proposal...
IRRBB Management in EMDEs
Interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB) has become a growing priority for banks and regulators in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). As many of these countries face monetary tightening cycles and ongoing macroeconomic volatility, bank balance sheets...
Response to CPMI-IOSCO on Consultation
On February 5, ISDA and FIA responded to the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) consultation on the management of general business risks and general business losses by financial market infrastructures (FMIs)....