ISDA Publishes Framework to Prepare for Close Out of Derivatives Contracts

ISDA has published a new interactive digital framework that market participants can use to help prepare for potential terminations of collateralized derivatives contracts.

Launch of the ISDA Close-out Framework is in response to the March 2023 failure of Signature Bank and SVB in the US, which highlighted the complexities of potentially terminating over-the-counter derivatives trading relationships following various post-crisis regulatory reforms. Specifically, in-scope entities are now required to post margin for non-cleared derivatives transactions, while various jurisdictions have introduced mandatory stays on termination rights and remedies as part of bank resolution regimes.

The ISDA Close-out Framework is intended to be used as a preparatory resource to help firms coordinate internal business functions and stakeholders and internal and external legal, operational, risk management, infrastructure and other relevant service providers to ensure they are adequately prepared for any potential future stress events.

The framework includes high-level analysis of the default mechanics and collateral enforcement provisions in ISDA documentation, along with additional commentary on bank resolution legislation in the US and Europe.

“Recent stress events have drummed home that terminating a portfolio of derivatives trades is now much more complex as a result of regulatory reforms. The introduction of mandatory margining and segregation requirements, alongside the implementation of bank resolution regimes, means firms need to be able to quickly respond to complex legal and operational issues that will require input from different teams across the organization. The ISDA Close-out Framework provides an essential interactive tool that firms can use to prepare ahead of any potential stress event,” said Katherine Tew Darras, ISDA’s General Counsel.

The ISDA Close-out Framework is available here: https://close-out.isda.org/#/.

Further information on the ISDA Close-out Framework is available here: https://assets.isda.org/media/5e46315f/06731822.pdf

For Press Queries, Please Contact:

Nick Sawyer, ISDA London, +44 20 3808 9740, nsawyer@isda.org

Joel Clark, ISDA London, +44 20 3808 9760, jclark@isda.org

Christopher Faimali, ISDA London, +44 20 3808 9736, cfaimali@isda.org

Nikki Lu, ISDA Hong Kong, +852 2200 5901, nlu@isda.org

Documents (1) for ISDA Publishes Framework to Prepare for Close Out of Derivatives Contracts

SwapsInfo First Quarter of 2026 Review

Trading activity in interest rate derivatives (IRD) and credit derivatives increased in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2025. IRD traded notional grew by 38.1%, led by increased activity in overnight index swaps (OIS). Index...

ISDA Publishes Overview of EU Clearing Landscape

On May 11, ISDA published a paper providing an overview of the EU clearing landscape following the implementation of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation 3.0 (EMIR 3.0). The paper assesses the early operational impact of the active account requirement, including its...

ISDA Responds to AMLA on AMLR

On May 7, ISDA responded to the Anti-Money Laundering Authority’s (AMLA) consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on customer due diligence under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR). In the response, ISDA endorsed the Association for Financial Markets in Europe’s...