ISDA Letter on Reform of UK EMIR

On December 22, 2022, ISDA CEO Scott O’Malia sent a letter and accompanying note to HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England with recommendations to reform the UK European Market Infrastructure Regulation intragroup transaction exemption and the equity options exemption for variation margin and initial margin.

ISDA proposes that there should be permanent intragroup exemptions from margin and clearing requirements for over-the-counter derivatives between UK and non-UK group companies, which do not depend on equivalence determinations in respect of non-UK countries. The note presents a set of reforms that would give the industry clarity and would remove a cliff edge for some firms at the end of 2023. The letter also urges UK authorities to permanently exempt single-stock options and equity index options from margin requirements, and to communicate plans early to firms that otherwise face an uncertain implementation period.

Market Transformation – IQ May 2026

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, this year’s ISDA Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in Boston, a city that played a prominent role in the American Revolution. In his opening remarks, ISDA chief executive Scott O’Malia drew a...

Letter to EC and ESMA on Derivatives Framework

On March 27, ISDA sent a letter to the European Commission (EC) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to highlight several technical issues arising from the interaction between the delegated regulation (EU) 2025/1003 on identifying reference data to...