BIS on Nexus Between Banks and Central Counterparties Amid Pandemic
BIS published a bulletin that examines the nexus between banks and central counterparties (CCPs) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The bulletin highlights that when thinking about margining, central banks need to assess banks and CCPs jointly rather than in isolation. In the CCP-bank nexus, actions that seem prudent from the perspective of an individual institution have the potential to strain the stability of the entire nexus through interactions. For instance, increasing margin during market stress does address increased counterparty risk. However, it can put undue pressure on clearing member banks at the wrong time.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to market turmoil in mid-March. CCPs remained resilient, vindicating the post-crisis reforms that incentivized central clearing. The procyclicality of leverage embedded in margining models might have played a role in the events of mid-March. These margin models are critical because they underpin the management of counterparty credit risk. Margin models of some CCPs seem to have underestimated market volatility, in part because they have relied on a short period of historical price movements from tranquil times. These CCPs had to catch up and increase margins at the wrong time, squeezing liquidity when it was most needed. Going forward, the interaction of CCPs with clearing member banks is critical. Importantly, actions that might seem prudent from an individual institution’s perspective, such as increasing margins in a turmoil, might destabilize the nexus overall. Therefore, central banks and regulators need to assess banks and CCPs jointly rather than in isolation.
Related Links
Keywords: International, Banking, COVID-19, Initial Margin, Variation Margin, Procyclicality, Liquidity Risk, Counterparty Credit Risk, BIS
Featured Experts

María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer

Pierre-Etienne Chabanel
Brings expertise in technology and software solutions around banking regulation, whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud.

Nicolas Degruson
Works with financial institutions, regulatory experts, business analysts, product managers, and software engineers to drive regulatory solutions across the globe.
Previous Article
FED Updates Terms for Asset-Backed Securities Loan FacilityNext Article
Bundesbank Updates Validation Rules for ReportingRelated Articles
FED Revises Capital Planning and Stress Testing Requirements for Banks
FED finalized a rule that updates capital planning requirements to reflect the new framework from 2019 that sorts large banks into categories, with requirements that are tailored to the risks of each category.
ECB Releases Results of Bank Lending Survey for Fourth Quarter of 2020
ECB published results of the quarterly lending survey conducted on 143 banks in the euro area.
ESAs Publish Reporting Templates for Financial Conglomerates
ESAs published the final draft implementing technical standards on reporting of intra-group transactions and risk concentration of financial conglomerates subject to the supplementary supervision in EU.
EBA Publishes Report on Asset Encumbrance of Banks in EU
EBA published the annual report on asset encumbrance of banks in EU.
MAS Revises Guidelines on Technology Risk Management
MAS revised the guidelines that address technology and cyber risks of financial institutions, in an environment of growing use of cloud technologies, application programming interfaces, and rapid software development.
US Agencies Publish Updates for Call Reports, FFIEC 101, and FR Y-9C
FED updated the reporting form and instructions for the FR Y-9C report on consolidated financial statements for holding companies.
EBA Proposes Guidelines for Establishing Intermediate Parent Entities
EBA issued a consultation paper on the guidelines on monitoring of the threshold and other procedural aspects of the establishment of intermediate EU parent undertakings, or IPUs, as laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive.
EC Adopts Financial Reporting Changes Arising from Benchmark Reforms
EC published Regulation 2021/25 that addresses amendments related to the financial reporting consequences of replacement of the existing interest rate benchmarks with alternative reference rates.
BIS Bulletin Examines Key Elements of Policy Response to Cyber Risk
BIS published a bulletin, or a note, that examines the cyber threat landscape in the context of the pandemic and discusses policies to reduce risks to financial stability.
HMT Updates List of Post-Brexit Equivalence Decisions in UK
HM Treasury, also known as HMT, has updated the table containing the list of the equivalence decisions that came into effect in UK at the end of the transition period of its withdrawal from EU.