The US and EU are home to the largest derivatives markets in the
world. A common approach to the regulation and supervision of global
derivatives markets is critical to supporting cross-border trade and
investment and maintaining financial stability. Today's agreement will
ensure that European CCPs will be able to do business in the United
States more easily and that US CCPs can continue to provide services to
EU companies.
To implement the agreement, the European Commission
intends to adopt shortly an equivalence decision with respect to CFTC
requirements, which will allow ESMA to recognise US CCPs as soon as is
practicable. Once recognised, US CCPs may continue to provide services
in the EU whilst complying primarily with their own local requirements.
CFTC
staff will propose a determination of comparability with respect to EU
requirements, which will permit EU CCPs to provide services in the US
whilst complying primarily with their own local requirements. The CFTC
will also streamline the registration process for EU CCPs wishing to
register with them.
The common approach follows detailed analysis
of differences between the CFTC and EU regulatory requirements,
undertaken over a number of years. Both the CFTC and EU requirements are
based on international principles, and CFTC staff and the European
Commission Services will work together, along with counterparts across
the global regulatory community, to further develop these principles and
further harmonise the standards to which internationally active CCPs
are held.
“This is an important step forward for global
regulatory convergence. It means that European CCPs will be able to do
business in the United States more easily and that US CCPs can continue
to provide services to EU companies," said Jonathan Hill, Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union.
"It has taken a long time, but it is good news that after more than
three years of discussion, we are now able to provide certainty for the
marketplace. I am grateful to Chairman Massad and his team for all their
work in helping us get to this point.”
The steps needed...
to
implement this agreement will be put into place as soon as practicable.
The CFTC staff and the services of the EC will work to ensure that
changes are implemented in a coordinated manner.
Background
CCPs
are financial market infrastructures which enhance market and financial
stability by guaranteeing the obligations of each counterparty to a
transaction. Cleared transactions commonly include derivatives as well
as other financial products such as bonds, equities and securities
financing contracts. If a counterparty to a transaction goes into
default before settling its obligations, its other counterparties are
protected by the financial resources held by the CCP. These financial
resources are largely made up of high quality collateral, which is
calculated and collected from the counterparties on a daily basis. In
this sense, the CCP acts as a circuit breaker, mitigating a domino
effect of financial losses across the markets when one participant
fails.
Recognising the importance of CCPs in mitigating risks in
the financial system, G20 leaders committed in 2009 to make the use of
CCPs mandatory for standardised derivatives contracts. Both the CFTC and
the EU have now adopted rules to this effect, increasing the use of
CCPs across EU and US markets.
As many derivatives are traded
cross-border, EU and US market participants need access to CCPs that can
serve both markets. This is why today's common approach is important:
it enables EU CCPs to operate in US markets and US CCPs to operate in EU
markets on a level playing field. This has been achieved by the EC and
the CFTC proposing to recognise one another's requirements for CCPs
where they are comparable. This will ensure that both EU and US CCPs
operate to the same high standards at a comparable level of cost to
their participants. It also alleviates the regulatory burden for US and
EU CCPs, allowing compliance with only one set of rules. This encourages
cross-border activity, avoiding fragmentation of markets and liquidity.
The steps to implement the common approach are as follows:
- the CFTC will need to finalise a substituted compliance regime for EU CCPs;
- the European Commission will need to adopt an equivalence decision for the CFTC's regime. Prior to this, EU Member State authorities must vote on the proposal through the European Securities Committee.
For more information
You will find a joint statement issued by the European Commission and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission here.
