On October 23, 2020, ISDA published its long-awaited IBOR Fallbacks Supplement to the 2006 ISDA Definitions (the Supplement) and Protocol. The publication is a result of years of consultations with regulators and market participants and seeks to provide a solution for the trillions of dollars of IBOR-referencing derivatives contracts. The Supplement and Protocol provide a standardised and efficient means of transitioning derivatives contracts currently referencing IBORs to risk-free rates. At present, uptake and market acceptance of these changes has been resounding, as over 700 parties have adhered to the Protocol less than four weeks after its launch.
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Pre-Cessation Triggers
The Latest from the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA)
Following the selection of alternative risk-free rates (RFRs) to replace each of the five LIBOR currencies: SOFR (for USD LIBOR), SONIA (for GBP LIBOR), SARON (for CHF LIBOR), TONAR (for JPY LIBOR) and €STR (for Euro LIBOR), ISDA launched consultations to obtain input from market participants on how to address the adjustments required as a…
ISDA to Revisit LIBOR Pre-Cessation Triggers
In a letter to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) on January 20, 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed the possibility that LIBOR may continue to be published for a short period after regulators have announced that it is no longer representative of an underlying market (a non-representative LIBOR). The European Benchmarks Regulation could prohibit EU-supervised firms from entering into new derivatives transactions referencing such a non-representative LIBOR. As a result, the FCA encouraged ISDA to provide the derivatives market with the ability to insert triggers into their derivatives contracts to allow fallbacks to risk-free rates if such a regulatory announcement is made prior to the cessation of LIBOR (a pre-cessation trigger).
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