Claire Edwards (UK)

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Loan Market Association (LMA) publishes list of loans referencing risk-free rates

On 20 May 2020, the LMA published on its website a list of loans in the market which reference risk-free rates (RFRs).  The LMA states that over the last year, bilateral and syndicated loans have been announced which reference the sterling (SONIA), US dollar (SOFR) and Swiss franc (SARON) RFRs, demonstrating an appetite among some … Continue Reading

ISDA publishes Interest Rate Benchmarks Review: First Quarter of 2020

On 22 April 2020, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) published its Interest Rates Benchmarks Review for the first quarter of 2020. The ISDA Interest Rate Benchmarks Review analyses the trading volumes of interest rate derivatives (IRD) transactions in the US referencing the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) and other selected alternative RFRs, including … Continue Reading

ISDA and Bloomberg publish IBOR Fallback Rate Adjustments Rule Book

On 23 April 2020, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) and Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) published an IBOR Fallback Rate Adjustments Rule Book, which sets out the methodology, rules and conventions that BISL will implement to calculate rate adjustments in derivative contracts in relation to the transition from inter-bank offered rates (IBORs) … Continue Reading

The LIBOR Transition – ARRC issues recommendations outlining spread adjusting procedure

Following up on our past posts on the transition away from the London Interbank Offering Rate (“LIBOR”), and interbank offering rates (“IBOR”) denominated in other currencies, in this post, we discuss the agreement reached by the members of the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) on a spread adjustment methodology for cash products referencing U.S. dollar … Continue Reading

ISDA announces preliminary results of second consultation on pre-cessation fallbacks

On 16 April 2019, ISDA announced the preliminary results of its consultation on the implementation of pre-cessation fallbacks for derivatives referencing LIBOR. The consultation, commenced in February 2020, invited feedback from market participants on whether a pre-cessation trigger should be included in ISDA standard documents in addition to the permanent cessation fallbacks that ISDA is … Continue Reading

International Accounting Standards Board consults on interest rate benchmark reform changes

The International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) has announced a consultation on proposed amendments to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Standards to assist companies in providing useful information to investors about the effects of interest rate benchmark reform on financial statements. The IASB has split its work on interest rate benchmark reform on financial reporting … Continue Reading

Japanese Financial Services Agency and the Bank of Japan – Summary of Survey Results on the Use of LIBOR and Main Actions Needed

The Japanese Financial Services Agency (JFSA) and the Bank of Japan have published the results of a survey on the use of LIBOR by financial institutions (including banks, securities companies insurance companies and others), their LIBOR exposures and LIBOR transition progress. The survey enables supervisory authorities to quantify the number of contracts that reference LIBOR … Continue Reading

Bank of England consultation on credit adjustment spread methodologies for fallbacks in cash products referencing GBP LIBOR – Summary of responses

The Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates (Working Group) has published a consultation paper for the sterling cash market (including loans, bonds, and securitisations) considering four methodologies that could be used to calculate the credit adjustment spread for fallbacks from GBP LIBOR to SONIA in cash products maturing beyond the end of 2021. The … Continue Reading

Loans Enablers Task Force – path to discontinuation of new GBP LIBOR lending by end-Q3 2020

On 10 March 2020, the Loans Enablers Task Force (the Task Force) of the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates (the RFR Working Group) published an indicative roadmap outlining a path for the discontinuation of new GBP LIBOR-based cash lending by end-Q3 2020. This roadmap is intended to act as a guide for lenders, … Continue Reading

Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates: The use cases of benchmark rates: compounded in arrears, term rate and further alternatives

On 16 January 2020, the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates (RFRWG) published a paper on The use cases of benchmark rates: compounded in arrears, term rate and further alternatives. The paper is addressed to financial firms and non-financial end users, such as corporates, small to medium size enterprises, retail consumers and others, who … Continue Reading

LIBOR transition: the use of SONIA compounded in arrears in project finance transactions

In its paper of 16 January 2020 on The use cases of benchmark rates: compounded in arrears, term rate and further alternatives, the Bank of England’s Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates (RFRWG) identified, among other things, that it had considered whether SONIA compounded in arrears would be appropriate to replace LIBOR as the … Continue Reading
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