GFMA, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) and the International Institute of Finance (IIF) provide comments to the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS) responding to the BCBS Consultative Documents: Capital Treatment of Bank Exposures to Central Counterparties (CCPs), BCBS253.
The Associations commend the BCBS for undertaking another consultation on these proposals and desire to provide meaningful input to ensure a viable capital framework is adopted. This response focuses on elements of the consultative document that stand to motivate and influence the expansion of central clearing. The groups share concerns that the proposal discourages propagation of central clearing, in direct contrast to policy objectives stated at the G20 September 2009 summit and related regulatory initiatives such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) and European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). They also believe the proposal fails to provide incentives for CCPs to invest in the improvement of their risk systems and methodologies and discourages fundamental CCP risk practices, notably the intended function of the default fund.
