With the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP26) coming to Glasgow later this month and amid numerous occurrences of extreme weather, there has been an increased global focus on climate change recently which is reflected in the financial markets. By some estimates, the sustainable finance market grew by almost 30% in 2020. Derivatives linked to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) objectives have been around for several years, but this previously niche marketplace is growing, reinforcing the idea that derivatives have a key role to play in the advancement of ESG objectives in the financial markets and the global transition to a green economy.
Continue Reading ESG Derivatives: A Sustainable Trend

Have you met Anna? Well actually, although experts in the market pronounce it Anna, it’s spelt “AANA”.

Annually, or perhaps “AANAually” since 2016, with the notable exception of 2020, the breadth of derivatives counterparties in-scope for posting initial margin under the global margin rules, has expanded.

Back in 2016, a “Phase 1” derivatives

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK regulator responsible, broadly, for market conduct made an announcement (the FCA LIBOR Announcement) on 5 March 2021, on the future cessation or loss of representativeness of all (35) LIBOR benchmarks.
Continue Reading What the FCA’s announced Index Cessation Event means for the 13,500+ adherents and other users of the 2020 ISDA IBOR Fallbacks Protocol and Fallbacks Supplement

At the end of 2020, ISDA surveyed its membership to identify its priorities for the growth of derivatives-related environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues. The membership answered that it expected growth in ESG derivatives and communicated a strong desire for documentation standardization.
Continue Reading ESG Derivatives – US Climate Finance Working Group

Who wants to see digitalisation of legal contracts? Well certainly the derivatives contingent of the financial services industry which is battling increasingly complex standard documentation, streams of regulatory re-papering projects, and the continuous need to put in place age-old favourites such as the ISDA Master Agreement. Let’s focus on the ISDA Master Agreement, the hugely successful framework document underpinning most OTC derivatives trading.
Continue Reading Digital Derivatives – ISDA Create