[author: Ingrid Hesselbo]
On April 21, 2017, the European Systemic Risk Board (“ESRB“) published a report on the revision of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (the “EMIR“).
The report welcomes the European Commission’s November 2016 report on the outcome of its EMIR review, which the Commission carried out under Article 85(1) of EMIR. The ESRB supports the Commission’s plan to revise EMIR to include an emergency mechanism for quickly suspending the clearing obligation and to increase the transparency and predictability of margin requirements.
The ESRB agrees with the Commission that no fundamental change to EMIR is currently required, although it does recognize that some aspects of EMIR could be improved, such as improving the trade data reporting framework and transparency by obliging central counterparties (“CCPs“) to publish qualitative and quantitative information consistent with the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures – Board of International Organization of Securities Commissions disclosure framework.
In addition, the report suggests that enhancing tools in EMIR that restrict procyclicality would reduce risks to financial stability and could simplify EMIR requirements and make them more efficient.
Although the ESRB recognizes the difficulties faced by some counterparties in meeting the clearing obligation, it supports a broad application of the obligation, including for pension scheme arrangements and large nonfinancial counterparties that are active in the derivatives market.
A comprehensive review of EMIR will be needed in the future. This comprehensive review should address issues such as the potential use of margins and haircuts to meet macroprudential objectives when the analysis needed to develop these tools has progressed.
The ESRB restates its previous proposals, including revising the determination mechanism of dedicated resources and interoperability arrangements. The ESRB reported on CCP interoperability arrangements in January 2016, and published two earlier reports on EMIR to assist the Commission with its Article 85 review of the Regulation in July 2015.
