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The European Commission has proposed some targeted reforms to improve the functioning of the derivatives market in the EU. The reforms provide simpler and more proportionate rules for over-the-counter derivatives to reduce costs and regulatory burdens for market participants without compromising financial stability.
A derivative is a financial contract linked to the future value or status of the underlying to which it refers (e.g. the development of interest rates or of a currency value). Derivatives redistribute risk and can be used both to protect against legitimate risk and for speculative purposes. Most derivative contracts are not traded on an exchange but are instead privately negotiated between two counterparties.
The proposal introduces more proportionate rules for corporates. It re-focusses the scope of the clearing obligation for financial counterparties to include some additional relevant market players while exempting the smallest financial counterparties. It also allows for more time to develop clearing solutions for pension funds. In addition, the Commission is streamlining the application of reporting requirements and making them more proportionate; it is also introducing improvements to ensure the quality of reported data. The changes include measures that could save market participants, and in particular corporates such as energy companies or manufacturers, up to €2.6 billion in operational costs and up to €6.9 billion in one-off costs.
(Source: The European Commission)
