Articles by Samuel Wilkes
EU’s Brexit clearing grab slow to lift off
Clearing members say clients aren’t transferring material volumes from LCH to Eurex rapidly
‘Improving’ Mifid post-trade transparency splits markets
Mooted changes to Europe’s transparency regime are dividing markets – largely along functional lines
Synthetics sweetener teases European banks
As structural woes resolve, regulators remain split on preferential capital treatment for STS deals
European regulator U-turns on synthetic securitisations
Deals with use-it-or-lose-it mechanism can qualify for capital relief, EBA policy expert says
EU banks expect further margin reprieve for equity options
Exemptions for intra-group and equity options from non-cleared margin rules expire by January 2021
Capital relief trades make slow comeback from Covid slump
European synthetic credit risk transfer market now more expensive for banks
EU urged to pass permanent market risk capital relief
Council agrees temporary changes, but ECB’s Enria wants legislators to trust supervisors
Regulators and banks clash on FRTB capital impact study
Basel and EBA call out two banks for using “overly conservative” survey assumptions
EU Parliament ‘likely’ to allow market risk capital relief
MEPs propose allowing supervisors to temporarily exclude Covid-related backtesting exceptions
ECB’s Enria unsure banks will dip into capital buffers
Anxiety over investor and rating agency reaction may limit banks’ use of Covid relief measures
European lawmakers urged to prevent CCP contagion risk
Watchdog says carve-out needed in new recovery and resolution rules to avoid cascading default of clearing houses
Rewards for failure: the ECB’s topsy-turvy market risk relief
Eurozone banks with better models are least able to offset Covid-driven rise in backtesting multiplier
EBA relaxes modellability hurdles for market risk capital
Flexibility granted for assessing NMRFs on options, but constraints remain on committed quotes
Leverage ratio squeeze hits options trades
With clearing banks constrained by leverage limits, prop traders fear options market lockdown
EU ‘non-paper’ reveals new effort to delay CCP open access
Negotiations on CCP recovery and resolution could provide a route to postpone Mifid rule
Leaked EU document casts doubt on leverage ratio relief
Several MEPs oppose leverage exemption for sovereign bonds, but some want SA-CCR fast-tracked
FRTB comes too late for Covid crisis
Expected shortfall would stop Basel 2.5 duplicate capital charges, but backtesting still a problem
Eurozone banks fear market risk capital hike due to Covid-19
Hopes that ECB will fix double-counting as VAR breaches rise on market volatility
EU banks seek FRTB delay, citing ‘strain’ of virus
Firms want leeway to fight market mayhem, minus burden of new reporting rules
Repo rules caught in Covid’s concertina effect
Pandemic jeopardises phased rollout of Europe’s SFTR regime, raising fears of chaotic ‘big bang’ start
SFTR confusion over Esma’s coronavirus delay
European regulator’s announcement fails to tackle how delay affects legacy transactions
Banks think SFTR delay a ‘done deal’ amid virus outbreak
Industry letter urges regulators to postpone first two phases of reporting until October
Of rats and men: would member compensation imperil CCPs?
CCPs and members split over whether compensation after default losses is moral hazard or fair
Why bankers should embrace the Brexit political theatre
Treating equivalence as purely technical might not have the outcome that financial firms want