Initial margin delay disadvantages DBS

Rivals UOB and OCBC enjoy another year of pricing flexibility

Singapore’s move to delay the next phase of initial margin rules by a year – in line with Basel recommendations – has handed a potential advantage to leading banks UOB and OCBC at the expense of national rival DBS.

“It theoretically gives us greater pricing flexibility, since we won’t have to factor in margin value adjustments immediately,” says Frederick Shen, OCBC’s head of global treasury at Singapore.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced the one-year delay on April 7, just days