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Clearing houses stand between the two sides of a stock, bond and
derivatives trade, ensuring its safe and swift completion even
if one side goes bust.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said the
new component will assess the impact of liquidation costs or
ability of a clearing house member to sell large positions to
raise funds in stressed markets.
Clearing houses have grown since the financial crisis a decade
ago, after regulators ruled that swathes of the derivatives
market must be cleared to increase transparency and safety.
But that raised concern that some clearing houses were now too
big, meaning their failure would bring down the financial
system. Consequently, regulators introduced "stress tests" to
see whether they could cope with theoretical shocks without
taxpayer handouts.
"ESMA’s stress tests continue to evolve, we have built on the
knowledge acquired in the first two exercises and have added a
new component on concentration risk to ensure the exercise is
fit for purpose," ESMA chair Steven Maijoor said in a statement.
ESMA said that if Britain leaves the European Union without a
deal, the three UK clearing houses currently included in the
test would not take part.
London-based LCH, part of the London Stock Exchange Group, is
one of the world's biggest clearing houses, and clears most
euro-denominated interest rate swaps. LCH has a subsidiary in
Paris, which is also being tested.
The other two UK clearers are ICE Clear Europe and LME Clear.
Clearing houses must already show regulators they could survive
their two biggest members going bust, but EU policymakers worry
the sector is not regulated enough.
Results of the test will be published in the second quarter of
2020.
(Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Louise Heavens, Larry King)
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