Methodology

The analysis is based on interest rate derivatives (IRD) transactions publicly reported by 30 European approved publication arrangements (APAs) and trading venues (TVs).

While ISDA’s data set doesn’t include all APAs and TVs that are registered with ESMA and the FCA, the trades reported by the 30 APAs and TVs included in this analysis are believed to cover most over-the-counter IRD activity in Europe.

UK IRD trading activity is measured by IRD traded notional and trade count reported by APAs and TVs located in the UK, while EU IRD trading activity is measured by IRD traded notional and trade count reported by APAs and TVs located in the EU. Of the 30 APAs and TVs covered by this analysis, 17 are located in the UK and 13 are located in the EU.

To collect the data, ISDA set up daily feeds from the eight APAs and 22 TVs. ISDA also set up a data feed from the Association of National Numbering Agencies’ Derivatives Service Bureau to download new International Securities Identification Numbers (ISINs) for IRD transactions. By matching IRD ISINs with all daily reported transactions that include various asset classes (equity, fixed income derivatives, etc), ISDA eliminated all non-IRD transactions and kept only the IRD data.

Using ISIN data, ISDA identified IRD instrument type (swap, option, forward, etc), IRD product taxonomy (fixed-for-floating IRS, FRAs, OIS, etc), underlying reference rate and term. Using trade details published by APAs and TVs, ISDA identified publication ID, trade data, publication data, venue of execution, notional amount, notional currency, and supplementary flags.

The ISDA data set includes only new trades. All cancelled transactions are removed and amended trades are updated using the original ID field. Transactions reported with a four-week aggregation flag and volume omission flag are also removed from the data set.

Reported notional is converted to US dollars based on daily foreign exchange (FX) rates. All reported transactions are aggregated on a daily basis. Weekly traded notional represents the sum of converted traded notional of all transactions executed during the week (from Saturday to Friday). Weekly trade count represents the number of all transactions executed during the week.

Due to post-trade transparency deferrals, the majority of European transactions are published with a four- to five-week delay. Therefore, the data on the website is displayed with a five-week delay.

Data Limitations

While ISDA believes this data covers the majority of OTC IRD transactions in Europe, it doesn’t capture 100% of the market. First, it doesn’t cover all APAs and TVs that are registered with ESMA and the FCA. Second, it captures only transactions that are subject to post-trade transparency reporting requirements. OTC derivatives that are not traded on TVs are considered ‘traded on a trading venue’ (TOTV) – and are therefore subject to the reporting and transparency requirements – if they share the same reference data details as derivatives traded on TVs. Therefore, OTC derivatives not traded on TVs that are not TOTV are not captured in this data.

When European counterparties face US entities on a swap execution facility (SEF), ESMA does not require EU firms to systematically republish information in the EU about transactions executed on TVs outside the EU that are subject to transparency provisions similar to those applicable to EU TVs. Under US rules, SEFs are required to send relevant trade details to an SDR for real-time public dissemination. Therefore, these trades will be captured in US trading activity only, resulting in a potential understatement of European traded notional.

Trades executed on MTFs and OTFs between EU and US counterparties may be disseminated to the public twice. Since EU and US reporting rules have not been determined equivalent, trades executed on MTFs and OTFs are viewed as off-facility transactions for US real-time reporting purposes and are subject to the CFTC reporting rules. At the same time, MTFs and OTFs have an obligation to send trade details for public dissemination.

LIST OF MAJOR VENUES REPORTING OTC IRD TRANSACTIONS INCLUDED IN THE ISDA EUROPEAN IRD MARKETS DATASET