The Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued a comprehensive overview of its counterparty framework, which includes a new policy on counterparties for all domestic and foreign market operations. The new counterparty policy is the result of a multi-year review of the framework for counterparty relationships across the full range of the trading desk operations in domestic and foreign financial markets.

Highlights from the new policy include:

  • reducing the minimum net regulatory capital ("NRC") threshold for broker-dealer counterparties from $150 million to $50 million, in order to broaden the pool of eligible firms;
  • raising the minimum Tier 1 capital threshold for the banks, branches, and agencies of foreign banking organizations from $150 million to $1 billion, to better align the Tier 1 threshold with the new NRC threshold (which is measured with respect to Tier 1 capital of the bank holding company); and
  • introducing a 0.25% minimum U.S. government market share threshold as a means to more directly quantify the business capabilities of firms that express interest in becoming a primary dealer.

Under the new policy, counterparties will be expected to:

  • operate in accordance with the Best Practices for Treasury, Agency Debt and Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities Markets (published by the New York Fed-sponsored Treasury Market Practices Group) and FX market best practices guidance (such as the Global Preamble, promulgated by the New York Fed-sponsored Foreign Exchange Committee);
  • provide insight to regulators on an ongoing basis into developments in the markets in which they transact;
  • meet any minimum capital thresholds or other standards that are set forth by their primary regulator;
  • provide information (as needed) for counterparty risk management and monitoring; and
  • establish a compliance program that is consistent with the sound practices observed in the industry, and support adherence to the terms of its counterparty relationship with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York also provided the following materials for firms interested in becoming a counterparty:

The new policy and eligibility criteria are immediately effective.

Commentary

It is notable that the New York Fed reduced the capital requirements for primary dealers, while at the same time increasing those requirements for counterparties to foreign exchange transactions. Further, one could question whether reduced capital requirements for primary dealers reflect diminished market interest in operating as a primary dealer.

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