Consultation Response on Risks Not in VAR and Stressed VAR

On November 6, 2020, ISDA submitted a response to a consultation by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) on the calculation of risks not in value at risk (VAR) and stressed VAR.

Market volatility related to the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted elements of the market risk framework that may lead to an excessively procyclical increase in own funds requirements during periods of stress. For two of those elements (frequency of calculation for the risks-not-in-VAR measure and identification of a ‘period of significant financial stress relevant to the institution’s portfolio’ for the stressed VAR calculation), the PRA proposes to set expectations that are intended to attenuate the procyclicality in own funds requirements for market risk.

The industry commends the PRA’s timely actions throughout 2020 to provide support and guidance to firms during the period of severe market volatility caused by COVID-19, although there is concern that the proposals in this consultation may lead to overly burdensome operational complexities without the desired outcome of reducing the volatility of market risk capital requirements during a crisis period.

Documents (1) for Consultation Response on Risks Not in VAR and Stressed VAR

Maintaining Focus on Basel III Endgame Recalibration

In its original form, the US Basel III endgame proposal would have resulted in disproportionate increases in capital for trading book activities, forcing banks to make difficult choices about their participation in certain businesses. After two-and-a-half years, a revised proposal...

IRRBB Management in EMDEs

Interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB) has become a growing priority for banks and regulators in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). As many of these countries face monetary tightening cycles and ongoing macroeconomic volatility, bank balance sheets...

Response to CPMI-IOSCO on Consultation

On February 5, ISDA and FIA responded to the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) consultation on the management of general business risks and general business losses by financial market infrastructures (FMIs)....