A group of financial associations have made recommendations for federal regulators on the proposed Basel III endgame capital rule governing category I and II banking organizations and banking organizations with significant trading activity.
In a letter to regulators, the groups address key aspects of the proposal relating to the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB), credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk and counterparty credit risk (CCR), including issues around securities financing transactions (SFTs), derivatives and the standardized approach for counterparty credit risk (SA-CCR).
“The calibration of the regulatory capital framework directly affects the pricing, availability and structure of market intermediation, client hedging, financing and liquidity services provided by large banking organizations. Capital requirements that are more risk sensitive better support market liquidity, reduce costs for end users seeking to hedge or finance positions and promote the efficient functioning of US capital markets, including the important market for US Treasury securities,” the organizations wrote in the letter.
The letter was signed by the Institute of International Finance (IIF), the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). It was submitted to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
The associations made various recommendations around three themes:
Enhancing risk sensitivity;
Enhancing consistency across the capital rules; and
Reducing unnecessary operational burdens.
The associations also recommend that the final rule be implemented with an effective date no earlier than January 1, 2028.
The associations added that the proposal reflects a constructive step forward in several respects, particularly by recognizing the importance of calibration for capital markets and trading activities.