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Benchmark administrators should review the quality of their ESG benchmark disclosures ahead of a review by EU regulators during 2024.

By Nicola Higgs, Becky Critchley, Anne Mainwaring, Ella McGinn, and Charlotte Collins

On 13 December 2023, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor, announced its plans to launch a Common Supervisory Action (CSA). Along with National Competent Authorities (NCAs), ESMA plans to review the mandatory disclosures of benchmark administrators providing benchmarks that pursue ESG objectives under the EU Benchmarks Regulation (EU BMR).

The CSA is the first that ESMA will conduct since it assumed its direct supervisory role under the EU BMR. As part of the CSA, ESMA and the NCAs will share knowledge and experience to harmonise how they supervise ESG disclosure requirements for benchmark administrators.

The proposal would substantially reduce the number of benchmarks in scope of the EU BMR.

By Nicola Higgs, Becky Critchley, Ella McGinn, and Charlotte Collins

On 17 October 2023, the European Commission published a legislative proposal that would significantly alter the benchmarks in scope of the EU Benchmarks Regulation (BMR). The proposal aims to address long-standing criticisms of the BMR’s wide-reaching scope and practical impact, and would enable EU regulators to focus only on the most economically and socially important benchmarks.

The regulator is concerned that ESG-related disclosures are not meeting expectations.

By Nicola Higgs, Becky Critchley, Anne Mainwaring, Ella McGinn, and Charlotte Collins

The FCA has published a Dear CEO letter sent to benchmark administrators on 20 March 2023, expressing concerns about the quality of their ESG-related disclosures. The FCA’s concerns are based upon a preliminary review of ESG benchmarks, which assessed the disclosures made by a sample of UK benchmark administrators. The review found the quality of ESG-related disclosures to be poor, and the letter sets out the FCA’s specific findings in this regard. The FCA states that it is acutely aware that poor practices in this area could lead to claims of greenwashing and dilute trust and confidence in ESG labelling. Therefore, the FCA is not only concerned about technical compliance with disclosure requirements, but also about ensuring the integrity of ESG-related products.

A new rule removes the requirement to clear IBOR-based swaps and extends mandatory clearing to swaps on IBOR alternatives.

By Yvette D. Valdez and Adam Bruce Fovent

On August 12, 2022, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) voted to amend its mandatory clearing requirements for interest rate swaps (the Rule). The vote furthers the CFTC’s  efforts in the global transition away from inter-bank offered rates (IBORs) towards alternative reference rates.

As a major LIBOR transition milestone approaches, a Staff Statement provides key considerations for market participants regarding their obligations.

By Laura N. Ferrell, Marlon Q. Paz, Zach Lippman, and Deric Behar

On December 7, 2021, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a statement (the Statement) on the transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The transition away from LIBOR is reaching an inflection point as the publication of the USD LIBOR benchmark for the 1-week and 2-month USD LIBOR maturities and many non-USD LIBOR maturities cease immediately after December 31, 2021.[1] The SEC, like other regulators around the world, continues to emphasize its expectation that market participants understand the risks associated with LIBOR transition and take appropriate action to move to alternative rates in a manner that protects customers, counterparties, the firm itself, and the capital markets more broadly.

By Becky Critchley and Anna Lewis-Martinez

On 5 March 2021, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) formally announced the dates for the cessation of all London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) benchmark settings currently published by ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA). The FCA also confirmed that where a “synthetic” LIBOR is available after the cessation dates, the synthetic LIBOR will not in any event be considered to be representative as of the cessation dates. This is an important step towards the end of LIBOR, providing market participants with a fixed timeline for LIBOR’s cessation. The announcement also adds pressure on market participants to complete their transition plans by the end of 2021.

The FCA’s announcement follows the IBA’s notification to the FCA — following its consultation and notices of future departure received from the majority of the panel banks for each LIBOR setting — that it intends to cease providing all LIBOR settings for all currencies, subject to any rights of the FCA to compel IBA to continue publication.

Three delegated acts that supplement the EU Benchmarks Regulation will come into force on 23 December 2020.

By Nicola Higgs, Becky Critchley, Ella McGinn, and Anna Lewis-Martinez

The long-awaited delegated acts (Delegated Acts) required by Regulation (EU) 2019/2089 (the Low Carbon Benchmarks Regulation), which amends the EU Benchmarks Regulation (BMR), have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ). The Delegated Acts will enter into force on 23 December 2020, 20 days after their publication on 3 December 2020. No substantial changes have been made to the official texts since the Commission adopted the Delegated Acts on 17 July 2020.

The Delegated Acts set out (i) sustainability criteria in order for a benchmark to qualify as an EU Climate Transition Benchmark or EU Paris-aligned Benchmark, and (ii) the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure requirements for benchmarks provided in accordance with the BMR.

The launch of the Protocol and the Supplement represents a key landmark in the transition away from IBORs but is not a one-stop solution.

By Yvette D. Valdez, Becky Critchley, Adam Bruce Fovent, J. Ashley Weeks, Deric Behar, and Anna Lewis-Martinez

On October 23, 2020, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) published its IBOR Fallbacks Protocol (Protocol) and Supplement to the 2006 ISDA Definitions (Supplement) in anticipation of the expected discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) at the end of 2021. ISDA has also published a related set of Frequently Asked Questions, as well as a User Guide to IBOR Fallbacks and RFRs, to assist market participants in navigating the Protocol and the Supplement.

The Protocol and the Supplement, which take effect on January 25, 2021, provide robust fallback provisions to be applied upon the permanent cessation of a relevant IBOR or a pre-cessation announcement made with respect to LIBOR. The Protocol provides an efficient amendment mechanism for mutually adhering counterparties to incorporate these fallback provisions into legacy contracts. However, the Protocol and the Supplement do not themselves modify the terms of underlying floating rate exposures or ensure such exposures transition in the same manner as any interest rate derivatives entered into to hedge those exposures.

Regulators and industry groups strongly encourage market participants to adopt ISDA’s much-anticipated IBOR Fallbacks Protocol and Definitions Supplement.

By Yvette D. Valdez, Becky Critchley, Deric Behar, and Anna Lewis-Martinez

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) has published a statement from its Board of Directors confirming that on October 23, 2020 it will launch its IBOR (interbank offered rates) Fallbacks Protocol (the Protocol) and IBOR Fallbacks Supplement to the 2006 ISDA Definitions (the Supplement). The Supplement and the Protocol’s amendments will take effect on January 25, 2021.

According to ISDA’s October 9 announcement, all new derivatives contracts that incorporate the 2006 ISDA Definitions and reference one of the covered IBORs will contain the new fallbacks as of January 25, 2021. Derivatives contracts existing as of this date will also incorporate the new fallbacks if both counterparties have adhered to the Protocol or otherwise bilaterally agreed to include the new fallbacks in their contracts.

The relief removes regulatory obstacles and provides additional flexibility for market participants.

By Yvette D. Valdez, Adam Bruce Fovent, and J. Ashley Weeks

On August 31, 2020, three divisions of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued revised no-action letters providing additional relief to swap dealers, end users, and other market participants from registration requirements; business conduct standards; uncleared swap margin requirements; and mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements as a result of the looming discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other interbank offered rates (IBORs) and the transition to risk-free rates (RFRs).