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US banks are facing a loss of business from small and mid-tier European buyside firms because of the cross-border application of derivatives rules included in the US Dodd-Frank Act.
The rule in question requires firms trading with branches or affiliates of US banks to begin clearing over-the-counter derivatives trades from today. But some European buyside firms are not prepared to clear their swap trades, leading them either to switch to US banks’ European entities or stop trading with them altogether.
Mandatory clearing in Europe is not expected to begin in Europe until next summer at the earliest, which means many firms are still preparing and are not ready to clear. Larger buyside firms have been preparing, which has made it easier for them to switch to a US bank’s European entity.
The drive to clear OTC derivatives trades is part of post-crisis efforts by the G20 to improve transparency and reduce systemic risk in financial markets. The G20 also advocated the use of electronic trading platforms for swaps and the use of trade repositories to collect trading data.
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