Report: Clearing and Settlement costs higher in Europe

15 June 2004

A new report entitled „The Direct Costs of Clearing and Settlement: An EU - US Comparison“, commissioned by the Corporation of London, confirms that the direct costs of clearing and settling an equity transaction in Europe are significantly higher than in the US. The report suggests the high costs in Europe are due to a number of factors, including lower economies of scale in Europe, and cross border differences in legal and regulatory factors. The report indicates that there are substantial gains to be made by European investors if these factors can be overcome.

For the first time, these costs are assessed from a 'bottom up' instead of a 'top down' perspective, giving a more accurate comparison of data and a fuller appreciation of the other costs involved in a given transaction. The report highlights the following issues:

Consistent with previous research on this subject there is a significant gap between the costs of clearing and settlement in the US and Europe.

For a typical domestic equity transaction the cost in the US is around € 0.10; in a selection of major European markets the cost is in the range of € 0.35 to € 0.80.

A 'typical transaction' is cleared and settled in a highly automated environment: this creates significant cost advantages for the US due to economies of scale.

The cost differentials are even more significant when considering non-domestic transactions in Europe, which can range from € 0.57 to € 35 compared again to the flat rate of € 0.10 in the US.

Executive Summary
Full Report

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