Collateralization in over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets has grown rapidly over the past decade, and even faster in the past few years, due to the impact of the recent financial crisis and the particularly important attention to the counterparty credit risk in derivatives contracts. The addition of collateralization to such contracts significantly reduces the counterparty credit risk and allows to offset liabilities in case of default. We study the problem of valuation of OTC derivatives with payoff in a single currency and with single underlying asset for the cases of zero, partial, and perfect collateralization. We assume the derivative is traded between two default-free counterparties and analyze the impact of collateralization on the fair present value of the derivative. We establish a uniform generalized derivative pricing framework for the three cases of collateralization and show how different approaches to pricing turn out to be consistent. We then generalize the results to include multi-asset and cross-currency arguments, where the underlying and the derivative are in some domestic currency, but the collateral is posted in a foreign currency. We show that the results for the single currency, multi-asset case are consistent with those obtained for the single currency, single asset case.

Au lendemain de la pire crise financière mondiale depuis les années 1930, plusieurs gouvernements réunis sous la coupe du G20 se sont accordés sur la réforme du système financier international. La régulation des marchés financiers fut étendue à de nouveaux territoires. Toutefois, si la crise est une condition du changement, elle ne montre ni l’étendue ni la séquence d’événements qui expliquent ce revirement de politique publique. Dès lors, une question se pose: quels sont les éléments qui peuvent expliquer cette évolution de la réglementation financière internationale ? Cette dissertation démontre que la politique domestique des États-Unis et des pays majeurs de l’Union Européenne ont directement influencé ce changement de politique publique. En se focalisant sur les marchés de dérivés de gré à gré, cette recherche démontrera que l’extension de la régulation financière à de nouveaux marchés est le produit de l’augmentation de l’attention du public ou « salliance politique » dans des pays influents sur la scène internationale. Toutefois, les trajectoires historiques uniques qui caractérisent ces États nous informent sur les contours uniques de ces nouvelles réglementations qui ne sont pas écrites sur une page blanche. Cette recherche examine en particulier l’évolution de la régulation financière sur les marchés de dérivés de crédit ou « credit-default swaps » aux États-Unis avec l’adoption de la loi Dodd-Frank et, en Europe, avec l’adoption de la régulation European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). Cette argumentation et cette étude empirique contribuent à l’étude de l’évolution des préférences des états dans le domaine de la réglementation financière internationale. / In the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007-2010, international policymakers agreed to reform international financial regulation. New areas of financial markets were placed for the first time under the direct oversight of public regulators. However, the financial crisis explains neither the scope nor the sequence of the regulation that followed in its wake. Thus, the question remains: what explains these international financial regulation outcomes after the crisis? This dissertation argues that domestic politics within the United States and the major European Union member states explain the shift and form of that financial regulation. It focuses on over-the-counter credit derivative markets to show that previously unregulated markets were brought under greater supervision when public salience increases in influential states. However, a nation’s unique historical circumstances determine the concrete regulation policy that develops. This research examines the evolution of credit-default swaps regulation in the US under the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and in the EU, with special attention to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). With its argument and case study, this dissertation contributes to the study of state preference formation over-time with regard to international financial regulation.

The dramatic growth of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives in the last two decades and the ever-expanding range of financial derivative have triggered concerns as regards investor protection. These concerns have been exacerbated in recent times by phenomenal losses sustained by several large corporations (including municipalities), in the United States, Europe and Asia. This thesis seeks to evaluate the capacity of the existing regulatory framework in Australia to provide protection to participants trading in the OTC derivatives markets. The evaluation is carried out in three parts: first, by identifying the gaps in the Corporations Law regimes, second by determining the extent to which the general criminal and consumer laws are capable of stepping into the breach left open by the Corporations Law and third, by locating the gaps in the supervisory structure by identify the participants who are not subject to any form of supervision by the regulators. The examination conducted in this thesis of the regimes in Chapters 7 and 8 of the Corporations Law reveals a number of gaps in respect of investor protection. Significantly, the OTC derivatives market, which is by far the larger market compared to the on-exchange derivatives market, is generally unregulated by the Corporations Law. Comparative analysis between the sanctions provisions in Chapters 7 and 8 of the Corporations Law and those in the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) indicated that whilst these latter Acts have the potential to act as a substitute for some of the sanctions provisions in the Corporation Law, about half of the sanctions provisions under the Corporations Law regime has no equivalent provisions in these Acts. In consequence, some regulatory gaps remain. Gaps also occur in the supervisory structure as the surveillance by regulators of market participants is focused along institutional lines. The failure of the law to provide adequate protection to investors trading in the OTC derivatives markets is due primarily to an outdated, inflexible and inappropriate regulatory framework which, when originally constructed, was not intended to regulated the broad spectrum of financial derivatives. This thesis discusses the gaps and deficiencies in the Corporations Law regime and also discusses the recent recommendations made by the Wallis Committee and the Companies and Securities Advisory Committee as well as the proposals of the Treasury in relation to investor protection. It also provides some suggestions for law reform.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2009

Suite à la crise financière de 2008 les pays du G20 se sont interrogés sur la transparence des marchés, la stabilité du système et une façon de réguler les risques posés par le nouvel environnement économique. Les produits dérivés de gré à gré ont été identifiés et des engagements ont été pris en faveur de nouvelles régulations des dérivés de gré à gré et la gestion des risques sous-jacents. Les régulateurs ont donc adopté chacun à leur tour un cadre législatif régulant les dérivés de gré à gré tout en déployant un effort international d'harmonisation et de reconnaissance des contreparties assujetties à des régimes équivalents. Les autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières ont publié des projets de règlements. Nous nous interrogerons sur ce nouveau cadre réglementaire des dérivés de gré à gré élaboré par les autorités canadiennes en valeurs mobilières, prenant en considération les spécificités canadiennes et les acteurs actifs sur leur territoire. Notre étude traite de ces projets de règlements et de la difficulté d'encadrer les marchés des dérivés de gré à gré qui par définition ne comportent pas de plateformes de négociation ou de lieu géographique et de frontières mais se caractérisent surtout par le lien contractuel entre les parties et l'identification de ces parties. L'élaboration d'un nouveau cadre pour les dérivés de gré à gré qui régule les transactions transfrontières semble très délicat à traiter et les possibles conflits et chevauchements de lois seront inévitables. Confrontés à des définitions divergentes de contreparties locales, les parties à une opération seront condamnées à un risque de qualification en vertu des règlements nationaux sur les dérivés de gré à gré. Une concertation pourrait être renforcée et la détermination de l'autorité compétente ainsi que les concepts de contreparties locales, succursales ou filiales pourraient être harmonisés. / Having in mind the 2008 financial crisis the G20 countries have questioned the transparency of the markets, the stability of the system and explored new solutions in order to control the risks triggered by a new economic environment. OTC derivatives have been identified and commitments were made in favor of new regulations of OTC derivatives and the management of the underlying risks. Regulators have therefore adopted in turn a legislative framework regulating OTC derivatives while deploying an incentive for international harmonization and recognition of counterparties subject to equivalent schemes. Canadian Securities Administrators have issued proposed regulations. We wonder how the Canadian Securities Administrators have developed this new regulatory framework for OTC derivatives, taking into consideration the Canadian specificities and the local activities of the Canadian actors? Our study addresses these draft regulations and the difficulty to supervise OTC derivatives which in the past, were not traded via platforms, recorded or related to a geographic location but mainly characterized by the contractual relationship between the parties. The development of a new framework for OTC derivatives which will regulate cross-border transactions seem very difficult to deal with and possible conflicts and overlapping laws are inevitable. Faced with different definitions of local counterparts, the parties to a transaction will be condemned to a risk of qualification under national regulations of OTC derivatives. A dialogue shall therefore be strengthened and the determination of the competent authority and clarification of the local counterparts concepts, branches or subsidiaries shall be harmonized.