F1Article 8Liquidity risk

1.

A SIPS operator shall establish a comprehensive framework to manage liquidity risks posed by the SIPS's participants, settlement banks, nostro agents, custodian banks, liquidity providers and other relevant entities. The SIPS operator shall provide the participants with adequate tools to effectively manage their liquidity and shall monitor and facilitate the smooth flow of liquidity in the system.

2.

A SIPS operator shall put in place operational and analytical tools which enable it to identify, measure and monitor settlement and funding flows, including the use of intraday liquidity, on an ongoing and timely basis.

2a.

A SIPS operator operating a DNS system shall ensure that

(a)

financial obligations are established no later than the moment at which a transfer order is included in the calculation of the net settlement positions accessible to each participant; and

(b)

sufficient liquid resources are held in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 6 at the latest at the moment referred to in point (a).

3.

A SIPS operator shall hold, or ensure that participants hold, sufficient liquid resources at all times as from the moment financial obligations are established, in all currencies in which it operates, to effect same-day settlement of financial obligations in a wide range of potential stress scenarios. Where appropriate, this shall include intraday or multiday settlement. The stress scenarios shall include: (a) the default, under extreme but plausible market conditions, of the participant which, together with its affiliates, has the largest aggregate financial obligation; and (b) other scenarios in accordance with paragraph 11.

4.

A SIPS operator settling one-sided payments in euro shall hold, or ensure that participants hold, sufficient liquid resources, in accordance with paragraph 3, to effect timely settlement of financial obligations in the event of a default of the participant which, together with its affiliates, has the largest aggregate financial obligation as determined by paragraph 3(a), in any of the following ways:

(a)

in cash with the Eurosystem; or

(b)

in eligible collateral as defined in the collateral framework of the Eurosystem laid down in Guideline (EU) 2015/510 of the European Central Bank (ECB/2014/60) 9 and Guideline ECB/2014/31 of the European Central Bank 10 provided that the SIPS operator can demonstrate that such collateral is readily available and convertible into cash on a same-day basis using prearranged and highly reliable funding arrangements, including in stressed market conditions.

5.

A SIPS operator settling one-sided payments in euro shall hold, or ensure that participants hold, additional liquid resources, in accordance with paragraph 3(b), in the ways referred to in paragraph 4 or with a creditworthy commercial bank in one or more of the following instruments:

(a)

committed lines of credit;

(b)

committed foreign exchange swaps;

(c)

committed repos;

(d)

assets meeting the requirements of Article 7(1), which are held by a custodian;

(e)

investments.

All of these instruments must allow cash to be available within a timeframe that allows the completion of same-day settlement. In particular, the SIPS operator must be able to demonstrate that non-cash instruments are readily available and convertible into cash on a same-day basis using prearranged and highly reliable funding arrangements, including in stressed market conditions.

The SIPS operator shall be prepared to demonstrate to the competent authority, based on an adequate internal assessment, that the commercial bank is creditworthy.

6.

A SIPS operator settling two-sided payments, or one-sided payments in currencies other than euro, shall hold, or ensure that participants hold, sufficient liquid resources, in accordance with paragraph 3, in the ways referred to in paragraph 5.

7.

Where a SIPS operator supplements the resources referred to in paragraph 3 with other assets, these assets shall be likely to be marketable or acceptable as collateral (for, e.g., lines of credit, swaps, or repos) on an ad hoc basis following a default, even if this cannot be reliably prearranged or guaranteed under extreme but plausible market conditions. Where a participant supplements the resources referred to in paragraph 3 with other assets, the SIPS operator shall ensure that these other assets meet the requirements set out in the first sentence of this paragraph. Assets shall be presumed to be likely to be marketable or acceptable as collateral if the SIPS operator has taken into account the rules and practices of the relevant central bank on the eligibility of collateral.

8.

A SIPS operator shall not assume that emergency central bank credit will be available.

9.

A SIPS operator shall carry out due diligence to verify that each provider of the SIPS's liquid resources, as referred to in paragraph 3: (a) has sufficient and up-to-date information to understand and to manage the liquidity risks associated with the provision of cash or assets; and (b) has the capacity to provide cash or assets as required. The SIPS operator shall review its compliance with the due diligence obligation at least annually. Only entities with access to credit from the central bank of issue shall be accepted as liquidity providers. The SIPS operator shall regularly test the SIPS's procedures for accessing its liquid resources.

10.

A SIPS operator with access to central bank accounts, payment services or securities services shall use these services, where practicable.

11.

A SIPS operator shall, through rigorous stress testing, determine the amount and regularly test the sufficiency of its liquid resources to satisfy the requirements under paragraphs 3 and 4. In conducting stress testing, the SIPS operator shall consider a wide range of relevant scenarios, including one or more participant defaults on the same day and on two or more subsequent days.

When such scenarios are considered, the design and operation of the SIPS shall be taken into account and all entities that might pose material liquidity risks to the SIPS shall be examined, including settlement banks, nostro agents, custodian banks, liquidity providers and linked FMIs. Where appropriate, the scenarios shall cover a multiday period.

12.

A SIPS operator shall document its reasons for holding, and shall have appropriate governance arrangements relating to, the cash and other assets maintained by it or by participants. It shall establish clear procedures for reporting the results of its stress tests to the Board and shall use these results to evaluate the adequacy of and make adjustments to its liquidity risk-management framework.

13.

A SIPS operator shall establish clear rules and procedures enabling the SIPS to effect same-day and, where appropriate, timely intraday and multiday settlement of financial obligations following the default of one or more of its participants. These rules and procedures shall:

(a)

address unforeseen and potentially uncovered liquidity shortfalls;

(b)

aim to avoid the unwinding, revocation or delay of same-day settlement of financial obligations;

(c)

indicate how to replenish the cash and other assets used by the SIPS during a stress event, to the extent required pursuant to paragraphs 3 to 5.