Securities Lending Facility
Eligible parties are able to borrow Treasury Bonds through a securities lending facility provided by the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM). The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) operates the facility on behalf of the AOFM.
The lending facility allows bond market participants to borrow Treasury Bonds when they are not readily available from other sources in the market.
Treasury Bonds may be borrowed open term (a minimum of one day and automatically rolled each business day until terminated) or intraday.
The facility is intended to enhance the efficiency of the Treasury Bond market.
- The capacity of intermediaries to make two-way prices, particularly for bonds that become ‘tight’ in the repurchase market, is increased if Treasury Bonds can be borrowed when required on an open term basis.
- Settlement processing of financial transactions involving Treasury Bonds can in some situations be made significantly smoother for market participants if Treasury Bonds can be borrowed intraday.
The facility operates through repurchase agreements between the RBA and bond market participants. A repurchase agreement (commonly referred to as a repo) involves a holder of debt securities (for example, Treasury Bonds) selling them for cash, and simultaneously agreeing to repurchase them at a fixed price on a fixed date in the future.
Securities lending facilities similar to this facility are operated by the State Government borrowing authorities and many overseas sovereign borrowers.
The following is more detailed information concerning the facility:
Securities Available to be Borrowed
The AOFM manages a stock of fixed coupon Treasury Bonds created and issued under the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act 1911 for the purpose of securities lending by the Treasurer. Any fixed coupon Treasury Bond line currently on public issue is available for borrowing via the facility (Treasury Notes and Treasury Indexed Bonds are not available for borrowing via the facility).
The aggregate face value amount of Treasury Bonds available for borrowing via the facility is $5 billion.
While every reasonable attempt will be made to meet all requests to borrow Treasury Bonds through the facility, there is no commitment to fulfil all requests.
Collateral
Counterparties borrowing Treasury Bonds through the facility must provide collateral in the form of acceptable securities.
Securities accepted as collateral are those accepted by the RBA as general collateral in relation to repurchase agreements with the RBA. These securities include:
- Commonwealth Government Securities (that is, Treasury Bonds, Treasury Indexed Bonds and Treasury Notes);
- securities issued by State Government and Territory central borrowing authorities; and
- certain Australian dollar denominated securities of foreign sovereigns and their agencies, and supranational institutions.
Further details concerning eligible securities are contained on the RBA website.
Counterparties can request to substitute one or more lines of collateral securities for others over the term of an open term securities lending transaction.
Role of Reserve of Bank of Australia (RBA)
The RBA operates the facility on behalf of the AOFM. The RBA contracts as principal, vis a vis a counterparty, in securities lending transactions undertaken through the facility.
Requests to access the facility should be directed to the RBA’s Domestic Markets Desk on +61 2 9551 8321. Market participants wishing to access the facility should notify the RBA by 3:00 pm on the day they wish to take delivery of securities. Approaches after this time will be dealt with on a 'best endeavours' basis.
Eligible Counterparties
Any member of the Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System (RITS) which has treasury operations located in Australia and is able to execute and settle transactions with the RBA through the Austraclear System is an eligible counterparty.
Transaction Type
Each securities lending transaction will be completed using a cash matched repurchase agreement and reverse repurchase agreement. The RBA will pay cash to the counterparty to purchase the collateral securities under a reverse repurchase agreement, and the loaned Treasury Bonds will be sold to the counterparty, in exchange for cash, under a repurchase agreement.
Counterparties should note that by entering a repurchase agreement with the RBA into the Austraclear System, the counterparty is agreeing to be bound by the terms of The Bond Market Association/International Securities Market Association (TBMA/ISMA) Global Master Repurchase Agreement, as amended for Australia by Exhibit A of the RITS Regulations and Conditions of Operation.
Settlement Period and Term
The first leg of each repurchase agreement and reverse repurchase agreement are for same-day settlement on any day which is not a public holiday in Sydney.
In the case of intraday securities lending transactions, the second leg of each repurchase agreement and reverse repurchase agreement is transacted to be settled on the same day as the first leg. If the second leg of an intraday securities lending transaction is not completed by the end of the RITS Daily Settlement Session, the transaction becomes an open term securities lending transaction.
An open term securities lending transaction is automatically rolled on the same terms at 3:00 pm each business day unless either the RBA or the counterparty advise otherwise prior to this time. The maturity date can be the same day the advice is received.
Intraday securities loans must be unwound in full; they cannot be partially unwound.
Initial Margin
A margin ratio is applied to the collateral securities purchased by the RBA. This is done in accordance with the rules applying to reciprocal purchase transactions in the RITS Regulations and Conditions of Operation. At present, this ratio is 102 per cent.
Margin Calls
Margin calls are conducted in accordance with the rules applying to reciprocal purchase agreements as set out in the RITS Regulations and Conditions of Operation. When deciding to make a margin call, the RBA will take into account its overall position with a counterparty.
In the normal course, margin payments made by either the RBA, or the counterparty, will be met by a free of cash transfer of the required collateral securities in Austraclear.
Minimum Transaction Size
The minimum amount of a specific line of Treasury Bonds that can be borrowed through the facility is $5 million (face value).
Interest Rates
Interest is payable only in respect of open term securities lending transactions.
- The interest rate payable to a counterparty on cash borrowed by the RBA under a repurchase agreement in loaned Treasury Bonds will be the RBA cash rate target less a margin determined by the AOFM. This margin is currently 300 basis points. The margin may be changed from time to time, although it is expected that changes in the margin will be infrequent.
- The interest rate payable by a counterparty on cash lent by the RBA under a reverse repurchase agreement against the collateral securities will be the RBA cash rate target.
In the case of an intraday securities lending transaction, the counterparty will be subject to charges applied by the RBA to reflect fees levied by Austraclear on the RBA in relation to the transaction.
Reporting
Details regarding Treasury Bonds on loan to counterparties at the end of each day are updated each business day on the RBA’s electronic news service pages (Bloomberg – RBA9 and Reuters – RBA28).
Historical data on Treasury Bonds lent on an open term basis via the facility are updated on the fifth business day of each month.