Central bankers are calling for more action to reduce foreign exchange settlement risk.

The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems has published a consultative report that contains the results of a major survey of how over 100 banks and other institutions manage the risks that can arise when settling foreign exchange transactions.

The report contains specific recommendations for individual institutions, industry groups and central banks to reduce and control remaining exposures that may still present systemic risk and to guard against possible backsliding.

In 1996 the G10 central banks endorsed a comprehensive long-term strategy to reduce the systemic risk that arose from the way foreign exchange transactions were settled. The survey results show that the strategy has achieved some success. In particular, 55% of FX obligations are now settled using CLS, a specialised service for settling FX trades on a “payment-versus- payment” basis.

However, 45% of FX transactions are still settled outside CLS, with most of these using traditional mechanisms that are subject to foreign exchange settlement risk. Furthermore, half of all FX settlement exposures last overnight, not just intraday.

In the light of this evidence, the report proposes an overall strategy consisting of recommended actions for individual institutions, industry groups and central banks:

  • at the most basic level, individual institutions need to ensure that the risk controls and incentives they have in place support fully informed and appropriate choices among available FX settlement methods;
  • industry groups are encouraged to continue to develop services for settling FX trades that will help to reduce risk, particularly services for settling same day and certain next day trades; and
  • the report also indicates a number of steps central banks will take to encourage continued progress by the financial industry.



“The financial services industry has made significant progress in dealing with foreign exchange settlement risk. However, more can and should be done to tackle remaining exposures and to guard against the risk of reversing the progress that has already been achieved,” said Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and chairman of the committee.

“Foreign exchange settlement risk has long been a concern of the G10 Governors and the CPSS due to the implications for systemic risk. Because the survey shows that more needs to be done, central banks will explore ways to work with banking supervisors and other regulators to ensure that financial institutions adequately control their foreign exchange settlement exposures on an ongoing basis,” added Geithner.

“The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision welcomes this important report, and we have already begun to discuss how best we can work with the CPSS to encourage further progress,” said Nout Wellink, president of the Netherlands Bank and chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

The report is being issued now as a consultation document and comments are invited by October 12.