Securities financing transactions (SFTs) such as securities lending and repurchase agreements (repos) play a crucial role in supporting price discovery and secondary market liquidity for a wide variety of securities. However, such transactions can also be used to take on leverage and can lead to maturity and liquidity mismatched exposures. They therefore can pose risks to financial stability.
The FSB published policy recommendations to address financial stability risks in SFTs in August 2013. In November 2015, the FSB developed standards and processes for collecting and aggregating global data on SFTs (SFT Data Standards). To facilitate national implementation of the SFT Data Standards, the FSB has developed reporting guidelines.
Drawing on practical experience, the FSB is providing these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to promote a common approach and to further help national implementation of the SFT Data Standards. The FAQs will continue to be updated as market practices evolve.