Finastra has introduced additional alternative reference rates (ARR) and risk-free Rates (RFRs) to its Fusion LIBOR Transition Calculator.
The move enables banks, corporates and borrowers to calculate ARR in preparation for the end of the majority of Libor rates on 31 December, 2021.
In addition to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) for the US dollar and Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) for pounds sterling, the calculator service now incorporates ARR rates €STR for the euro, Tonar for the Japanese yen and RFR rate Sora for the Singapore dollar.
The calculator uses a trusted methodology, based on accepted ARR market conventions, to deliver consistent and accurate results thereby helping users significantly reduce operational risk and ensure regulatory compliance.
Available through Finastra’s FusionFabric.cloud open innovation platform, the calculator service can be seamlessly integrated with a bank’s existing lending systems.
The use of Open APIs also facilitates integration with legacy systems that have not been prepared for the LIBOR transition and are unable to perform complex ARR calculations. The new calculated ARR rates can be directly consumed by these legacy applications, avoiding the need for complex and costly system changes.
“As the Libor transition matures, we are seeing a range of new risk-free rates emerging across the market. This will add additional complexity and cost to many organisations’ operations,” says Simon Thorogood, Senior Principal Product Manager, Corporate and Syndicated Lending at Finastra.
He adds, “Banks and corporate borrowers need to be fully prepared. They must ask themselves: Are they ready to source and calculate the new risk-free rates? Can they reconcile rates that are released by different authorities at different times? Do they have coverage of all the complex calculation methods that impact accruals?
Patricia Hines, Head of Corporate Banking, Celent, says “Minimising the risk associated with the transition away from Libor to new risk-free rates is absolutely essential and any technology that can help simplify what could otherwise be a very complex process will be most welcomed by the industry.”
©Markets Media Europe 2021
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