Sovereign Institutions See Securities Lending as Opportunity to Boost Returns and Add Liquidity to Financial Markets, According to BNY Mellon Survey

LONDON and NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign institutions are considering expanding their commitment to securities lending to increase returns and to help alleviate what they perceive as a threat to liquidity in the financial markets, according to a survey from BNY Mellon and the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF).

The findings were reported in Mastering Flows, Strengthening Markets: How sovereign institutions can enhance global liquidity, which was based on a survey by BNY Mellon and OMFIF of two dozen sovereign institutions with combined assets under management greater than $4.7 trillion.

"Global liquidity has been strained since the financial crisis, driven by market disruption, regulation and policy action," said Hani Kablawi, BNY Mellon's Head of Investment Services for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "Besides seeing this as an opportunity to grow returns and reduce costs, sovereigns see themselves as having the ability to mitigate some of the threat to global liquidity that market participants are facing."

Seventy-five percent of the respondents indicated they are willing to allocate 10 to 15 percent of their balance sheets for securities lending activities, with some respondents reporting they are considering using 60 percent of their assets.

Seventy percent of the respondents said they expect an additional return of five to eight basis points from these activities. 

"Increasing sovereign fund participation in securities lending activities would benefit the financial markets by enhancing the liquidity in a wide range of assets. Doing so could compensate somewhat for the reduction in market-making activities by banks and broker-dealers," said Brian Ruane, BNY Mellon executive vice president and chief executive officer of the company's Broker-Dealer Services business. Ruane went on to say that traditional suppliers of liquidity have reduced their activities as a result of increased regulations and central bank policies.

The report notes that regulations such as Basel III implemented after the financial crisis have raised the cost of balance-sheet intensive activities such as securities lending for banks and dealers, leading to greater risk aversion. It also points to actions taken by central banks that have contributed to lower liquidity such as highly accommodative monetary policy, low interest rates and asset purchase programs.

Ruane said, "The bond buying programs have removed just the type of safe assets that are in high demand, while the demand for these assets has increased significantly. Even though liquidity appears to be sufficient today, that could change if central banks become more restrictive. We have already seen the sensitivity of markets to indications that the U.S. Federal Reserve might tighten monetary policy."

Sovereigns seeking to increase their capital markets roles need to become more connected with key market participants such as custody banks, central clearing counterparties, and tri-party repo providers, according to the report. The report notes that such actions will help the sovereigns overcome challenges regarding counterparty risk, credit risk, collateral risk and cash collateral reinvestment.

To view the full report, Mastering Flows, Strengthening Markets: How sovereign institutions can enhance global liquidity, please click here

Notes to Editors:

BNY Mellon Broker-Dealer Services clears and settles equity and fixed income transactions in over 100 markets and is an industry leader in transactions cleared through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

BNY Mellon's Asset Servicing business supports institutional investors in today's fast-evolving markets, safeguarding assets and enhancing the management and administration of client investments through services that process, monitor and measure data from around the world. We leverage our global footprint and local expertise to deliver insight and solutions across every stage of the investment lifecycle.

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries and more than 100 markets. As of June 30, 2016, BNY Mellon had $29.5 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.7 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

This press release is issued by The Bank of New York Mellon to members of the financial press and media. All information and figures source BNY Mellon unless otherwise stated as at June 30, 2016. The Bank of New York Mellon, London Branch, registered in England and Wales with FC005522 and BR000818. Branch office: One Canada Square, London E14 5AL. The Bank of New York Mellon is supervised and regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services and the Federal Reserve and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. The Bank of New York Mellon London branch is subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.

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SOURCE BNY Mellon