In July of 2017, Andrew Bailey, the chief executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), announced in a speech that after 2021 the FCA would no longer use its power to compel panel banks to submit rate information used to determine the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Mr. Bailey encouraged the market to develop robust alternative reference rates to replace LIBOR.
LIBOR has long been the dominant rate for determining interest payments on adjustable-rate financial products and, although progress is being made, transition from LIBOR (and other interbank offered rates (IBORs)) remains a fundamental issue confronting financial markets. Understanding and planning for the impact on your business is key to a smooth transition. Baker McKenzie is pleased to provide expert guidance on this issue below. Please do get in touch if you’d like to learn more.
Author
Matthew Dening
Matthew Dening is the Chair of the Firm's Global Derivatives Practice and a member of the Firm’s Structured Capital Markets Group in the London office. He focuses his practice primarily on cross-border structured finance transactions involving derivatives, repos and securities lending, as well as the regulation of financial products under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR), MiFID II and the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR).
Matthew has received acknowledgement from numerous legal industry guides. He has been ranked as a leading expert by Chambers & Partners since 2005, and is currently ranked Band 1 in Structured Finance & Derivatives in the most recent Global edition. They highlight that he "understands complex problems very well, and is able to think about business issues in conjunction with legal requirements," as well as being "incredibly responsive and client-friendly." He regularly acts for buy-side derivatives firms. The UK Legal 500 note him as "a true expert in this area of law, a pleasant person who can explain very difficult matters clearly."
Matthew is a member of the Editorial Board of Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Finance Law. He is a frequent speaker and guest panellist at conferences in both the derivative and structured product area, as well as law firm management. He was recently a guest panellist at Thomson Reuters Transforming Women’s Leadership in the Law in 2019.