Compression to save the swaps business, dealers predict

Dealers believe they can halve the notional size of their interest rate swap portfolios by the end of next year, thanks to next-generation compression services from swaps clearing houses. According to some, the market’s future depends on it. Tom Osborn reports

Under the hood of most sports cars sits a super-charger – a complex bit of kit that allows faster acceleration and higher top speeds via the use of compression. Dealers in the interest rate swaps market are hoping the next generation of compression technology now being rolled out by clearing houses will do something similar.

In terms of raw numbers, the projections are staggering. LCH.Clearnet's SwapClear, the long-standing market-leader, says it hopes to eliminate more than half a quadrillion