- Question ID
-
2024_7232
- Legal act
- Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
- Topic
- Market risk
- Article
-
325m
- Paragraph
-
2
- Subparagraph
-
-
- COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs/Recommendations
- Not applicable
- Article/Paragraph
-
-
- Type of submitter
-
Competent authority
- Subject matter
-
Vega general interest rate risk and credit spread risk factors
- Question
-
For credit instruments that include issuer-specific optionality, do both general interest rate vega and credit spread vega risk factors need to be considered as part of the SBM?
- Background on the question
-
Credit instruments such as callable bonds, options on (sovereign) bond futures, and bond options are sensitive to changes in the implied volatilities of the underlying's issuer credit spread rates. These instruments can be affected by two types of vega risk factors: general interest rate risk (GIRR) vega and credit spread risk (CSR) vega. The GIRR vega captures the sensitivity of the instrument's value to changes in the volatility of the general interest rate, while the CSR vega captures the sensitivity to changes in the volatility of the issuer's credit spread.
The sensitivity-based method (SBM) outlined in Article 325m(2) of the CRR requires institutions to calculate risk sensitivities for market risk own funds requirements. However, it is not explicitly clear how to treat instruments that are sensitive to both GIRR and CSR when only a single volatility surface is used for pricing purposes. This single volatility surface may encapsulate both general market and issuer-specific volatility effects, leading to a question of whether separate vega sensitivities for GIRR and CSR should be calculated or whether a single vega sensitivity can be used for both.
In this context, FAQ5 related to MAR 21.8 of the Basel framework clarifies that for callable bonds, options on sovereign bond futures and bond options, delta, vega and curvature capital requirements must be computed for both GIRR and CSR.
- Submission date
- Final publishing date
-
- Final answer
-
Where an instrument includes issuer-specific optionality, both the GIRR and CSR vega sensitivities must be included in the calculation of the own funds requirements for market risks on the basis of the sensitivity-based method in accordance with Part Three, Title IV, Chapter 1a, Section 2, of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR). This applies even if the institution uses a single risk factor for vega risk.
- Status
-
Final Q&A
- Answer prepared by
-
Answer prepared by the EBA.
Disclaimer
The Q&A refers to the provisions in force on the day of their publication. The EBA does not systematically review published Q&As following the amendment of legislative acts. Users of the Q&A tool should therefore check the date of publication of the Q&A and whether the provisions referred to in the answer remain the same.