LCH Clears First Israeli Shekel-Denominated Interest Rate Swaps

LCH announced this Wednesday that it has cleared the first Israeli Shekel-denominated interest rate swaps via its dedicated service SwapClear.
With the addition of the Israeli Shekel, SwapClear now offers clearing for interest rate derivatives in 27 currencies. Bank Leumi and Citi were among the first parties to clear a derivatives trade denominated in the Israeli currency via LCH.

Furthermore, in its statement today, the clearing house highlighted that the following clearing brokers supported the clearing of Israeli Shekel swaps from launch: Citi, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and J.P. Morgan.
Commenting on the announcement, Susi de Verdelon, Global Head of SwapClear and Listed Rates, LCH, said in the statement: “We are delighted to bring clearing of Israeli Shekel interest rate derivatives to market. 
“This is a significant enhancement to our global clearing offering and we’ve seen strong demand for the product from our international members and their clients. Many firms are looking to optimise their portfolios as the uncleared margin rules continue to be phased in, and the introduction of this product will be an important tool for them to achieve greater efficiencies.”
LCH has been constantly expanding its offering, with the clearing house recently announcing back in May that it had cleared the referencing the Singapore Overnight Rate Average (SORA), which was in response to customer demand.
Citi and Bank Leumi Call LCH Development a Positive Step
“Clearing of derivatives denominated in Israeli Shekel is an important development for the market. By clearing Israeli Shekel, LCH has enabled us to achieve significant efficiencies in our derivatives portfolio. We are delighted to participate in the first cleared Israeli Shekel derivatives trades,” added Mr. Ronen Agassi, Head of Capital Markets Division, Bank Leumi LE-Israel B.M., in the statement.
“Access to a multi-currency pool of liquidity is vital to efficient clearing and risk management,” continued Neil Corney, Citibank NA, Israel CCO and Head of Markets.
“The launch of Israeli Shekel clearing at LCH is a positive step for the market, significantly increasing the opportunity to realise margin and capital efficiencies. Citi, as a primary international financial organisation, with a significant local banking presence, is delighted to act as the executor for the launch of Shekel clearing at LCH.”