Approved Compression Service Providers (ACSPs)

SwapClear can receive and process valid compression proposals created by Approved Compression Service Providers (as defined in the applicable LCH rulebook).

Below is a list of the Approved Compression Service Providers for SwapClear:

 - TriOptima AB

 - Quantile Technologies Limited

LCH requires all prospective compression providers meet the following criteria:

  • Meets the requirements to provide Multilateral Compression in accordance with LCH's rulebook
  • Potential ACSP has robust legal framework under which to provide such compression services
  • Potential ACSP can demonstrate robust controls and operational capability
  • LCH can operationally support the proposed compression services  
  • Potential ACSP has written confirmation of commitment from at least six SwapClear clearing members to use their compression services
  • Potential ACSP can demonstrate successful testing of its compression services with a minimum number of potential participants
ACSP Onboarding Steps

Minimum Onboarding Steps

  • Having a suitable NDA in place for discussion on prospective ACSP's proposed compression services
  • Validation by LCH that the above minimum criteria have been met
  • Established with LCH an ACSP compression documentation under which such service will operate along with LCH Rulebook
  • Established a service agreement with LCH on which to operate and any agreed legal and commercial arrangements
  • Successfully complete testing phases required by LCH
  • LCH's receipt of all risk and regulatory approvals required to onboard the prospective ACSP

The anticipated duration from once the criteria set forth above has been met is between three to six months, dependent on the ACSP's ability to satisfying the criteria above.

ACSP Membership Choice

Once the prospective ACSP has satisfied the above criteria, it may elect a Silver or Gold membership.  ACSPs will be required to pay a once-off onboarding fee of £75,000 to cover LCH’s costs to support its compression services and the operational, legal and sales efforts to onboard the ACSP.

Where an ACSP’s compression cycles have terminated at least 1,000,000 trades sides in a given calendar year, that ACSP is eligible to apply for Platinum ACSP status, as described below.  In the event a Platinum ACSP does not maintain the minimum number of terminations required for Platinum status in a given calendar year, LCH will retroactively charge the ACSP the applicable membership applicable fees for Gold membership.  Choice of applicable membership can be elected annually from 1st November to 15 December each year. In the event an ACSP does not elect a membership plan by 15 December, the ACSP will be deemed to have elected a dormant membership plan.

 

 

  Commercial Model for ACSP Silver Gold Platinum
1 Once-off onboarding Fee (required for all new ACSPs) £75,000 £75,000 NA
2 Annual ACSP Fee (refunded if the ACSP terminates 1,000,000 trade sides within the calendar year) £200,000 £480,000 NA
3 Compression Runs included in Annual ACSP Fee (subjected to member demand and operational constraints – no refunds if unused) 8 24 Subjected to member demand
4 Average cost per run included in annual fee £25,000 £20,000 NA
5 Charge for additional compression runs (above inclusion) in EUR, USD or GBP.  Additional runs will not incur this charge if they terminate at least 15,000 EUR or USD trade sides, at least 8,000 GBP trade sides or 100 trade sides if it is an inflation-only run (EUR, USD or GBP) £22,500 £18,000 NA
6 Charge for a EUR or USD compression run that terminates fewer than 15,000 trades sides or a GBP compression run that terminates fewer than 8,000 trade sides. For inflation-only runs (EUR, USD or GBP) this charge will only be applicable if fewer than 100 trade sides are terminated N/A N/A £18,000

7

Min Participants in EUR, USD, GBP, JPY compression runs 8 8 8
8 Min Participants in others currency specific runs 6 6 6
9 Platinum qualification – min. number of trade side terminations from ACSP compression runs per calendar year based on previous 12 months NA NA 1,000,000
10 If Platinum ACSP does not meet minimum trade side terminations target, then ACSP must revert to Gold status      

 

The terms of an ACSP’s appointment as such by LCH, including all fees, costs, expenses, minimum criteria and membership terms shall be subject to and governed by the relevant service agreement with LCH.

Note, LCH charges its clearing members and clients for using LCH ACSP compression services.  These are described here.

LCH’s process for confirming proposed ACSP’s cycles

1. For the next quarter all vendors submit to LCH requests for runs including the date they want to perform a run and its currency[s]

  • A vendor can only do one run a day

  • A vendor can only perform one run in a currency with the same products per calendar week

 

2. Vendors all submit their requests by email on the same pre agreed day

  • For Q1 – Second Wednesday of preceding November

  • For Q2 – Second Wednesday of preceding February

  • For Q3 – Second Wednesday of preceding May

  • For Q4 – Second Wednesday of preceding August

 

3. LCH collates all the requested runs and identifies those which LCH cannot support, these being

  • Runs on days that LCH is not open

  • Runs on days that LCH believe is sensitive e.g. elections

  • Runs on days when LCH may be making a release

  • Others to be determined at LCHs discretion

 

4. LCH collates the eligible requested runs and confirms to the vendors which runs have been accepted by the following Wednesday. Acceptance and confirmation of request runs are subject to the following:

  • Where more than one vendor has requested to perform a run in the same currency on the same day, LCH will inform such vendors that these runs could be subject to constraints on the number of “events” (each termination and new trade is an event) they can generate in the applicable run

  • Impacted vendors may choose to request different dates for runs and can work with LCH to identify appropriate, alternative dates

  • Runs may also be subject to event constraints depending on the combinations of currencies requested

 

5. Where runs will be subjected to event constraints, LCH will inform the impact vendors approximately a week before the applicable run as to the number of events each vendor is permitted to perform in each of their runs

  • Where a vendor’s run is subject to event constraints, the number of events a vendor may effect shall be limited based on (x) the number of events effected in the vendor’s previous run(s) in the relevant currency and/or (y) the number of eligible trades each vendor has in their cycle based on the participating members.  Where two or more vendors are performing runs in the same currency on the same day a member can only participate in one of the cycles 

 

6. LCH will publish the approved run schedule, including the date and currency[s] information to the vendors

 

Notwithstanding the above, LCH may allocate, cancel or reschedule compression runs in its discretion for operational, technical, risk or legal considerations

Scheduling of ACSP Testing

LCH Limited (“LCH”) makes available testing functionality for all ACSPs that wish to test new products or services. LCH requires all ACSP testing to be booked with Rates Client Services. Please also note the following:

 

  • Testing must be booked at least 2 weeks and no more than two months in advance of the proposed testing date.
  • LCH may reject a request for testing on consecutive weeks where LCH has scheduled a service release or other operational or technology changes.
  • Testing will be scheduled on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

 

In the event that testing is unavailable, LCH will make all ACSPs aware.