The reform of the two main euro area interest rate benchmarks administered by the European Money Markets Institute (EMMI) – EONIA and EURIBOR – is carried out in observance of the Principles for Financial Benchmarks, which were published in 2013 by the International Organisation of Security Commissions (IOSCO), and the EU Benchmarks Regulation, which came into force in 2018.
- EONIA (euro overnight index average) is an effective overnight rate computed as a weighted average of all overnight unsecured lending transactions in the interbank market, initiated within the euro area by the contributing panel banks.
- EURIBOR (euro interbank offered rate) is the rate at which euro interbank term deposits are being offered within the EU and EFTA countries by one prime bank to another at 11:00 a.m. Brussels time.
More information on benchmark rates is available here.
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Consultations on €STR and related changes
In September 2018, amid the benchmark reform, the working group on euro risk free rates endorsed recommendations to market participants regarding the transition from EONIA to the euro short-term rate (€STR). €STR is based on borrowing transactions in euro conducted by banks and financial institutions (pension funds, insurance companies and assets managers) with financial counterparties (including borrowing from non-euro area agents). The data is gathered in accordance with the ECB’s money market statistical reporting (MMSR). Since 2 October 2019 €STR is published by the ECB on its website. Since May 11, 2021 the secretariat function for the working group is being provided by the European Securities and Markets Authority, more information is here. Until then the secretariat function was provided by the European Central Bank (ECB).
Transition from EONIA to €STR started on October 2019 and should be finished by the end of 2021. After the transition period EONIA will most likely be discontinued. To ensure a smooth transition from EONIA to €STR, the working group on euro risk free rates recommended to redefine the current EONIA methodology as €STR plus a spread, calculated as the difference between the underlying interests of EONIA and pre-€STR, i.e. 0.085%.
More information on €STR is available in the table below.
| Public consultations by the working group on euro risk free rates and EMMI | |
|---|---|
| August - September 2016 | Stakeholder consultation on EONIA, questionnaire and feedback |
| October 2017 - January 2018 | First consultation on developing a euro unsecured overnight interest rate, full consultation details and summary of responses |
| March - April 2018 | Second consultation on a new euro unsecured overnight interest rate, full consultation details and summary of responses |
| March - April 2019 | Consultation on the recommendations for EONIA of the working group on euro risk free rates, questionnaire and feedback |
| May - June 2019 | Consultation on the EONIA to €STR legal action plan, full consultation details and summary of responses |
| July 2019 | Recommendations on the legal action plan for the transition from EONIA to €STR |
| August 2019 | Recommendations on the transition from EONIA to €STR for cash and derivatives products. The working group draws attention to the change in EONIA’s publication time from day “T“ at 19:00 CET to the next business day “T+1“ at 9:15 CET as of 2 October, 2019 (representing transactions executed on 1 October 2019); the discontinuation of EONIA on 3 January 2022. Please find the press release here. |
| July - October 2020 | ECB announced public consultation on the publication of compounded €STR rates. Please find the publication here, the results of the consultation are provided here. |
| November 2020 - January 2021 | The working group announced two public consultations on EURIBOR fallbacks:1) EURIBOR fallback trigger events; 2) €STR-based EURIBOR fallback rates. Please find the press release here. The consultation results and recommendations on €STR based EURIBOR fallbacks are provided here. |
Consultations on EURIBOR and related changes
The EURIBOR reform is currently ongoing. Introduction of necessary changes in the benchmark calculation methodology should make it fall in line with regulatory requirements and thus reinforce its further publication. According to the new hybrid methodology, the benchmark would be calculated based on real transactions data or other market price-setting sources if the former is insufficient.
Financial instruments and contracts that refer to EURIBOR or another IBOR index may serve the construction of a fallback rate. In the case of EURIBOR, €STR, calculated for longer periods, could be used as a fallback.
In July, 2019, the EMMI has been granted an authorisation by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) for the administration of EURIBOR. This also means that the new EURIBOR calculation methodology meets the requirements under EU Benchmarks Regulation and that EURIBOR, based under the new methodology, may be used after January 1st, 2020. More information is available here.
Information on the EURIBOR reform undertaken by EMMI is available here.
| EURIBOR public consultations | |
|---|---|
| October 2015 - January 2016 | Consultation on the evolution of EURIBOR, consultative questions and feedback |
| March - May 2018 | First stakeholder consultation on a hybrid methodology for EURIBOR, questionnaire and feedback |
| October - November 2018 | Second stakeholder consultation on a hybrid methodology for EURIBOR, questionnaire and feedback |
| November 2020 - January 2021 | The working group on euro risk free rates announced two public consultations on EURIBOR fallbacks. Please find more information under the section Consultations on €STR and related changes. |
LIBOR-related changes
What is LIBOR?
LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate), which was phased out in 2023, is the average interbank offered rate at which banks would lend to one another in the London interbank market in euro, dollar and other key global currencies. The indicator was calculated on the basis of interest rates quoted by the sampled most active interbank market participants.
LIBOR was widely used as a benchmark in loan contracts, derivatives as well as for the valuation of money market instruments and other investments. LIBOR was administered by the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA). The calculation of the index was based on data provided by fewer than 20 banks, and the index was calculated for seven maturities (overnight, 1 week, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months) and five currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, JPY and CHF).
Why LIBOR has been discontinued since 1 January 2022?
In 2017, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) found that the decline in activity on the interbank lending market raised serious concerns about the future sustainability of LIBOR.
An agreement was reached between the official authorities and the banks providing data for LIBOR calculation to maintain the index until the end of 2021. In addition, a transition period (until the end of 2021) was foreseen for banks and other market participants to move away from LIBOR to alternative interest rates. Later, the transition period for overnight, 1, 3, 6 and 12-month LIBOR was extended until 30 June 2023.
More information on the LIBOR reform and its calculation methodology is available here.
Alternative interest rates
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EURIBOR |
EURIBOR is the average euro interbank offered rate set for different maturities. EURIBOR complies with the requirements of the EU Benchmark Regulation. |
|
Risk-free rate indices |
Risk-free rate (RFR) indices are overnight indices reflecting the cost of funds in different currencies: the euro short-term rate (€STR) for EUR, Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) for USD, Swiss Average Rate Overnight (SARON) for CHF, Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) for GBP, etc. Recommendations on these alternative replacement indices were developed by risk-free interest rate working groups composed of market participants and established in different jurisdictions: the Working Group on Risk-Free Reference Rates for the Euro Area in the euro area, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee in the US, the National Working Group on CHF Reference Rates in Switzerland, and the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates in the UK. |
|
Rate set by the European Commission |
On 14 October 2021, the European Commission adopted Regulation (EU) 2021/1847 laying down the universally applicable SARON index as the replacement of CHF LIBOR and the margin conversion value. This Regulation is binding and directly applicable in all Member States of the European Union so credit providers operating in Lithuania were also obliged to apply its provisions where the CHF LIBOR index was specified in the credit agreement. |
Other benchmark reforms
Other benchmarks are currently being reformed as well. The reform includes either changes in the whole benchmarks or changes in their calculation methodology. The following table indicates several other benchmark reforms in progress.
| SONIA (sterling overnight index average) |
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In 2018, after the Bank of England took over the responsibility of administering SONIA from the Wholesale Market Brokers Association (WMBA), the index calculation methodology was changed with the aim of meeting the principles set out by IOSCO. Information on SONIA and changes to its calculation methodology is available here. At this time, the possibility to calculate SONIA for longer maturities is under consideration. More information is available here. SONIA is based on actual transactions and reflects the average of the interest rates that banks pay to borrow sterling overnight from other financial institutions. |
| SOFR (secured overnight financing rate) |
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In 2017, the US Alternative Risk Free Rates Committee (ARRC) selected SOFR as an alternative to USD LIBOR and there are plans to announce SOFR calculated for longer maturities. Information on ARRC activities, SOFR and transition from USD LIBOR is available here. SOFR is an average interest rate at which financial institutions can borrow in the US dollar overnight by providing US Treasury securities as collateral. |
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