On November 18, 2015, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its final Standards and Processes for Global Securities Financing Data Collection and Aggregation. The final standards are based on the FSB’s previous November 2014 consultation paper and define the data elements for securities lending, repo, and margin lending that national and regional authorities will be asked to report in aggregate to the FSB.

Prior to the financial crisis, regulators only had limited data available to them about securities lending and repo markets.  The crisis exposed a number of vulnerabilities previously not recognized as a result of this lack of data.  Right away, regulators realized that the only way to understand and effectively address these weaknesses -- leverage and liquidity risks, weak market infrastructure, and fire sale risks — was to obtain more and better regulatory data about securities lending and repo volume, the types and quality of collateral being employed, and how securities lending and repo fit into firms’ risk management processes.  But a recent release by the Office of Financial Research says these data collection efforts are not enough.  According to the OFR, despite the efforts of regulators, significant gaps remain, and "the risk of set fire sales before or after a counterpart default remains largely unaddressed.” 

With the conclusion of their November 15 and 16 meeting in Brisbane, the G20 has published their official communiqué outlining the group’s progress, plans, and areas of focus. Financial regulatory reform remains the central focus of G20 activities. However, with the slow global recovery and disappointing job growth, the G20 announced that they expect to emphasize expanding the financial sector's role in building a stronger and more sustainable global economy. The overall thrust of the G20’s Brisbane communiqué is that critical work remains to build a stronger, more resilient financial system. Over the next year, the group intends to continue to finalize the various elements of its policy framework that remain open, fully implement financial regulatory reforms already agreed upon, and be vigilant for new risks and unexpected consequences.