Basel issues final rule on banks' exposure to clearing houses

LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) - Capital (Other OTC: CGHC - news) charges on banks to cover their exposure to clearing houses will be capped from 2017, the global Basel Committee of banking supervisors said on Thursday.

Clearing houses, which stand between two sides of a trade to ensure its completion if one side goes bust, are set to grow rapidly as more of the $700 trillion derivatives market is cleared to increase transparency and safety.

The Basel Committee published its final rule on Thursday which contained several changes from interim requirements already in place.

The changes include an explicit cap on capital charges for exposures to so-called qualifying clearing house, meaning those that meet all the new safety standards.

There is also a new method for determining actual capital requirements.

"In formulating the revised framework, the committee sought to avoid undue complexity and to ensure consistency, where possible, with relevant initiatives advanced by other supervisory bodies," the Committee said in a statement. (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Chris Vellacott)