ERC Likely To Make Repo Market Course An Annual Event

The repo market course, co sponsored by ISMA's European Repo Council (ERC) and ACI the Financial Markets Association, is likely to become a regular event, says the ERC. The course hosted by Fortis Bank (home of ERC chairman Godfried De

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The repo market course, co-sponsored by ISMA’s European Repo Council (ERC) and ACI – the Financial Markets Association, is likely to become a regular event, says the ERC.

The course – hosted by Fortis Bank (home of ERC chairman Godfried De Vidts) at its offices in Brussels on November 18 and 19 and led by Richard Comotto of the ISMA Centre at Reading University, who also supervises the ERC survey of the European repo market – attracted nearly 300 delegates from 24 countries. The course was also greatly oversubscribed, which ERC believes is symptomatic of unfulfilled demand for professional education in the growing European repo market.

The aim of the course was to accelerate the growth of the European repo markets by increasing the know ledge of individuals already engaged in the market. Which is why the course syllabus was structured to include both practical issues, such as strategies for basis trading, while looking at external developments that will affect the market – such as the 2007 changes to Basel II capital adequacy requirements for repo.

The event attracted a wide range of speakers, who were either drawn from among active market practitioners or from organizations with key roles in the market, such as the Bank of England, Bank of New York, Clearstream, Euroclear, the European Central Bank and LCH.

ERC says it is almost certain to repeat the course next year.

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