HomeCirculars › RBI/2013-14/430

Banks' Exposure to Central Counterparties: Interim Norms

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2013-14/430 · issued 07 Jan 2014 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has temporarily exempted banks' clearing exposure to Qualifying CCPs (QCCPs) from the 15% single-counterparty exposure limit. This move supports central clearing of OTC derivatives. Banks must report monthly clearing exposures to QCCPs and face potential risk mitigation measures if exposures are deemed high.

What changed

RBI has issued an interim arrangement allowing banks' clearing exposure to QCCPs to be excluded from the 15% single-counterparty exposure limit. Previously, all exposures to a single counterparty were subject to this ceiling. Now, only non-clearing exposures (like loans, credit lines, investments in CCP capital, liquidity facilities) to QCCPs remain within the limit. Exposures to non-QCCPs continue to be fully subject to the 15% cap.

What it means for you

This change encourages banks to use central clearing for standardized OTC derivatives, reducing systemic risk. Banks can now increase their clearing business with QCCPs without breaching exposure limits, potentially lowering counterparty credit risk. However, RBI will monitor these exposures closely and may require risk mitigation if they become too high, so banks need robust reporting and risk management systems.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), Banks with OTC derivative exposures cleared through CCPs, Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL), NSCCL, ICCL, MCX-SXCCL

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is a Qualifying CCP (QCCP)?

A QCCP is a central counterparty that meets international standards (CPSS-IOSCO Principles) and is recognized by its regulator. Currently, CCIL (by RBI) and NSCCL, ICCL, MCX-SXCCL (by SEBI) are QCCPs.

What exposures are exempt from the 15% single-counterparty limit?

Only clearing exposure, which includes trade exposure and default fund exposure as defined in RBI's July 2, 2013 circular, is exempt. Other exposures like loans, credit lines, investments in CCP capital, and liquidity facilities remain within the limit.

What happens if a QCCP loses its status?

If a regulator withdraws QCCP status, the CCP becomes a non-QCCP, and all exposures to it must be within the 15% single-counterparty exposure ceiling.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #961: DBOD.No.BP.BC.82/21.06.217/2013-14 — "Banks' Exposure to Central Counterparties (CCPs) - Interim Arrangements" dated January 7, 2014”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2013-14/430 DBOD.No.BP.BC.82/21.06.217/2013-14 January 7, 2014 The Chairman and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of All Scheduled Commercial Banks (Excluding Regional Rural Banks) Dear Sir / Madam, Banks’ Exposure to Central Counterparties (CCPs) - Interim Arrangements In terms of para 2.1.1.1 of the Master Circular on Exposure Norms dated July 1, 2013, the exposure limit applicable to a single counterparty of a bank is 15 per cent of its capital funds. 2. The recent financial crisis has highlighted the need to promote a central clearing of standardized over-the-counter (OTC) derivative products through a Central Counterparty (CCP). It has, therefore, been decided that as an interim measure, a bank’s clearing exposure to a Qualifying CCP (QCCP) will be kept outside of the exposure ceiling of 15 per cent of its capital funds applicable to a single counterparty. Clearing exposure would include trade exposure and default fund exposure as defined in the guidelines on capital requirements for banks’ exposure to central counterparties issued vide Circular DBOD.No.BC.28/21.06.201/ 2013-14 dated July 2, 2013 . Other exposures to QCCPs such as loans, credit lines, investments in the capital of CCP, liquidity facilities, etc. will continue to be within the existing exposure ceiling of 15 per cent of capital funds to a single counterparty. However, all exposures of a bank to a non-QCCP should be within this exposure ceiling of 15 per cent. 3. Presently, there are four CCPs viz. Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL), National Securities Clearing Corporation Ltd. (NSCCL), Indian Clearing Corporation Ltd. (ICCL), and MCX-SX Clearing Corporation Ltd. (MCX-SXCCL) that are subjected, on an ongoing basis, to rules and regulations that are consistent with CPSS-IOSCO Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures. While the CCIL has been granted the status of a QCCP by the Reserve Bank, the other three CCPs have been granted the status of QCCP by SEBI. Both the regulators have issued press statements to this effect on January 1, 2014 and January 3, 2014 respectively. It may also be mentioned that the status of a CCP as a QCCP may change in future, if a regulator/supervisor of the CCP withdraws the status of QCCP. After withdrawal of the status of a QCCP, the CCP will be considered a non-QCCP and exposure norms as applicable to non-QCCPs would be applicable. 4. The Reserve Bank will monitor banks’ clearing exposures to QCCPs. For this purpose, banks will report their clearing exposures to each QCCP to Reserve Bank through email and to the Principal Chief General Manager, Department of Banking Supervision, Reserve Bank of India, Centre 1, 3rd Floor, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Colaba,  Mumbai- 400 005 within seven days of each succeeding month. The data on clearing exposure should be end of day clearing exposures to each QCCP separately for all the days in a month. The reporting format in this respect is given in the Annex . In cases where a bank’s exposures to QCCPs are considered high, the Reserve Bank may initiate suitable measures requiring the bank to initiate suitable risk mitigation plans such as either reducing the exposure within reasonable time or maintaining a higher level of capital on such exposure. 5. Reserve Bank would consider a revised framework on banks’ exposure to QCCP as and when the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) finalises its proposal in this regard. Yours faithfully, (Prakash Chandra Sahoo) Chief General Manager Annex Format for reporting of exposures to QCCPs Name of the bank: Reporting Month: Name of QCCP 1 …………
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2013-14/430 · issued 07 Jan 2014. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=8674&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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