ECB group asks legislators for more time on Ester

Worries are growing that benchmark rate replacements will take longer to create than the time available.

An alternative to Euribor, should a revamp of the benchmark to make it compliant with European regulation not be successful, can’t be done on time, according to recently published minutes from a working group formed by the European Central Bank.

Europe’s endorsed alternative reference rate, Ester (the euro short-term rate), doesn’t exist yet. But it will need to, and be fully functional, by January 2020. This is when the EU Benchmarks Regulation (BMR) stipulates that critical benchmarks like Eonia and Euribor must comply or be replaced in financial instruments.

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