June 4, 2020 (Toronto, Ontario) – The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) today welcomed the Canadian Securities Administrators’ (CSA) decision to expand IIROC’s role as Information Processor (IP) of government debt securities, in addition to its current role as IP for corporate debt securities.
“We thank the CSA for expanding IIROC’s information processor role to include government debt,” says Andrew J. Kriegler, IIROC’s President and CEO. “In support of our mandate to protect investors and the integrity of Canada’s capital markets, we believe that providing free, comprehensive information on debt securities trading gives all market participants enhanced transparency and access to information that will improve their investment decisions and contribute to their confidence in Canada’s capital markets.”
Since July 2016, IIROC has been providing public access through its website [https://bondtradedata.iiroc.ca/] to all corporate debt trades on the secondary market by all IIROC-regulated investment firms on a T+2 basis (two days following the execution of the trade).
As part of the Rule Amendment announced today, the CSA will require that any person or company that executes transactions in corporate or government debt securities provide information on their trades to IIROC. As a result, mandatory post-trade transparency is being extended to apply to all dealers, marketplaces, interdealer bond brokers and banks listed in Schedule I, II or III of the Bank Act (Canada).
Phase 1 of implementation will begin on August 31, 2020. In addition to the existing post-trade information for corporate debt securities, IIROC will publish the post-trade information for trades by dealers that are currently subject to IIROC Rule 2800C and banks that are already reporting their corporate and government debt securities to IIROC.
Phase 2 of implementation will take effect on May 31, 2021. Banks and any other non-IIROC dealers that do not currently report any corporate or government debt transactions to IIROC will be required to begin reporting to IIROC as of this date.
“This marks an important step in IIROC’s commitment to add value to the overall regulatory system by leveraging the information we collect to increase transparency and improve market integrity – in a seamless, efficient manner,” says Victoria Pinnington, IIROC’s Senior Vice-President, Market Regulation.