Target2-Securities (T2S) could help eurozone banks plug the Basel III capital shortfall they face to the tune of EUR33 billion, according to a study from Clearstream and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
After much delay, T2S - the ECB's plan to streamline Europe's securities settlement structure - is slated to finally go live in 2015.
According to Clearstream and PwC, the move will provide a major helping hand to banks as they scramble to address what the OECD estimates is a EUR295 billion capital shortfall in the eurozone for meeting Basel III capital adequacy requirements.
The EUR33 billion capital savings could be unlocked thanks to the opportunity to pool cash accounts in T2S, says the study. Pooled cash accounts would enable participants to centralise and net off cash payment obligations associated with their settlement activity in participating markets.
Clearstream says that the figure is based on analysis of millions of cross-border settlements in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy that shows that pooling cash settlement into a single account would reduce its own liquidity requirements by a daily average of 15% during peak settlement periods.
Philip Brown, head, client relations, Europe and Americas, Clearstream, says: "This is another example of the opportunities that T2S will bring if the market pulls together and mobilises around it. The potential relief on participants' capital requirements should be a key trigger to gear up to T2S which, ultimately, will also make the market more robust."
Read the full study