On February 25, 2020, the International Swaps and Derivatives
Association (ISDA) launched a new consultation on how to implement
pre-cessation fallback language into derivatives
agreements.1 Responses are due by no later than
March 25th. The consultation’s outcome will be an
important step in providing the industry with clarity as the
transition away from LIBOR progresses.
Background
ISDA has been exploring pre-cessation fallback provisions since
May 2019, when it launched separate consultations for pre-cessation
fallbacks and permanent cessation fallbacks.2 ISDA first
issued a consultation calling for preferred methods of implementing
pre-cessation language into derivatives agreements in response to a
letter from the Financial Stability Board Official Sector Steering
Group (FSB OSSG) about the potential need for a pre-cessation
trigger for fallbacks if LIBOR were deemed by the U.K. Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA) to be “no longer capable of