Hong Kong Stock Exchange: The total amount of cross-currency swap settlements settled by OTC clearing companies in the first half of the year reached a record high of US$82.5 billion for the same period

The Zhitong Finance App learned that in the first half of 2026, Hong Kong's fixed income and currency (FIC) market momentum continued to increase. The total amount of cross-currency swaps (CCS) settled through OTC Clear (OTC Clear) under the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (OTC Clear) reached a record high of US$82.5 billion over the same period, reflecting the continued deepening application of central settlement services in the cross-currency swap market and further increasing market participation.

To further support market development and enhance the efficiency and flexibility of risk management, OTC clearing companies introduced five optimization measures for foreign exchange clearing services. Four of these were successfully implemented in the first half of the year:

Optimize performance collateral arrangements and improve the efficiency of member collateral management

Increase principal exchange risk limits to support growing trading demand

Revise the foreign exchange margin calculation scenario to optimize the level of margin coverage

Optimize cross-currency swaps and multilateral compression services to improve capital and operational efficiency

The fifth optimization measure is expected to be introduced later this year. Through the addition of the Authorized Transaction Registration System (ATRS), the settlement service for deliverable foreign exchange contracts (DFX) will be further expanded, and access channels for market participants will be expanded.

These optimization measures reflect HKEx's commitment to continue to drive the development of the fixed income and currency (FIC) business. They also help build a deeper and more connected market ecosystem, and further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a leading global fixed income and money market hub.