South Africa has posted a 13th quarter in a row of improved efficiency in its securities settlement, rising from sixth to fifth (out of 22) in the global emerging markets settlement index table in the fourth quarter of 2002, according to Strate, the JSE’s electronic settlement company.
Strate said on Monday that, according to the most recent rankings released by London-based GSCS Benchmarks, the South African benchmark, effectively a settlement efficiency score out of 100, is now at 98,13, 1,64% ahead of the previous quarter and immeasurably better than the negative 3,42 scored for South Africa by GSCS Benchmarks for the third quarter of 1999. The higher the score, the lower the risk.
South Africa is also ranked an impressive second in terms of the GSCS Benchmarks operational risk index, prompting the rating agency to remark: “South Africa has made impressive advances in operational performance in recent quarters, sustained particularly by the drive for dematerialisation within the market.
“This is reflected in a 0,86% rise in the market’s Operational Risk Benchmark score to 76,16 during the fourth quarter of 2002 — and to an improvement of more than 32% in the market’s score year-on-year. Consequently, the South African market has advanced to second in the rankings.”
The dramatic improvement dates back to the introduction of Strate by the JSE, which has clearly revolutionised settlement procedures and electronic custodianship for South Africa’s equity and warrants markets. At 98,13 out of 100, South Africa’s settlement index is now within striking distance of first-placed Taiwan’s 99,95 and second-placed Poland’s 99,06.
Strate CEO Monica Singer pointed out that one of Strate’s prime objectives has been to bolster foreign investor confidence in the JSE Securities Exchange by reducing settlement risk.
“The ongoing improvements that South Africa has achieved in the ratings signifies that Strate has gone a long way toward achieving that objective, with obvious benefits for our securities markets and the South African economy,” she said.
“Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the heightened level of foreign investment recorded in recent weeks — a factor in the rand’s appreciation — stems from the significant reduction in settlement risk that STRATE has brought about.”
The GSCS settlement index incorporates the four components, which, combined, reflect the overall cost to market participants of failed trades. The components comprise average trade size, local market interest rates, the proportion of trades that fail, and the length of time for which they fail.
Operational risk assesses: The settlement and safekeeping benchmarks; The level of compliance with the Group of 30 recommendations; The complexity and
effectiveness of the legal and regulatory structure of the market, such as constraints on capital flows, foreign investment restrictions and market supervision; Counterparty risk; and Force majeure risk. – I-Net-Bridge