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Bank of Canada announces change to maximum bid rate for securities repo operations

The Bank of Canada is announcing a change to the pricing of the securities repo operations (SRO).

The maximum bid rate in the SRO will be set at 15 bps below the Bank’s target for the overnight rate, effective Monday, January 30, 2023. This change follows a previous increase of the SRO maximum bid rate (to 10 bps below the target rate), which took place in January 2021 during a period of increased specialness in the repo market for Government of Canada (GoC) securities.

The Bank’s holdings of GoC bonds are continuing to decline through quantitative tightening, and the Bank no longer holds some of the most liquid securities. With daily SRO usage trending lower alongside a moderation in GoC repo specialness, the lower maximum bid rate allows more room for private sector transactions to take place, while continuing to support the functioning of the securities financing market.

Other parameters of the program, including counterparty limits, remain unchanged.

The SRO provides a temporary source of Government of Canada securities to primary dealers to support liquidity in the securities financing market. The Bank, at its discretion, may adjust the size, pricing and other parameters of the program to achieve its objectives. The terms and conditions of the SRO provide operational details.


Director
Financial Markets Department
613‑782‑7245


Director
Financial Markets Department
613‑782‑7723

Content Type(s): Press, Market notices