FMI Standard 19: Tiered participation arrangements

Ref #20368285 v1.0
FMI STANDARD 19:
TIERED
PARTICIPATION
ARRANGEMENTS
FS19

Ref #20368285 v1.0
DOCUMENT VERSION HISTORY
1 March 2024 First issue date
INTRODUCTION
Application
i. This standard applies to every operator of a designated FMI that was specified
in its designation notice under section 29(2)(f) of the Financial Market Infrastructures Act 2021 (the Act) as falling within one or more of the following classes of designated FMIs:
(a) a pure payment system; or
(b) a central securities depository; or
(c) a securities settlement system; or
(d) a central counterparty.
Legal powers
ii. Under section 8 of the Act the regulator is defined as the RBNZ and the FMA
acting jointly (or the RBNZ acting on its own in relation to pure payment systems).
iii. Section 12 of the Act provides the regulator's functions. These include
regulating designated FMIs, dealing with designated FMIs that are distressed, and other functions under the Act.
iv. Subject to certain statutory prerequisites, section 31 of the Act empowers the
regulator to make standards for designated FMIs.
v. Section 34 sets out the matters that standards may deal with or otherwise
relate to. Section 34(1)(c) provides that a standard may deal with, or otherwise relate to, how operators must provide access to services under designated FMIs, including how persons may become participants of designated FMIs.
Section 34(1)(e)(ix) provides that a standard may deal with, or otherwise relate
to, risks arising out of interconnections (direct or indirect) between a designated FMI and activities in the financial system that are not activities under designated FMIs. Interpretation
vi. Words and phrases used in this standard have the same meaning as in the
Act.
vii. Tiered participation arrangement means an arrangement that occurs when
indirect participants rely on the services provided by direct participants to use the FMI's central payment, clearing, or settlement systems. Commencement
viii. This standard comes into force on 1 March 2024.

Ref #20368285 v1.0
REQUIREMENTS
1) The operator must identify, monitor, and manage the material risks to the FMI arising
from tiered participation arrangements.
2) Further to the requirements in clause (1), the operator must:
a) ensure that the FMI’s rules, procedures, and contracts allow the operator to gather basic information about indirect participation in order to identify, monitor, and manage any material risks to the FMI arising from such tiered participation arrangements; and b) identify material dependencies between direct and indirect participants that might affect the FMI; and c) identify:
i) indirect participants responsible for a significant proportion of transactions processed by the relevant FMI; and ii) indirect participants whose transaction volumes or values are large relative to the operational and financial capacity of the direct participants through which they access the FMI; and d) review risks arising from tiered participation arrangements on at least an annual basis and taking action to mitigate all material risks following this review. (See Guidance for Standard 19: ‘Tiered Participation Arrangements’, in Guidance for the FMI Standards for more detail).