High-res version of this video now available at https://youtu.be/Jl_R9ZndeNs
This video show how using the Ethereum Blockchain Platform on Microsoft Azure allows for a complex Total Return Swap that normally is a very manual process involving many back and forth conversations with traders and a cumbersome process.
A swap is a contract in which each party agrees to exchange payment streams for risk hedging or leverage. The multi-trillion dollar swaps market is important because swaps enable financial institutions to protect their assets or hedge their bets. Institutions "pay to play" through a margin account, maintained with half the value of the contract. Among other things, swaps provide a market for assets that are slow or difficult to sell. Most importantly, they offer the benefits of owning an asset without buying it.
Swaps also pose systemic risk to the global financial system given:
• Limited transparency
• Immediate demand for liquidity through margin calls
• Cumbersome tracking
• Reporting errors
The settlement process is complicated and inefficient. Changes in the underlying asset value could trigger margin calls causing a drain on many cash-strapped financial institutions at once. Financial Institutions can see aggregate exposure with their counterparties for insightful risk management using the Blockchain.
