Guide to the SA-CVA approach in Atoti CVA Risk Capital, covering SA calculation steps, reading sensitivity data, bucket and risk factor allocation, regulatory vertices, and variance-covariance aggregation
If the upstream risk system can attribute netting set level sensitivities down to transactions driving CVA, then the optional attribute “NettingSetTradeId” could be used to provide trade identifiers. In this case it is possible to decompose sensitivity inputs down to trades in the user interface.For the what-if analysis feature it is recommended to recompute sensitivities for an affected netting set and override/delete previously supplied sensitivities. Alternatively, an incremental impact of new trades can be provided in addition to previously supplied sensitivities.
Once sensitivities are retrieved from the sensitivities file, these steps are required:
enrich sensitivities with CreditQuality, Sector, Size, Region and other fields for classification into regulatory buckets - see Reference Data section;
allocate the sensitivities to regulatory vertices:
this step is required only if the provided tenors do not match the ones required by the regulation - see also Regridding.
This section describes Buckets and Risk Factors which are specific aggregation levels defined by the methodology, they are most probably different from the definition of buckets and risk factors for internal risk management.
Paragraphs [MAR50.54] - [50.77] specify a certain definition of risk factors (subscript k in the methodology).Risk factors are further used:
as a parameter for defining Risk Factors Correlations,
as an aggregation level for weighted sensitivities (see the variance-covariance formula in [MAR50.52] for Bucket-Level Capital Charges).
The resolved Regulatory Risk Factors can be transparently displayed using this hierarchy: [RegulatoryRiskFactor].[RegulatoryRiskFactor].This table is summarizing the combinations of fields used to assign risk factors for Delta and Vega. In most of the cases, risk factor definitions are based on the buckets, which are described in the next section.
For each risk class and sensitivity type, paragraphs [MAR50.54] - [50.77] specify the way sensitivities are grouped into Buckets - b.Buckets are further used:
as a parameter for defining Risk Weight,
as an aggregation level for Bucket-Level Capital Charge.
The resolved Regulatory Buckets can be transparently displayed using this hierarchy: [RegulatoryBucket].[RegulatoryBucket].Whenever possible ActiveViam will provide a generic algorithm or reference data to apply bucketing. Clients may also provide their own bucketing logic and reference data in their input files.A waterfall approach is applied:
If the RegulatoryBucket has been provided in the input file, it has a priority.
If the RegulatoryBucket has not been provided, the Bucket is derived by ActiveViam based on the buckets configuration files.
Buckets configuration files contain mappings of the sensitivity fields to the SA-CVA Buckets. Their content needs to be updated to fit organization’s data. The next table summarizes combinations of fields for the buckets lookup.
Paragraphs [MAR50.54] - [50.77] specify the rules for assigning Risk Weights RW to sensitivities.Risk Weights lookup is defined per Risk Class and Sensitivity type. It is either based on a lookup of combination of fields or a constant value.
Risk Class
RW for Delta
RW for Vega
Interest Rate
single value for not-liquid/not-domestic currencies or inflation. Set of values per tenor otherwise.
Once the risk weights, RW, are assigned, the weighted sensitivities WS are computed according to:WS=s⋅RWThe formula in [MAR50.50] contains a subscript k referring to the risk factor level of aggregation.
Weighted sensitivities netted at Risk Factor level are rolled up into Bucket Level Capital Charges Kb using a variance-covariance type formula - see [MAR50.52].
Pairs of risk factors need to be assigned a cross-risk factor correlation ρkl.The important consideration is, that since correlations are used to obtain bucket level capital, they are defined only for the pairs of Risk Factors that belong to the same SA-CVA bucket.Interest RateFor the Vega risk factors, correlations are defined as a single value. For the Delta risk factors, definition is based on these cases:
Case
Correlation
One of the risk factors is inflation
single value
Risk factors for a liquid or domestic currency
depends on the pair of tenors
Risk factors for other currencies
single value
Counterparty Credit SpreadApplicable only to Delta risk factors, since Vegas are not calculated.Inside a SA-CVA Bucket, there might be Risk Factors that belong to the same or different credit entities, credit quality and tenors. The definition depends on the properties of the credit name and tenors:
Same
Legally related
Same Credit Quality
Same Tenor
Correlation
Y
0,9
N
Y
Y
0,9
N
Y
N
0,81
N
N
Y
Y
0,5
N
N
Y
N
0,45
N
N
N
Y
0,4
N
N
N
N
0,36
Since regulatory risk factors are defined as buckets for risk classes:
Foreign Exchange,
Reference Credit Spread,
Equity,
Commodity
There will be only one risk factor in each bucket and correlations are not defined.
Risk factor level Weighted Sensitivities WSk, together with Risk Factors Correlations rhokl are variables in the bucket-level capital charge formula, defined in [MAR50.52]:Kb=(∑k∈b(WSk)2+∑k∈b∑l∈b,l=kρkl⋅WSk⋅WSl)+R⋅∑k∈b((WSkHdg)2)The disallowance parameter, R, is one of the Supervisory parameters and set at 0.01 in [MAR50.52].
Bucket level capital charges are rolled up into risk class/sensitivity type level capital charges using a variance-covariance type formula [MAR50.53] and then aggregated across risk classes/sensitivity types.
Obtaining the final SA-CVA Capital Charge is a two-step calculation:
For each risk type and sensitivity type, bucket level capital charges are aggregated according to [MAR50.53]:K=mCVA⋅∑bKb2+∑b∑c=bγbc⋅Kb⋅Kcwhere Kb is Bucket-level Capital Charge, γbc is Cross-bucket Correlation and mCVA is a supervisory parameter - CVA multiplier - set at 1.0 in [MAR50.41].
The total SA-CVA Capital Charge is calculated as a simple sum of the aggregated charges from step 1 across sensitivity types (delta and vega) and risk classes.
Specifically, when CurveType is “Inflation” then Risk Factor is defined as CurveType plus RiskFactorCurrency, else when RiskFactorCurrency is liquid or domestic - then Risk Factor is defined as CurveType plus RiskFactorCurrency plus Tenor, else - CurveType plus RiskFactorCurrency (similar to Inflation risk).In case input sensitivities are based on more granular risk factors than required by regulation