Ottawa considers issuing ultra-long bonds

Bond market transparency took yet another step forward on Thursday, with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) starting to report all investment dealers’ corporate bond trades.

IIROC says its online bond market reporting service now includes all corporate debt trades by all IIROC-regulated firms.

When the self-regulatory organization began providing public reporting on the bond market last July, the data initially only included trades by large firms that are considered to be “government securities distributors”.

Earlier this year, IIROC expanded the scope of trades that are reported. And, with this latest step, it’s now providing transparency for all corporate bond trades by all the firms it regulates.

“IIROC is continuing to strengthen integrity and build confidence in Canada’s debt market by increasing transparency, which will provide all market participants with more comprehensive information to make better investment decisions,” says Andrew Kriegler, president and CEO, IIROC, in a statement.

“By leveraging the information that IIROC collects as a public interest regulator in our data hub, we and our regulatory partners are enhancing market integrity and transparency without duplicating efforts or costs,” Kriegler adds.

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