Glossary

BBSY Bid Rate

The Australian Bank Bill Swap Bid Rate, being the average bid rate for Australian Dollar bills of exchange having various tenors which appear on the Reuters Screen BBSY Page at approximately 10:10am Sydney time on the relevant Payment Date. 

BML

Business Markets Loan

Business Day 

Business Day means a day on which commercial banks are open for normal banking business in the place specified for a Transaction, or else in Sydney.

Business Markets Loan

A business loan with the flexibility of a variety of interest rate risk management components in one loan.

Cleared funds

A balance in an account that is able to be withdrawn or used in financial transactions.  Until funds are considered to be cleared funds, they are considered pending and investors or customers will be unable to conduct transactions with them.

Currency Protection and Participation Contract

Currency Protection and Participation Contracts (CPP) are Foreign Exchange products that allows nomination of a Protection Rate that protects from exposure to adverse moves above/below this level, but at the same time provides the opportunity for unlimited participation in favourable moves below/above this rate.  The exchange will be at the more favourable of either – the Protection Rate or the prevailing spot rate, each adjusted to include the Protection Margin.

Exchange Rate

Exchange Rate means the price payable by you to exchange and deliver currencies on the Settlement Date.

Expiration Date

Expiration Date is the day on which an Option is exercised (the buyer of the option decides if they will buy or sell the currency at the option Strike Rate).  Options expire on a specific date that is determined on the Transaction Date.

Expiration Time

Expiration Time is the time on the Expiration Date by which the buyer of the option must advise the bank if they wish to buy or sell the currency at the Strike Rate. 

Expiry

Expiry means an option has come to an end.  The contract is no longer valid and ceases to exist.

Foreign exchange transaction

A Foreign Exchange transaction is a contract to exchange one currency for another currency at an agreed Exchange Rate on an agreed date. 

Forward Exchange Contract (FEC) 

A Forward Exchange Contract or ‘FEC’ is an agreement to exchange:

- a specified amount of one currency for another currency

- at an Exchange Rate that is determined now

- with the exchange to occur at least three Business Days in the future, on the basis that it is a working day in the country of the currency 

It allows you to fix the value of future currency cash flows at today’s Forward Rate. 

Forwards protect you against the risk that the future Spot Rate becomes less favourable to you than the Forward Rate that you agree today.  A Forward will protect you from unfavourable movements in the exchange rate to the extent that the Spot Rate at Expiry is worse for you than the agreed Exchange Rate (ie: a Forward Rate).  However, under a Forward you will not benefit from favourable movements in the Exchange Rate because the Exchange Rate is fixed on the Transaction Date. 

Forward Margin

The Forward Rate differs from the Spot Rate by the inclusion of the ‘Forward Margin’, which is calculated from the difference between the interest rates that can be earned in the respective countries of the currencies being exchanged.  The Forward Margin compensates the person who buys the currency with the higher interest rate (eg:  AUD) for the extra interest that he or she could have earned if:

- the person had bought the currency (ie: AUD) earlier; and

- the person had invested the proceeds (ie: AUD) at that time at the higher rate of interest 

The greater the difference in the interest rates between the two currencies, the larger the Forward Margin is likely to be (all other things being equal).  Conversely, the smaller the differential, the smaller the Forward Margin is likely to be (all other things being equal). 

Forward Rate

The Forward Rate means the Exchange Rate that is fixed and agreed on any given day for a Transaction to exchange and deliver currencies in the future. 

Hedging

A strategy to reduce the risk of unfavourable exchange rate movements, by taking an offsetting position. 

Inter-bank Market Rate

The bid and offer rates at which banks and brokers are willing to buy and sell currency in large volumes.  The basis of the Inter-bank market. 

Master Agreement

Master Agreement means NAB’s standard form Master Agreement for Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Transactions. 

NAB margin

The NAB margin covers NAB’s internal transaction costs, compensation for risk and profit margin.   

Participating Forward

A Participating Forward offers the twin benefits of protection and participation.  It is an agreement to set a ‘worst case’ Exchange Rate for a specified amount of a currency at the Settlement Date.  In addition, a preset portion of the transactions amount is able to participate in favourable exchange rate movements. 

Participation

Participation means to take advantage of favourable currency movements. 

Prevailing Spot Rate

Current Spot Exchange Rate. 

Protection

You can protect yourself from unfavourable exchange rate movements on your business by putting a Risk Management Strategy in place, for example with a Forward Exchange Contract which will provide a level of certainty for your business’ cash flow. 

Protection Margin

With a Currency Protection and Participation Contract (CPP) you can protect your business from exposure to adverse currency movements, but at the same time provide the opportunity for unlimited participation in favourable exchange rate movements.  The cost for this protection/participation is called the Protection Margin, which is embedded into the rate of exchange at Expiry. 

Protection Rate

As part of the Currency Protection and Participation Contract (CPP) you nominate a Protection Rate that protects you from exposure to adverse moves above/below this level, but at the same time provides the opportunity for unlimited participation in favourable moves below/above this rate.  The exchange will be at the more favourable of either – the Protection Rate or the prevailing spot rate, each adjusted to include the Protection Margin. 

Settlement Date

Settlement Date means the date in the future on which the currencies will actually be exchanged and delivered.  The Settlement Date will usually be two Business Days after the Expiration Date, unless we agree otherwise with you. 

Spot (Foreign Exchange) Transaction

A Spot Transaction or ‘Spot’ is an agreement to exchange:

- a specified amount of one currency for another currency

- at an Exchange Rate that is determined now

- with the exchange to occur in two Business Days’ time, on the basis that it is a working day in the country of the currency 

It allows you to fix the value of a foreign currency cash flow today at the current Exchange Rate (ie: the Spot Rate) 

Spot Rate

The Spot Rate is the Exchange Rate that is fixed and agreed at a certain time on a given day for a Transaction, to exchange currencies at the time (although the Settlement Date can be up to two Business Days later).  The Spot Rate is used for a ‘Spot’ Transaction.  

Strike Rate

The rate at which the buyer of an Option has the right to purchase a currency (Call) or sell a currency (Put).  The Strike Rate is determined on the Transaction Date. 

Term of a Transaction

The term of a Transaction is the period between the Transaction Date and the Expiry Date.  Different terms of Transactions are available for different sets of currency.  Please contact your Banker or Markets Specialist for more information. 

Transaction

Transaction means each agreement between you and NAB to exchange and deliver one currency for another currency. 

Transaction Amount

Transaction Amount means the amount of one currency that you agree to exchange for another currency. 

Transaction Date

Transaction Date means the date on which you and NAB enter into an agreement for a product. 

Value Today transaction

A ‘Value Today’ Transaction is an agreement to exchange:

- a specified amount of one currency for another currency

- at an Exchange Rate that is determined now

- with the exchange to occur Today (ie: settled on the same day as the Transaction Date), on the basis today is a working day in the country of the currency

It allows you to fix the value of a foreign currency cash flow today at the current Exchange Rate. 

Value Tomorrow transaction

A ‘Value Tomorrow’ Transaction is an agreement to exchange:

- a specified amount of one currency for another currency

- at an Exchange Rate that is determined now

- with the exchange to occur Tomorrow (ie: settled one Business Day after the Transaction Date), on the basis that tomorrow is a working day in the country of the currency 

It allows you to fix the value of a foreign currency cash flow today at the current Exchange Rate. 

Vanilla Call Option

Vanilla Call Options are Foreign Exchange products that give you the right, but not the obligation, to buy a specified amount of one currency for another currency at an agreed Strike Rate, on an agreed Settlement Date 

Vanilla Option

Vanilla Options are Foreign Exchange products that give you the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specified amount of one currency for another currency at an agreed Strike Rate, on an agreed Settlement Date. 

Vanilla Put Option

Vanilla Put Options are Foreign Exchange products that give you the right, but not the obligation, to sell a specified amount of one currency for another currency at an agreed Strike Rate, on an agreed Settlement Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important information

Any advice on this webpage does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you. Before making any decision in relation to this information, you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement available at Financial Markets or by calling 1800 307 827. The products on this webpage are issued by National Australia Bank Limited ABN 12 004 044 937 AFSL 230686.

Please consider our Financial Services Guide available here.