Counterparty

Counterparty Meaning

A counterparty in a financial transaction is the person or entity on the other side of the agreement. Any trade must have at least two parties who serve as counterparties for each other. For every buyer in a purchasing deal, there must be a seller. And for every seller, there must be a buyer willing to purchase.

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It is not unusual to find a central counterparty in a financial market. Moreover, some monetary transactions may involve an unknown opposing party, such as exchange trading. While it gives rise to counterparty riskCounterparty RiskCounterparty risk refers to the risk of potential expected losses for one counterparty as a result of another counterparty defaulting on or before the maturity of the derivative contract.read more if any party fails to fulfill their obligations like payment default, clearinghouses can mitigate the risk.

Counterparty Explained

The word counterparty can be applied to different situations, particularly in the finance and insurance industries. To counter something means to go against or act in opposition. With that said, the counterparty will be on the opposite side of an arrangement. For example, the entity on the other side of the agreement can be a:

• Government
• Corporation
• Individual
• Bank
• Or any other entity

It is worth noting that the failure of any of the trading parties to exchange funds or securities might lead to counterparty risk. Therefore, it is recommended to use a central clearinghouse to collect margin and accelerate trade execution and settlement time to avert this risk.

Several events happen in many people’s everyday lives that can be considered examples of the counterparty. For example, when someone goes to the supermarket to purchase food, the grocery store is the counterpart since they are selling it. Likewise, when someone goes to the gas station and purchases gas, the gas station will be the counterparty.

Types

When trading financial assetsFinancial AssetsFinancial assets are investment assets that derive their value from a contractual claim of what they represent. Cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, fixed deposits, equity shares, debentures/bonds, preference shares, mutual funds, interests in subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, insurance contracts, rights and obligations under leases, Share-Based Payments, Derivatives, and Employee Benefit Plans are all examples of financial assets.read more, it is critical to understand the counterparty on the other side of the agreement. Different types of counterparties trade financial assetsFinancial AssetsFinancial assets are investment assets whose value derives from a contractual claim on what they represent. These are liquid assets because the economic resources or ownership can be converted into a valuable asset such as cash.read more. A few common ones include:

Individual Investors

Individual investors are the non-professional, everyday investors that trade financial assets like:

• Stocks
• BondsBondsBonds refer to the debt instruments issued by governments or corporations to acquire investors’ funds for a certain period.read more
• Exchange-Traded FundsExchange-Traded FundsAn exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a security that contains many types of securities such as bonds, stocks, commodities, and so on, and that trades on the exchange like a stock, with the price fluctuating many times throughout the day when the exchange-traded fund is bought and sold on the exchange.read more (ETFs)
• Index FundsIndex FundsIndex Funds are passive funds that pool investments into selected securities.read more

These types of investors typically invest for long-term growth or speculationSpeculationInvestment is when a security or an asset is purchased to hold for a long-term period anticipating that it will gradually increase in value over time. In contrast, speculation is a more risk-based transaction where the sole purpose is to make a single short-term profit.read more. They most likely build a portfolio with a brokerage firm to grow their wealth and save for retirement.

Their level of knowledge will vary from person to person, and the value of the trades will often be smaller than those of an institution. Individual investors can also be referred to as retail investorsRetail InvestorsA retail investor is a non-professional individual investor who tends to invest a small sum in the equities, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other baskets of securities. They often take the services of online or traditional brokerage firms or advisors for investment decision-making.read more.

Liquidity Providers

Liquidity providers, also known as market makersMarket MakersMarket makers are the financial institution and investment banks which ensures enough amount of liquidity in the market by maintaining enough trading volume in the market so that trading can be done without any problem.read more, include individuals or institutions that provide the market with liquidityLiquidityLiquidity is the ease of converting assets or securities into cash.read more or the ability to buy and sell assets. Their job is to quote bids as well as ask prices.

The bid is the price at which investors are willing to buy shares, and the ask is the price at which investors are willing to sell shares.

Source

Liquidity providers serve a critical purpose in the financial marketsFinancial MarketsThe term "financial market" refers to the marketplace where activities such as the creation and trading of various financial assets such as bonds, stocks, commodities, currencies, and derivatives take place. It provides a platform for sellers and buyers to interact and trade at a price determined by market forces.read more. When one initiates a trade, there must be someone on the other side of it willing to do the opposite.

For example, if an individual wants to buy 50 shares of Apple, Inc., someone else must be willing to sell them those 50 shares. However, it is not very often the individual will find another seller selling that amount of shares – this is when the liquidity providers will step in.

Without these types of traders, the time it takes to execute a trade could be significantly longer as it would be much more difficult to find a counterparty. With everything being instantaneous these days, traders are unwilling to wait for trades to execute.

Scalpers

Traders considered scalpers are individuals who will buy and sell an asset in a short amount of time, typically less than a day. However, scalpers can make a significant amount of trades throughout the day to profit.

Scalpers seem to be content with making a slight profit on traders, as they expect the profits to add up throughout the day, and they will realize more considerable gains. However, it is essential to understand that trading as often as scalpers can require certain costs, such as commissions, that can take away profits.

Technical Traders

Technical trading is an approach that uses historical data, such as volume and price levels, to determine when to enter and exit trades.

These traders will look at and analyze stock charts to decide which securities fit their support and resistance levels criteria. Support levelsSupport LevelsSupport level (SL) refers to a point in the securities trading below which the price of the security does not fall.read more are where buyers seem to be stepping in and buying the stock. Resistance levels are price levels at which people sell, and the asset struggles with increasing value.

Examples

Let us check how the concept works in the field of finance and insurance:

Example 1 – Counterparty in Finance

Counterparties become slightly more complicated in the financial industry as there are not always face-to-face transactions. Some examples in the financial sector are:

• Investment bankersInvestment BankersLong working hours, weekend work, a lot of hard work, and little sleep are all part of an investment banker's life. Life as an investment banker is described as hectic, but for those who want to live a life of dedication, competition, and risk while also performing well, investment banking is the appropriate choice.read more
• Securities dealers
• Stockbrokers

The term still applies in the same sense it would with the above examples. However, with these agreements, one will often not see or interact with the other party.

Many investors purchase shares with an online broker executing a trade for them in this digital age. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), there are two types of brokerages, including:

1. Carrying firms
2. Introductory firms

With carrying or clearing firms, the brokerage will take the order to trade the security and handle any assets in the investor’s account. With brokerage, these firms will be the counterparty.

The brokerage will take the investor’s order in introductory firms, but they will pass it off to another carrying organization instead of handling the assets. In this instance, the investor can have multiple counterparties.

Example 2 – Counterparty in Insurance

The counterparty in the insurance industry is similar to that of the financial sectorFinancial SectorThe financial sector refers to businesses, firms, banks, and institutions providing financial services and supporting the economy. It encompasses several industries, including banking and investment, consumer finance, mortgage, money markets, real estate, insurance, retail, etc.read more. For example, when someone purchases an insurance policy, the insurance company will be the counterparty. However, there are examples in the insurance industry that can also produce multiple counterparties.

For example, several insurance companies will buy insurance from other companies called reinsuranceReinsuranceReinsurance is a tool used by the insurance companies to reduce their claim liability by getting some of it insured by another company. It helps prevent insurance companies from insolvency. The company insuring the claims is called the ‘Reinsurer’ and the company getting insured is called the ‘Ceding company’.read more. This practice allows insurance companies to manage risk and maintain their capital requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Counterparty and its meaning. Here we explain the concept with examples in the finance and insurance industry, and its types. You can learn more from the following articles –

• Reading Stock Chart
• Clearing House
• Arbitrage
• Banker’s Acceptance