A repurchase agreement (repo) is a type of short-term cash loan and is widely considered the closest sibling of securities lending.
In a repo transaction, a fixed income security is sold with an obligation to buy it back in return for cash. At the end of the term, the buyer returns the security and the seller returns the cash payment plus an additional interest payment.
In this case, the seller of the securities is called the borrower and the buyer of the securities is called the lender. This refers to the movement of the cash.
In a repurchasing agreement, the lender is exposed to the risk that the borrower will not repurchase the securities. Should the borrower fail to repurchase the securities within the agreed timeframe, the lender can sell the securities on the market, but often to mitigate this risk the borrower will offer collateral in the form of securities.
The key difference for the owner of securities between a repo transaction and a securities lending transaction is that in a repo transaction they pay interest whereas in a securities lending transaction they receive interest. Furthermore, in a repo transaction, the owner of the securities is often obligated to post collateral whereas in a securities lending transaction the owner of the securities often receives collateral.
Securities lending and repo are part of the broader category of securities finance as they both facilitate the temporary transfer of securities, on a collateralised basis, in return for an agreed interest rate that is accrued daily. However, the mechanics of a repo transaction are different from those of a securities lending transaction. Also, a repo agreement is usually governed by a different contractual agreement than a securities lending transaction, which is called a Global Master Repurchase Agreement (GMRA).
Have more questions?
With securities lending, as with other investment activities, your capital may be at risk.
Sharegain Ltd. is registered in England and Wales (no. 09600298) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (no. 730395).
*This website is directed exclusively at and intended to be used only by professional investors and retail investors with direct holdings in stocks, bonds and ETFs in excess of £500,000. Our website is not directed at any person or institution where (by reason of nationality, residence or otherwise) the availability of our website or securities lending in general is prohibited. The material on this website is for general information and should not be considered as investment advice or solicitation to be involved in securities lending or to use one of Sharegain’s services. Securities lending involves risks and we have not and will not assess whether our service is appropriate for you. If you decide to lend your securities, your capital may be at risk. Please consult professional advisors if you are in any doubt as to whether the service would be beneficial for you or whether you require any consent or need to observe any formalities, before deciding to engage in securities lending.
© Copyright 2020 Sharegain Ltd
+44 (0) 20 3884 2405 info@sharegain.com 9 Dallington St, London EC1V 0LN
These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, such as your account, and make use of the various services we offer. Strictly necessary cookies do not gather any information that could be used for marketing purposes and they do not retain information beyond the end of your visit.
These allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how you and other visitors move around our website. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are able to find what they are looking for easily. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore cannot be used to identify you.
These are used to recognise you when you return to our website, enabling us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region).
These cookies record your visits to our website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. We will use this information to make our website and the advertising displayed on it more relevant to your interests. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.