December 16, 2022

Submitted via CFTC Portal

Secretary of the Commission

Office of the Secretariat

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Three Lafayette Centre

1155 21st Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20581

Re: TeraExchange, LLC – Regulation 40.2 Certification of NZD BBR-FRA vs NZIONA Basis Swaps

Ladies and Gentlemen:

TeraExchange, LLC (“TeraExchange”) hereby notifies the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the 

“Commission”) of its intent to list New Zealand Dollar (“NZD”) BBR-FRA vs NZIONA Basis Swaps (the 

“Contract”) on the TeraExchange swap execution facility. TeraExchange intends to list this Contract on 

December 19, 2022.

Pursuant to Commission Regulation 40.2, this submission includes:

1. A copy of the submission cover sheet in accordance with the instructions provided in Appendix D to 

Part 40 of the Commission’s regulations, attached as Exhibit A.

2. The intended listing date is December 19, 2022.

3. A certification by TeraExchange that (a) the Contract complies with the Commodity 

Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and the Commission regulations thereunder; and (b) 

concurrent with this submission, TeraExchange posted on its website (i) a notice of pending 

certification of the Contract and (ii) a copy of this submission, attached as Exhibit B;

4. The Contract’s terms and conditions, attached as Exhibit C; and

5. An explanation and analysis of the Contract’s compliance with applicable core principles 

and Commission regulations, attached as Exhibit D.

Questions regarding this submission should be directed to Todd Langdon, Chief Compliance Officer, at 908-

273-8277 or by e-mail at tlangdon@teraexchange.com.

Sincerely,

Christopher Rossman

Christopher Rossman

Chief Operating Officer
EXHIBIT A
EXHIBIT B

CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5c OF THE COMMODITY 

EXCHANGE ACT, 7 U.S.C. §7A-2 AND COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION REGULATION 40.2, 17 C.F.R. §40.2

TeraExchange, LLC (“TeraExchange”) hereby certifies that: a) the NZD BBR-FRA vs 

NZIONA Basis Swap Contract complies with the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. §1 et 

seq. and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “Commission”) regulations 

thereunder; and b) concurrent with this submission, TeraExchange posted on its website: (i) a 

notice of pending certification of the Contract with the Commission; and (ii) a copy of this 

submission.

TeraExchange, LLC

By: Christopher Rossman

Name: Christopher Rossman

Title: Chief Operating Officer

Date: December 16, 2022
EXHIBIT C

Terms and Conditions

Swap Structure

A fixed notional, float for float Interest Rate Swap whose value is based upon the difference between a stream 

of floating interest payments that are tied to a floating reference rate, over a term to maturity.

Currency NZD

Clearing Venue Specifications LCH available at https://www.lch.com/index.php/services/swapclear/what-we-clear

*Quoting Convention Spread over Floating Leg 1 (000.0)

*Price Increment 0.001 points = 0.1 basis points 

*Minimum Notional Size NZD 1,000.00

*Minimum Notional Size Increment NZD 1,000.00

Trading Conventions Buy = Pay Spread 

Sell=Receive Spread

Trading Hours 00:01 - 24:00 Sunday - Friday (Eastern Time)

Last Trade Day Available to trade on every US business day 

*Effective Date

The Effective Date is the first date for which fixed and floating payments accrue. For spot starting instruments, t

he Effective Date is Trade Date + 2, subject to adjustment based on Modified Following convention. For forward 

starting instruments, the Effective Date is Trade Date + 2 + Forward Starting Period, subject to adjustment based 

on Modified Following convention. 

*Maturity Date The Maturity Date (also referred to as the Settlement Date) is the final date to which fixed and 

 floating amounts accrue. For spot starting instruments, this date is Effective Date + Tenor. 

*Forward Starting Date Up to 10 Years

Tenor Up to 11 Years

*Upfront Payment Standard: None

Block Size As set forth in Appendix F to Part 43 of the CFTC Regulations

Settlement Procedure Bilateral, or as per the Clearing Venue Specifications

Position Accountability As may be determined and published by TeraExchange under CFTC Regulation 37.600 (c)

*Reset Frequency 1 Month, 3 Month, 6 Month

*Payment Frequency 1 Month, 3 Month, 6 Month, 12 Month

*Compounding None

*Day Count Convention Act/365.FIXED

*Business Day Convention Modified Following

*Reset Dates

Reset Dates define the beginning and end of accrual periods. Floating Rate Reset Dates facilitate the 

determination of the Reference Rate Fixing Dates. Each Reset Date is subject to adjustment based on 

Modified Following.

Fixing Date Wellington Business Day that coincides with the Reset Date

*Floating Rate Index NZD-BBR-FRA (3 Month)

*Fixing Date Holiday Calendar New Zealand - Wellington (NZWE)

*Reset Frequency Daily

*Payment Frequency 1 Month, 3 Month, 6 Month, 12 Month

*Compounding Daily Compounding

*Day Count Convention Act/365.FIXED

*Business Day Convention Modified Following

*Reset Dates

Reset Dates define the beginning and end of accrual periods. Floating Rate Reset Dates facilitate the 

determination of the Reference Rate Fixing Dates. Each Reset Date is subject to adjustment based on 

Modified Following.

Fixing Date Wellington Business Day that coincides with the Reset Date

*Floating Rate Index NZD-NZIONA-OIS-COMPOUND

*Fixing Date Holiday Calendar New Zealand - Wellington (NZWE)

NZD BOB BASIS IRS

General

Float Leg 1

Float Leg 2

*The above items represent the customary attributes of the swap agreements; those marked with an asterisk "*" may be customized but only in conformance with 

the Clearing Venue Specifications.
EXHIBIT D

EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRACT’S COMPLIANCE WITH 

APPLICABLE CORE PRINCIPLES AND COMMISSION REGULATIONS

As required by Commission Regulation § 40.2(a), the following analysis, in narrative form, demonstrates that 

the NZD BBR-FRA vs NZIONA Basis Swap (the “Contract”) is consistent with the requirements of the 

Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and the Commission regulations and guidance thereunder 

(in particular, Appendix B to Part 37 and Appendix C to Part 38).

Appendix B to Part 37

CORE PRINCIPLE 3 OF SECTION 5H OF THE ACT - SWAPS NOT READILY SUSCEPTIBLE TO MANIPULATION;

CORE PRINCIPLE 4 OF SECTION 5H OF THE ACT - MONITORING OF TRADING AND TRADE PROCESSING

The swap execution facility shall permit trading only in swaps that are not readily susceptible to

manipulation.

(a) Guidance.

(1) In general, a swap contract is an agreement to exchange a series of cash flows over a period of time 

based on some reference price, which could be a single price, such as an absolute level or a differential, 

or a price index calculated based on multiple observations. Moreover, such a reference price may be 

reported by the swap execution facility itself or by an independent third party. When listing a swap for 

trading, a swap execution facility shall ensure a swap’s compliance with Core Principle 3, paying special 

attention to the reference price used to determine the cash flow exchanges. Specifically, Core Principle 3 

requires that the reference price used by a swap not be readily susceptible to manipulation. As a result, 

when identifying a reference price, a swap execution facility should either: Calculate its own reference 

price using suitable and well-established acceptable methods or carefully select a reliable third-party 

index.

(2) The importance of the reference price’s suitability for a given swap is similar to that of the final 

settlement price for a cash-settled futures contract. If the final settlement price is manipulated, then the 

futures contract does not serve its intended price discovery and risk management functions. Similarly, 

inappropriate reference prices cause the cash flows between the buyer and seller to differ from the 

proper amounts, thus benefitting one party and disadvantaging the other. Thus, careful consideration 

should be given to the potential for manipulation or distortion of the reference price.

The reference rates for the floating legs of the Contract include the widely used New Zealand Bank Bill 

Benchmark Rate (“BKBM”) and the NZD Overnight Index Average (“NZIONA”). The BKBM and NZIONA

rates are administered and calculated by regulated third-party providers using specific guidelines as described 

below. 

The Contract is not readily susceptible to manipulation. The Contract trades in a large, well-established and 

highly liquid market. Price manipulation in such deep markets is exceedingly difficult to achieve. In addition, 

TeraExchange has established exchange rules and an enforcement infrastructure to prevent manipulation. 

TeraExchange staff conduct real-time market surveillance and perform comprehensive trade practice and 

market surveillance compliance review on a T+1 basis. 
Calculation of the New Zealand Bank Bill Benchmark Rate (“BKBM”) 

The reference rate for the floating leg of the swap is the Bank Bill Benchmark Rate (“BKBM”), which is the 

main interest rate benchmark in New Zealand that is designed to reflect the supply and demand for Bank Bills 

(securities representing short-term debt obligations of a bank with a maturity up to six months) and represents 

the mid-rates for Prime Bank eligible securities that are traded in the local New Zealand market. BKBM is 

administered and calculated by the New Zealand Financial Benchmark Facility Limited (“NZFBF”), a 

subsidiary of the New Zealand Financial Markets Association (“NZFMA”), New Zealand’s professional body 

for wholesale banking and financial markets that are subject to supervision by either the Reserve Bank of New 

Zealand or the Financial Markets Authority or as regulated internationally by an equivalent regulatory agency. 

NZFBF provides transparent governance, oversight and accountability procedures for the BKBM benchmark 

determination process. 

As benchmark administrator, the NZFBF maintains responsibility for all aspects of the capture and calculation 

process and overall governance surrounding the BKBM. BKBM rates are calculated based on the electronic 

capture of trade information, or executable bid and offer pricing in the absence of trades, during a daily twominute trading window. The period of time between 10:20 am and 10:22 am local time is the trading period 

used for the capture and calculation of BKBM. All NZFMA member organizations that participate in the twominute trading window are required to adhere to NZFBF’s Bank Bill Benchmark Rate and the BKBM Trading 

Window Operating Rules & Principles, which can be found at https://www.nzfbf.co.nz/files/benchmarkdocuments/bkbm-operating-rules-and-principals---june-2021-(2).pdf. BKBM is published by the NZFMA at 

10:45 am local time each business day, via delayed extract data to the NZFMA website.

Calculation of NZD Overnight Index Average (“NZIONA”)

The reference rate for the floating leg of the swap is the NZD-NZIONA-OIS Compound (“NZIONA”), the 

commonly used acronym for the New Zealand interest rate benchmark known as the Official Cash Rate 

(“OCR”). Set by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and reviewed at least seven times per year, the Official 

Cash Rate defines the wholesale price of borrowed money. The OCR Compound Index is equivalent to a series 

of daily data representing the return from a rolling unit of investment earning compound interest each day at the 

OCR. The change in the OCR Compound Index between any two dates can be used to calculate the interest rate 

payable over that period. The interest rate payable over that period would be the realized New Zealand 

Overnight Index Average (NZIONA), which is a term risk free rate representing the weighted average interest 

rate at which overnight unsecured funds were transacted in the New Zealand interbank money market over the 

period. Realized NZIONA is thus a backward-looking rate based on the OCR, compounded daily in arrears 

over the relevant period. The New Zealand Financial Markets Association (“NZFMA”) serves as the OCR 

Compound Index Benchmark Administrator. The Official Cash Rate, rounded to twelve decimal places, is 

published by the NZFMA at 10:41am each Business Day. The NZFMA has chosen, at this point, not to publish 

tenor based NZIONA rates, preferring instead to provide a calculator that can be used in arrears to calculate 

NZIONA across any defined tenor. Additional information, including the OCR Compound Index methodology, 

and the method for calculating compounded term OCR rates in arrears (NZIONA) may be found at 

https://www.nzfbf.co.nz/files/benchmark-documents/nzfbf---compound-ocr-index-and-realised-NZIONAmethdology-june-2021-(2).pdf.

(3) For swaps that are settled by physical delivery or by cash settlement refer to the guidance in 

appendix C to part 38 of this chapter—Demonstration of Compliance That a Contract is not Readily 

Susceptible to Manipulation, section b(2) and section c(4), respectively.

Please see below.

Appendix C to Part 38 - Demonstration of Compliance That a Contract Is Not Readily Susceptible to 

Manipulation
(c) Futures Contracts Settled by Cash Settlement. (1) Cash settlement is a method of settling certain 

futures or option contracts whereby, at contract expiration, the contract is settled by cash payment in 

lieu of physical delivery of the commodity or instrument underlying the contract. An acceptable 

specification of the cash settlement price for commodity futures and option contracts would include rules 

that fully describe the essential economic characteristics of the underlying commodity (e.g., grade, 

quality, weight, class, growth, issuer, maturity, source, rating, description of the underlying index and 

index’s calculation methodology, etc.), as well as how the final settlement price is calculated. In addition, 

the rules should clearly specify the trading months and hours of trading, the last trading day, contract 

size, minimum price change (tick size) and any limitations on price movements (e.g., price limits or 

trading halts).

Essential Economic Characteristics of the Contract Terms

The terms and conditions of the Contract, listed in Exhibit C, follow industry convention and match the terms 

of basis swaps that are commonly offered in the market. 

Calculation of Cash Settlement Price

The Contract is an agreement to exchange cash flow streams by applying two different floating interest rates to 

a specified notional amount (determined by the counterparties) over a term of maturity (also determined by the 

counterparties). As such, the cash settlement price will be calculated based on the following variables:

• Floating Leg 1: The payment amount is based on the following: Notional Amount, Payment 

Frequency, Day Count Convention, Floating Interest Rate Index and Floating Reset Dates.

• Floating Leg 2: The payment amount is based on the following: Notional Amount, Payment 

Frequency, Day Count Convention, Floating Interest Rate Index and Floating Reset Dates.

All payments are settled in accordance with the payment frequency of the swap. The detailed settlement 

procedure will be agreed to by the counterparties or determined by the clearing venue.

(2) Cash settled contracts may be susceptible to manipulation or price distortion. In evaluating the 

susceptibility of a cash-settled contract to manipulation, a designated contract market should consider 

the size and liquidity of the cash market that underlies the listed contract in a manner that follows the 

determination of deliverable supply as noted above in (b)(1). In particular, situations susceptible to 

manipulation include those in which the volume of cash market transactions and/or the number of 

participants contacted in determining the cash-settlement price are very low. Cash-settled contracts may 

create an incentive to manipulate or artificially influence the data from which the cash-settlement price 

is derived or to exert undue influence on the cash-settlement price's computation in order to profit on a 

futures position in that commodity.

The utility of a cash-settled contract for risk management and price discovery would be significantly 

impaired if the cash settlement price is not a reliable or robust indicator of the value of the underlying 

commodity or instrument. Accordingly, careful consideration should be given to the potential for 

manipulation or distortion of the cash settlement price, as well as the reliability of that price as an 

indicator of cash market values. Appropriate consideration also should be given to the commercial 

acceptability, public availability, and timeliness of the price series that is used to calculate the cash 

settlement price. Documentation demonstrating that the settlement price index is a reliable indicator of 

market values and conditions and is commonly used as a reference index by industry/market agents 

should be provided. Such documentation may take on various forms, including carefully documented 

interview results with knowledgeable agents.
The Contract operates in a very liquid market with numerous participants. Also, the cash settlement price is not 

easily susceptible to manipulation or distortion as the method of determining the price is based on factors that 

are fixed at the start of the particular Contract (i.e., payment frequency, day count conventions and floating 

reset dates) and the BKBM and NZIONA. Additionally, the BKBM and NZIONA reference rates are widely 

accepted by market participants and readily available through numerous public sources.

(3) Where an independent, private-sector third party calculates the cash settlement price series, a 

designated contract market should consider the need for a licensing agreement that will ensure the 

designated contract market’s rights to the use of the price series to settle the listed contract.

(i) Where an independent, private-sector third party calculates the cash settlement price series, the 

designated contract market should verify that the third party utilizes business practices that minimize 

the opportunity or incentive to manipulate the cash-settlement price series. Such safeguards may include 

lock-downs, prohibitions against derivatives trading by employees, or public dissemination of the names 

of sources and the price quotes they provide. Because a cash-settled contract may create an incentive to 

manipulate or artificially influence the underlying market from which the cash-settlement price is 

derived or to exert undue influence on the cash-settlement computation in order to profit on a futures 

position in that commodity, a designated contract market should, whenever practicable, enter into an 

information-sharing agreement with the third-party provider which would enable the designated 

contract market to better detect and prevent manipulative behavior.

As described above, the cash settlement price will be calculated through a cash settlement method that is not 

easily susceptible to manipulation.

(ii) Where a designated contract market itself generates the cash settlement price series, the 

designated contract market should establish calculation procedures that safeguard against potential 

attempts to artificially influence the price. For example, if the cash settlement price is derived by the 

designated contract market based on a survey of cash market sources, the designated contract market 

should maintain a list of such entities which all should be reputable sources with knowledge of the cash 

market. In addition, the sample of sources polled should be representative of the cash market, and the 

poll should be conducted at a time when trading in the cash market is active.

Please see above.

(iii) The cash-settlement calculation should involve computational proceduresthat eliminate or reduce 

the impact of potentially unrepresentative data.

(iv) The cash settlement price should be an accurate and reliable indicator of prices in the underlying 

cash market. The cash settlement price also should be acceptable to commercial users of the commodity 

contract. The registered entity should fully document that the settlement price is accurate, reliable, 

highly regarded by industry/market agents, and fully reflects the economic and commercial conditions of 

the relevant designated contract market.

Please see above.

(v) To the extent possible, the cash settlement price should be based on cash price series that are 

publicly available and available on a timely basis for purposes of calculating the cash settlement price at 

the expiration of a commodity contract. A designated contract market should make the final cash 

settlement price and any other supporting information that is appropriate for release to the public, 

available to the public when cash settlement is accomplished by the derivatives clearing organization. If 
the cash settlement price is based on cash prices that are obtained from non-public sources (e.g., cash 

market surveys conducted by the designated contract market or by third parties on behalf of the 

designated contract market), a designated contract market should make available to the public as soon 

as possible after a contract month’s expiration the final cash settlement price as well as any other 

supporting information that is appropriate or feasible to make available to the public.

The BKBM and NZIONA reference rates are readily available via a number of public sources. Please see above 

regarding the calculation of the cash settlement price.

(4) Contract terms and conditions requirements for futures contracts settled by cash settlement.

(i) An acceptable specification of the terms and conditions of a cash-settled commodity contract will 

also set forth the trading months, last trading day, contract size, minimum price change (tick size) and 

daily price limits, if any.

Please see Exhibit C for the Contract’s terms and conditions.

(A) Commodity Characteristics: The terms and conditions of a commodity contract should describe the 

commodity underlying the contract.

The underlying NZD-BBR-FRA and NZD-NZIONA-OIS-COMPOUND reference rates are included in the

Contract’s terms and conditions. These reference rates are widely used in the market and readily available.

(B) Contract Size and Trading Unit: An acceptable specification of the trading unit would be a contract 

size that is consistent with customary transactions in the cash market. A designated contract market may 

opt to set the contract size smaller than that of standard cash market transactions.

The size of the Contract is consistent with the customary transaction sizes in the market.

(C) Cash Settlement Procedure: The cash settlement price should be reliable, acceptable, publicly 

available, and reported in a timely manner as described in paragraphs (c)(3)(iv) and (c)(3)(v) of this 

appendix C.

The cash settlement procedure and an explanation of how, in the context of the Contract, it is not readily 

susceptible to manipulation, is described above.

(D) Pricing Basis and Minimum Price Fluctuation (Minimum Tick): The minimum price increment 

(tick) should be set a level that is equal to, or less than, the minimum price increment commonly 

observed in cash market transactions for the underlying commodity. Specifying a futures’ minimum tick 

that is greater than the minimum price increment in the cash market can undermine the risk 

management utility of the futures contract by preventing hedgers from efficiently establishing and 

liquidating futures positions that are used to hedge anticipated cash market transactions or cash market

positions.

As agreed by the counterparties.

(E) Maximum Price Fluctuation Limits: Designated contract markets may adopt price limits to: (1) 

Reduce or constrain price movements in a trading day that may not be reflective of true market 

conditions but might be caused by traders overreacting to news; (2) Allow additional time for the 

collection of margins in times of large price movements; and (3) Provide a “cooling-off” period for 

futures market participants to respond to bona fide changes in market supply and demand fundamentals 

that would lead to large cash and futures price changes. If price-limit provisions are adopted, the limits 
should be set atlevels that are not overly restrictive in relation to price movements in the cash market for 

the commodity underlying the futures contract. For broad-based stock index futures contracts, rules 

should be adopted that coordinate with New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) declared Circuit Breaker 

Trading Halts (or other market coordinated Circuit Breaker mechanism) and would recommence 

trading in the futures contract only after trading in the majority of the stocks underlying the index has

recommenced.

As agreed by the counterparties.

(F) Last Trading Day: Specification of the last trading day for expiring contracts should be established 

such that it occurs before publication of the underlying third-party price index or determination of the 

final settlement price. If the designated contract market chooses to allow trading to occur through the 

determination of the final settlement price, then the designated contract market should show that futures 

trading would not distort the final settlement price calculation.

The last trading day will be the maturity date of each contract, which is set by the individual counterparties.

(G) Trading Months: Trading months should be established based on the risk management needs of 

commercial entities as well as the availability of price and other data needed to calculate the cash 

settlement price in the specified months. Specification of the last trading day should take into 

consideration whether the volume of transactions underlying the cash settlement price would be unduly 

limited by occurrence of holidays or traditional holiday periods in the cash market. Moreover, a contract 

should not be listed past the date for which the designated contract market has access to use a 

proprietary price index for cash settlement.

Payments are settled in accordance with the payment frequency of the Contract. The counterparties determine 

the payment frequency at the inception of the Contract.

(H) Speculative Limits: Specific rules and policies for speculative position limits are set forth in part 

150 and/or part 151, as applicable, of the Commission’s regulations.

None required by Parts 150 or 151 of the Commission’s regulations.

(I) Reportable Levels: Refer to § 15.03 of the Commission’s regulations.

TeraExchange will adhere to the applicable reporting levels set forth in §15.03 of the Commission’s 

regulations.

(J) Trading Hours: Should be set by the designated contract market to delineate each trading day.

The Contract is available to trade each day during the TeraExchange hours of operation, subject to any 

applicable Clearing Venue Specifications or restrictions.