An agreement known as a swap refers to a mutual consent to switch the order of their future revenues for a predetermined amount of time. At least one of these series of cash flows is usually decided by a random or unpredictable variable at the time the contract is launched. Examples of such variables include an interest rate, an exchange rate, an equity price, or market prices.
A swap can also be understood as a collection of forward contracts or as a long position in one bond combined with a short position in another bond. In this article, we will talk about the two forms of swaps that are the most frequent and fundamental: interest rate swaps and currency swaps.
Understanding Swaps
Swaps, unlike other standard stock transactions, are not traded on exchanges. Instead, swaps are unique contracts that are transacted among private individuals in the over-the-counter (OTC) market. In 1981, the first interest rate swap happened. Nevertheless, despite the fact that swaps are still relatively young, their popularity has skyrocketed.
The swaps market is dominated by corporations and financial institutions, with very few individual traders present at any one time. Since swaps are executed in the over-the-counter market, there is still the possibility that one of the counterparties would fail on the swap.
What Are Interest Rate Swaps?
An interest rate swap is by far the most frequent and straightforward kind of swap. In the context of this swap, one party (Party A) makes an agreement with the other party (Party B) to pay that party a predefined and set rate of interest on a principal on selected days for a given amount of time.
At the same time, Party B commits to making payments to Party A on the same idea according to a variable interest rate on other fixed dates for the same predetermined period of time. The two earnings involved in a simple swap are converted into the same currency at the end of the transaction. 
(Interest rate swaps explained. Source: AnalystPrep)
The time frames between the stated payment dates are referred to as “settlement periods,” while the dates themselves are referred to as “settlement dates.” Because swaps are individualized contracts, the frequency of interest payments can be agreed upon by the parties A and B to be yearly, monthly, or at any other time window that is suitable to both parties.
What Are Foreign Currency Swaps?
The basic form of currency swapping is exchanging the principal and set interest payments on a loan defined in one currency for the principal and set interest payments on a loan defined in another currency. In contrast to a swap involving interest rates, participants in a currency swap will trade principal amounts at both the beginning and conclusion of the transaction.
Given the state of the market for currency exchange at the moment the swap is conducted, the two major amounts that are provided are determined such that they are substantially equivalent to one another.
What’s the Point of Swaps?
The use of swap contracts may be primarily justified by falling into one of two categories: either meeting business demands or taking advantage of a competitive advantage.
Swaps are able to mitigate some forms of interest rate or currency risk that might be caused by the usual business activities of certain types of companies. Take, for instance, the case of a bank, which typically receives a fixed rate of interest on loans while paying a variable rate of interest on deposits.
This imbalance between assets and liabilities has the potential to cause a great deal of trouble. The bank is able to convert its capital assets into floating-rate assets via the use of swaps, in which the financial institution pays a fixed rate and receives a floating rate in return. This creates a good balance with the bank’s floating-rate liabilities.
When it comes to getting certain forms of financing, some businesses have a competitive edge over others. On the other hand, this competitive advantage could not apply to the kind of finance that is sought. In this scenario, the firm may decide to purchase the form of financing in which it holds a competitive advantage and then use a swap in order to convert it to the type of financing that it requires.
Take for instance a very well-known American company that is interested in expanding its activities to Europe, in which it has less of a presence in the market. It is likely that it will be offered funding on more advantageous terms in the United States. The company was able to accumulate the necessary number of euros for its growth by engaging in a currency swap.
Takeaways
- An agreement known as a swap refers to a mutual consent to switch the order of their future revenues for a predetermined amount of time.
- At least one of these series of cash flows is usually decided by a random or unpredictable variable at the time the contract is launched.
- A swap can also be understood as a collection of forward contracts or as a long position in one bond combined with a short position in another bond.
- The swaps market is dominated by corporations and financial institutions, with very few individual traders present at any one time.
- Swaps are able to mitigate some forms of interest rate or currency risk that might be caused by the usual business activities of certain types of companies.
