How does standardization affect OTC markets in the long term? Evidence from the small bang reform in the CDS market

• We study the impact of standardization reform in the European CDS market. • We find that the CDS Small Bang had unexpected long-term consequences. • The initial capital cost due to the new upfront fee to standardize CDS contracts increases CDS prices. • This effect grows in magnitude for several years following the implementation of the reform. Focusing on the most liquid segment of the European CDS market, this paper studies the impact of a key standardization reform, known as the CDS Small Bang. We document that the reform provided unexpected long-term consequences. Particularly, we show that the introduction of an upfront fee to standardize the cash flow of CDS contracts created an initial capital cost for traders, which acts as a friction that increases CDS prices. This relation holds after accounting for well-known determinants of spreads, suggesting a separate funding channel driven by the greater capital intensity of trading. This effect grows in magnitude for several years following the implementation of the reform, becomes stronger when dealers are likely to bear the initial capital cost and is present across all industries, except for swaps written on financials shortly after the reform was introduced.