Settlement services - Hong Kong - China Connect securities
Pre-matching service
The table below summarises CBL’s pre-matching service for external settlement instructions, as well as the pre-matching method and start time in the market. For details of CBL’s pre-matching services, see Pre-matching services for external settlement instructions.
| Service offered | Method employed | Start (local time) |
| Stock Connect | ||
Immediate Release Flag available | Automatic via CCASS | SD |
| Bond Connect | ||
Immediate Release Flag available | Automatic or electronic in CMU system | SD-2 |
| Connectivity medium | Instruction format |
Xact Web Portal | Tick to enable the “Immediate Release” option. |
Xact via SWIFT and Xact File Transfer | Field :22F::STCO/CEDE/IREL |
For transactions in CCASS-eligible equities and warrants, when the counterparty is a custodian bank (Clearstream Banking), its safekeeping account with the receiving or delivering agent (Citibank) must be quoted in the settlement instructions.
In addition, the CCASS pre-matching system requires that the account numbers of global custodian accounts at the receiving/delivering agent be correctly formatted (see Account formats for Global Custodians).
Important note: Clients are strongly urged to comply with global custodian account formats. Clearstream Banking is not in a position to verify these formats and non-compliance will result in unmatched and consequently unsettled trades, which may lead to a buy-in. Any costs, expenses or damages arising from incorrect formatting by the client shall be borne by the client exclusively.
Domestic allegement matching service
Complementary to the pre-matching services offered as described above and where no pre-matching instruction has been sent to the market, CBL accepts allegements via its depository from domestic market counterparties. It will then use these allegement messages to search for the best matching client instruction.
If no matching client instruction is found, the allegement is reported to the client provided that its Clearstream Banking account number is present.
For details of CBL's domestic allegement service, see Pre-matching services for external settlement instructions.
Procedures for domestic counterparties
| Procedure for the domestic counterparty | Deadline |
Receipt in CBL/Delivery from CBL for Stock Connect | |
Clients delivering/receiving securities to/from the Hong Kong market must request their domestic counterparty to receive/deliver the securities from/to CBL with Citibank as follows: | Market deadline |
Receiving/Delivering Agent: Citibank Hong Kong, BIC: CITIHKHXXXX, CCASSID: C00010. | |
Receiver’s/Deliverer’s custodian: CBL (BIC: CEDELULL), for/from <10-digit segregated account provided during the onboarding process>. | |
Buyer/Seller: beneficiary's/ordering party's account number in CBL. | |
| Receipt in CBL / Delivery from CBL for Bond Connect | |
Clients delivering/receiving securities to/from the Hong Kong market must request their mainland counterparty to receive/deliver the securities from/to CBL with Citibank as follows: | Market deadline |
Receiving/Delivering CMU Agent: Citibank Hong Kong, BIC: CITIHKHXXXX, <CMU sub-account provided during the onboarding process> | |
Allowed countervalue difference
Stock Connect
A maximum difference in countervalue of CNY 10 only is allowed for matching and settlement of against payment transactions with domestic counterparties. In cases where the difference in the settlement amount does not exceed the stated tolerance limit set up by both parties, the amount specified by CBL will prevail.
Bond Connect
A maximum difference in countervalue of CNY 10 only is allowed for matching and settlement of against payment transactions with domestic counterparties. In cases where the difference in the settlement amount is within CNY 10, and the absolute value does not exceed the stated tolerance limit set up by both parties, the amount specified by the counterparty will prevail.
Specific settlement rules/settlement restrictions
Stock Connect
Clients who want to invest in Stock Connect China securities must open an SPSA (Special Segregated Account) and obtain an Investor ID via CBL (see “Stock Connect onboarding procedures” under Onboarding procedures).
For free of payment transactions, non-trade or off-exchange transfers are generally not allowed, except for:
- Permitted SBL activities;
- Transfers between EPs and their clients for the purpose of rectifying error trades;
- Post-trade allocation of shares to different funds/sub-funds by fund managers; and
- Other situations specified by SSE and ChinaClear.
Cash settlement
The standard SPSA is not a "True DVP" model as the cash proceeds will be confirmed either on T+0 after 21:25 HKT or on T+1 from 09:30 to 12:00 with good value to T.
Cash settlement on T+0 is optional. The CCASS cash clearing banks of both counterparties must sign up for T+0 RMB cash settlement.
“True DVP” Settlement model - A "True DVP" model is possible for clients who use any of the brokers (for example Citi Global Markets) who appoint Citibank as third party clearer or settlement agent. "True DVP" refers to receiving cash confirmation immediately upon settlement of the DVP transaction.
RDP Settlement model - Clients who opt for real-time delivery versus payment (RDP) money settlement must check with their designated brokers to ensure they support RDP settlement as the RTGS flag is a settlement matching criteria. Please see RTGS instructions for Stock Connect. The securities settlement will be effected only after a payment from receiving party to delivering party is confirmed. Clients who operate under the “True DVP” settlement need not flag their instructions for RDP settlement.
Bond Connect
Clients who want to invest in Bond Connect must open a CMU sub-account and to apply for CFETS Trading ID via CBL (see “Bond Connect onboarding procedures” under Onboarding procedures).
Free of payment is not allowed. Transfer of securities between two CMU members and between two CMU sub-accounts are also not allowed.
For portfolio transfer and/or switch of custodian, clients should reach out to Clearstream Client Services or their relationship officer.
Clients must instruct using either the ISIN or Common Code in their Bond Connect instructions. If an ISIN is not available during the bond issuance, clients must instruct using the Common Code. Please note that clients must continue to instruct using the Common Code even if the ISIN becomes available later.
Cash Funding and Settlement
To avoid process delays that might lead to settlement failure, it is highly recommended that clients send settlement instructions by SD-1 16:00 HKT for pre-matching purposes.
Special Settlement Cycles
Clients can apply for settling cash bond trades on T+4 and beyond the settlement cycle under special circumstances to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. To apply to use the special settlement cycle, customers and onshore market makers should submit the bond connect application form for cash bond backup trading directly to Bond Connect Company Limited (BCCL) or China Foreign Exchange Trade System (National Interbank Funding Center) (CFETS). For more information, please refer to the "Backup Trading" section on the Bond Connect website.
Clients should ensure appropriate settlement arrangements with their onshore dealer and CBL.
Recycling Settlement
Clients can opt for a recycling settlement within the next three business days following the original contracted settlement date by applying to China Central Depository & Clearing Co. (CCDC) or Shanghai Clearing House (SCH), should a trade fail to settle on schedule. CBL will advise clients of the CSD Reference upon notification. Clients should take note to adhere to the existing process for failed trade reporting:
- Clients have to cancel their original instruction of the failed trade and re-instruct for settlement recycling with the new settlement date and amount, with no changes to other trade details;
- Clients have to instruct CBL by sending an Xact Web Portal, SWIFT MT599 free-format message (BIC: CEDELULL) with the following details:
- Attention: Settlement Singapore Team
Instruction Reference on the settlement recycling trade:
New CFETS Trade Reference number on the settlement recycling trade:
CSD Reference from the original failed trade:
Please take this request to apply for failed trade recycling.
- Attention: Settlement Singapore Team
All the above-mentioned requirements must be submitted to CBL by SD-1 16:00 HKT.
Failed trade and settlement reporting
Once the trade is executed on Tradeweb or any approved Bond Connect trading platform, onshore dealers (BCMMs) or the offshore counterparty (Bond Connect Investor) can no longer cancel or modify the trade. Trades that are executed and failed to settle are subject to settlement failure reporting per PBOC and CFETS requirement. For a quick summary of the settlement failure forms and filing timeline please refer to the PDF attached below. The actual forms can be found in the links mentioned in the PDF.
RTGS instructions for Stock Connect instruments
Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) instructions for Stock Connect instruments must be flagged to indicate that they are to be processed for RDP settlement, as follows:
| Connectivity medium | Field to be used | Value |
| Xact via SWIFT and Xact File Transfer | Field :22F: Real Time Gross Settlement Override Indicator, sequence E | :RTGS//YRTG |
| Xact Web Portal | Securities RTGS | Yes |
If the client specifies YRTG, which is a matching criteria in the instruction, the counterparty must also match otherwise the transaction will be unmatched and ultimately fails on SD.
If, on a domestic instruction, the client later wants to change the processing indicator, the original instruction must be cancelled and the client must re-instruct with the new processing indicator value.
Management of failed instructions
For all eligible securities, the depository will re-present all settlement instructions for transactions that do not settle on the first possible value date in the domestic market to the respective domestic counterparties on each of the three subsequent domestic business days. For transactions that remain unsettled, CBL will automatically cancel the client’s instruction on SD+3.
For unsettled deliveries, securities will be re-credited to clients’ accounts on SD+3.
Out-of-pocket expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses will be charged to the client. These include, but are not limited to:
Stock Connect
- Depository Fees as applicable, CCASS portfolio fee ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 bps; and
- Market fees and levies applicable to Stock Connect (usually pass back by broker) - Handling Fee: 0.487 bps | Securities Management Fee: 0.2 bps | Transfer Fee: 0.4 bps | Stamp Duty: 5 bps of consideration of the seller.
Bond Connect
- Custodian fee applicable, CMU portfolio fees ranging from 0.3 to 0.4 bps on a sliding scale basis. It is computed on a monthly average nominal value and calculated on 365-day basis;
- Transaction fee of HKD200 will be charged on settlement for both secondary market trades and primary market issuance.
Out of pocket expenses are subject to change.
Note: As it is standard market practice for this duty to be included in the settlement countervalue, CBL clients do not need to specifically advise the stamp duty in their settlement instruction. Any stamp duty obligations applicable to FOP transactions must be clarified and processed with the relevant counterparty in a communication separate from the original instruction.
It is the client’s responsibility to ensure compliance with applicable stamp duty requirements in regard to their Stock Connect transactions settled in the CBL system. CBL shall not be responsible for ensuring such compliance.