Risk-free rates (RFR)
From 11pm on 31 December 2020 onward, UK insurance firms are required to use technical information published by the PRA to calculate the technical provisions required by Solvency II. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) publishes similar information for use by EU insurance firms Opens in a new window, including EU subsidiaries of UK insurance groups.
Our technical information consists of schedules of risk-free interest rates in nine currencies. Firms use these rates to calculate the present value of the expected future costs of honouring their obligations to policyholders.
We publish technical information monthly (on or before the eighth working day of the month) and include the following information for each currency:
- Basic risk-free rate curves;
- Fundamental spreads (FS), used by insurers to calculate the risk-free curve for liabilities within a matching adjustment portfolio;
- Risk-free rate curves for liabilities where the insurers are permitted to use a volatility adjustment (VA).
For the publication of technical information, we rely on data obtained from established third-party providers. However, it may be necessary for us to amend, from time to time, technical information after it has been published if data errors are subsequently identified.