Reserve Bank of Australia
Term Funding Facility to Support Lending to Australian Businesses
The Reserve Bank has established a Term Funding Facility (TFF) to offer three-year funding to authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs). The facility has two objectives:
- to reinforce the benefits to the economy of a lower cash rate, by reducing the funding costs of ADIs and in turn helping to reduce interest rates for borrowers. It will complement the reduction in funding costs from the Reserve Bank's target for three-year Australian Government bond yields
- to encourage ADIs to support businesses during a difficult period, ADIs will have access to additional low-cost funding if they expand their lending to businesses over the period ahead. The scheme encourages lending to all businesses, although the incentives are stronger for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
ADIs are encouraged to consider taking advantage of this scheme to support their customers and help the economy through a difficult period.
The TFF was announced on 19 March 2020, and increased and extended on 1 September 2020. The Market Announcement, published on 1 September 2020, sets out the main features of the TFF incorporating the changes announced.
Information for ADIs intending to take part in the TFF
The Terms and Conditions for TFF Repos are outlined in the RBA Information and Transfer System (RITS) Regulations, in particular, Annexure F which covers Additional Terms Applicable to TFF Repos.
The TFF Operational Notes provide details about how the scheme will work in practice, including eligibility criteria, more detailed information on the calculation of the Funding Allowances and the process for conducting a TFF repo to obtain funding. The Operational Notes are intended to assist ADIs to better understand how the TFF will operate. They are only legally binding to the extent that they are specifically referred to in the RITS Regulations.
The TFF Worked Examples provide additional detail on how Funding Allowances are calculated and illustrate the quantity of borrowing available in various scenarios.
Please note that the terms of the TFF can be revised by the Reserve Bank at any time. Usage of the TFF will be at the sole discretion of the Reserve Bank.
Forms
-
Term Funding Facility Repo Request form
840KB
Please fill in and submit the online form for efficient processing.
The form password was provided to ADIs via their Initial Allocation letter, sent on 31 March. - Additional Allowance Reporting template 25KB
Published information
The Reserve Bank publishes in Statistical Table A3 weekly data on total TFF drawings and monthly data on the total TFF Funding Allowance and Additional Allowance accruing from lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and large businesses.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 19 March 2020 | TFF Market Announcement |
| 31 March 2020 | ADIs notified of Funding Allowances and instructions for submitting TFF Repo Requests |
| 1 April 2020 (midday) | First date for submission of TFF Repo Requests |
| 6 April 2020 | First settlement date for TFF repos |
| 1 September 2020 | TFF Market Announcement |
| 25 September 2020 | Deadline for submission of TFF Repo Requests for Initial Allowance |
| 28 September 2020 | First date for submission of TFF Repo Requests for Supplementary Allowance |
| 30 September 2020 | Last date for drawdowns of Initial Allowance |
| 1 October 2020 | First date for drawdowns against Supplementary Allowance |
| 25 June 2021 | Deadline for submission of TFF Repo Requests for Additional and Supplementary Allowance |
| 30 June 2021 | Last date for drawdowns of Additional and Supplementary Allowance |
| Recurring dates | |
| Fridays | Publication of statistics on usage of the Term Funding Facility (see release schedule of Table A3) |
| 15th business day of the month |
Deadline for ADIs making new reports to the Reserve Bank
|
| 1st business day of the month |
Reserve Bank notifies ADIs of the new value of their Additional Allowance
|
Contact details
| You want to … | Your contact |
|---|---|
| Make a media or public enquiry | RBAInfo@rba.gov.au |
| Enquire about the TFF | RBATFF@rba.gov.au |
| Submit a TFF Repo Request Form | TFFNotifications@rba.gov.au |
| Submit a Reporting Template for ADIs Making New Reports | TFFNotifications@rba.gov.au |
| Substitute collateral on a TFF Repo | Domestic Markets Operations |
| Terminate a TFF Repo | Domestic Markets Operations |
| Provide Notice regarding a TFF Repo | TFFNotifications@rba.gov.au |
| Enquire about Eligible Securities | Eligible_Securities@rba.gov.au |