Bilateral Credit Limit

Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Bilateral Credit Limit'

Intraday credit limits set by two institutions for use with one another, usually within a large clearing system that operates by netting amounts due to and due from institutions by other members on a daily basis. Within the banking community, the most well-known clearing system that uses netting as the mechanism for settlement is the Clearing House Interbank Payments System (CHIPS) in the United States.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Bilateral Credit Limit'

The purpose of bilateral credit limits is to reduce the credit risk exposure of each member institution to another, and to ensure the stability of the payment system overall in case one institution fails to deliver on its obligations. 

In addition to bilateral credit limits, the payment systems usually have aggregate credit limits, which limit one institution's intraday obligation to all members of the system collectively.  Another large payment system, Fedwire, also uses credit limits, although its settlement is known as real-time gross settlement, rather than netting.

Related Definitions

  • Fedwire

    A real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) of central bank money used in the United States by its Federal Reserve Banks to settle final payments in U.S. dollars electronically between ...
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  • Settlement Risk

    The risk that one party will fail to deliver the terms of a contract with another party at the time of settlement. Settlement risk can be the risk associated with default at settlement ...
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  • Real Time Gross Settlement - RTGS

    The continuous settlement of payments on an individual order basis without netting debits with credits across the books of a central bank.
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    • Netting

      1. Settling mutual obligations at the net value of a contract as opposed to its gross dollar value. 2. Reducing the transfer of funds between subsidiaries to a net amount.
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    • Clearing House

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    • Central Counterparty Clearing House - CCP

      An organization that exists in various European countries that helps facilitate trading done in European derivatives and equities markets. These clearing houses are often operated by the ...
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    • Bilateral Netting

      The process of consolidating swap agreements between two parties into a single agreement. As a result, instead of each swap agreement leading to a stream of individual payments by either ...
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