OTC single currency interest rate derivatives in the UK 2001-2019, by instrument

All values taken as of April each year.

Over the counter (OTC) refers to foreign exchange transactions that occur outside regulated exchanges (such as the New Yok Stock Exchange or London Stock Exchange).

• Forward rate agreement: an agreement for the purchase and sale of interest-bearing asset (such as a bond) at a fixed price at a point in the future;
• Swap: the exchange of two different types of interest rates on the same notional principle, with one investor paying a fixed interest rate but receiving variable interest rate payments, and the other paying a variable interest rate but receiving payments based on a fixed interest rate;
• Option: an agreement to purchase an interest-bearing asset at some time on the future, but with no obligation to carry out the transaction (unlike with forwards).