Securities lending and Borrowing – refers to the lending of securities by one party to another. Securities lending and borrowing is driven by a diverse set of considerations such as raising portfolio returns, taking positions, creating leverage, raising finance, increasing delivery efficiency, and others. The terms of the loan, governed by a "Securities Lending Agreement", require that the borrower provides the lender with collateral such as cash, government securities, or a Letter of Credit of value equal to or greater than the loaned securities. This agreement is a contract enforceable under relevant law, often specified in the agreement.
As payment, the parties negotiate a fee, quoted as an annualized percentage of the value of the loaned securities. If the agreed form of collateral is cash, then the fee may be quoted as a "rebate", meaning that the lender will earn all of the interest which accrues on the cash collateral, and will "rebate" an agreed rate of interest to the borrower.