WASHINGTON—Regulators are moving to reverse a decadeslong shift in the market for U.S. government debt away from central clearinghouses, part of a broader effort intended to make the financial system safer.
The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule Wednesday that aims to force more market participants to settle trades in U.S. Treasury securities on clearinghouses. Such platforms sit between buyers and sellers of securities and serve as an alternative to bilateral transactions, reducing the risk to each party that the other side will fail to deliver.