OECD

See   Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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offline card transaction

A card transaction which is authorised without contacting the issuer at the time of the transaction. Antonym:   online card transaction
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OFI

See   other financial intermediary (OFI)
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OFI sector

A sub-sector defined in the ESA 95 as comprising the OFIs (excluding insurance corporations and pension funds).
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online card transaction

A card transaction which is authorised following explicit approval by the issuer at the time of the transaction. Antonym:   offline card transaction
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open market operation

An operation executed on the initiative of the central bank in the financial market. With regard to their aims, regularity and procedures, Eurosystem open market operations can be divided into four categories: main refinancing operations; longer-term refinancing operations; fine-tuning operations; and structural operations. As for the instruments used, reverse transactions are the main open market instrument of the Eurosystem and can be employed in all four categories of operations. In addition, the issuance of debt certificates and outright transactions are available for structural operations, while outright transactions, foreign exchange swaps and the collection of fixed-term deposits are available for the conduct of fine-tuning operations.
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operated direct link

A direct link between two central securities depositories (CSDs) where a third party, typically a custodian bank, operates the account in the issuer CSD on behalf of the investor CSD. See also   direct link
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operational risk

The risk of negative financial, business and/or reputational impacts resulting from inadequate or failed internal governance and business processes, people, systems, or from external events.
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opportunity cost

A measure of the costs of holding an asset, typically measured as the spread between its own return and the return on an alternative asset.
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optimisation routine

A procedure determining the order in which transfer orders are to be processed and settled in a transfer system in order to increase settlement efficiency. See also   chaining
  queue management
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option

A financial instrument that gives the owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell specific assets (e.g. a bond or a stock) at a predetermined price (the strike or exercise price) at or up to a certain future date (the exercise or maturity date). A call option gives the holder the right to purchase the underlying assets at an agreed exercise price, whereas a put option gives the holder the right to sell them at an agreed price.
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The OECD (based in Paris) was founded in 1961 as the successor to the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). It brings together 34 member countries (2011) in an organisation that, most importantly, provides governments with a setting in which to discuss, develop and perfect economic and social policy.
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original maturity

See   maturity at issue (original maturity)
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OTC (over-the-counter) trading

A method of trading that does not involve a regulated market. In over-the-counter markets, participants trade directly with each other, typically through telephone or computer links.
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other financial intermediary (OFI)

A corporation or quasi-corporation other than an insurance corporation and pension fund that is engaged mainly in financial intermediation by incurring liabilities in forms other than currency, deposits and/or close substitutes for deposits from institutional entities other than MFIs, in particular those engaged primarily in long-term financing, such as corporations engaged in financial leasing, financial vehicle corporations created to be holders of securitised assets, financial holding corporations, dealers in securities and derivatives (when dealing for their own account), venture capital corporations and development capital companies.
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other lending

Credit other than consumer credit and loans for house purchase that is extended to households for special purposes such as business needs, the procurement of office equipment, debt consolidation, education, the purchase of securities, etc.
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other revaluations

An aggregate in monetary statistics that comprises changes in the MFI balance sheet that are due to a change in the market price of negotiable securities held, sold or issued and/or to the (partial) removal from the balance sheet of loans that are subject to write-offs or write-downs. A change in the market value of securities held, sold or issued by MFIs affects the outstanding stock of securities, in addition to actual transactions in these securities. A write-off or write-down of loans has an impact on the reported value of the outstanding amount of loans, but is not related to a change in the amount of MFI lending to the economy.
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output gap

The difference between the actual and potential levels of output of an economy, expressed as a percentage of potential output. Potential output is the level of output that can be achieved when the factors of production are utilised at non-inflationary levels.
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outright transaction

A transaction whereby assets are bought or sold outright in the market (spot or forward).
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overnight deposits

Deposits with next-day maturity. This instrument category comprises mainly those sight/demand deposits that are fully transferable (by cheque or similar instrument). It also includes non-transferable deposits that are convertible on demand or by close of business the following day. Overnight deposits are included in M1 (and hence in M2 and M3).
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oversight

The oversight of payment systems is a typical central bank function whereby the objectives of safety and efficiency are promoted by monitoring existing and planned systems, assessing them against the applicable standards and principles whenever possible and, where necessary, fostering change. Oversight activities increasingly relate also to securities clearing and settlement systems.
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