A foreign exchange swap differs from interest rate swaps because the principal is exchanged. A typical foreign exchange swap begins with a transaction that is indistinguishable from a spot transaction in which one currency is exchanged for another at the present spot rate. The second, or close leg, is a forward transaction at the present forward foreign exchange rate. Few foreign exchange derivatives in Brazil are structured as foreign exchange swaps. This is due to the tax and legal benefits of structuring derivatives as “cash settled” and thus avoiding the cost and inconvenience of conducting foreign currency transactions in the settlement of the derivatives.