The era of “predictable volatility” in financial markets demands a sweeping overhaul of regulatory approaches, declared Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in a speech at the regulator’s International Capital Markets Conference.
“The goal of regulation shouldn’t just be to step in when things go wrong, or respond to a crisis,” Rahti stated, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift in regulatory approach, moving from reactive to proactive measures. “We want to deliberately create an environment that helps firms compete, and grow.”
The FCA chief highlighted several key areas for reform, including nurturing market liquidity, embracing technological advancements, and adopting a new mindset towards risk. He argued that current regulations, often designed for large global banks, can limit smaller firms’ ability to contribute to market liquidity.
“We’re exploring how adjustments could encourage wholesale trading and improve market liquidity,” Rathi explained, suggesting that such changes could reduce barriers to entry for specialized trading firms that don’t hold retail deposits.
In a nod to the rapidly evolving technological landscape, Rathi stressed the importance of investing in infrastructure and adopting new technologies. He pointed to the move towards T+1 settlement and the potential of tokenization to enhance liquidity and open up new forms of investment.
The speech also touched on the increasing interconnectedness of global financial systems, with Rathi citing recent market events to illustrate how incidents in one country can rapidly impact others. He called for deeper market engagement to understand and manage these systemic risks.
The UK’s Market Watchdog Seeks Feedback on Easing Financial Rules
Three months after the FCA initiated a review to improve its financial services regulations, the agency is making strides towards fostering innovation, cutting costs, and easing regulatory pressures on businesses. This effort aims to bolster economic growth and strengthen the UK’s financial markets.
The review was set in motion following the introduction of the Consumer Duty, a measure designed to ensure that businesses provide positive outcomes for consumers when they purchase financial products and services. Now, the FCA is reaching out to industry stakeholders to pinpoint rules that may be redundant or overlap with the new duty, with the goal of simplifying them.
By streamlining regulations, the FCA hopes to reduce operational costs for firms and encourage a more robust risk appetite, which is crucial for growth. Beyond this comprehensive rule review, the agency is also exploring ways to simplify regulations in the commercial insurance sector, a market that exceeds £15.5 billion in value within the UK.
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