High-frequency trading divides opinion among policymakers, but while they try to figure out the best ways to regulate the activity, many industry participants are making their own arrangements regarding with whom they want to trade. By Farah Khalique

Compared with the US, the UK has been surprisingly successful at fostering challenger banks. The difference appears to mainly lie in the regulatory approaches of the two countries.

Changes in US regulations for money market funds are creating unintended consequences by driving up dollar costs for banks, for the real economy and even in the huge derivatives complex. Meanwhile, European regulators are carefully monitoring US moves to help inform their own reforms.

Regulatory reforms designed to push over-the-counter derivatives through clearing houses have thrown up a number of potentially serious unintended consequences.  

The shadow banking debate is intensifying as the global financial system's watchdogs grapple with how best to measure the ballooning non-bank sector and properly nurture it 

The US presidential election is barely two months away. Both parties have strong views on how best to regulate and reform the financial services industry, but the eventual landscape could look wholly different to that suggested by the campaign rhetoric. By Farah Khalique

Banks are gearing up to make the revolutionary switch from the current IAS 39 standard to IFRS 9. The UK’s decision to leave the EU will put them to the test. 

Banks involved in uncleared derivatives face a rapidly approaching headache revolving around faster clearing, more margin and questions over equivalence between regulatory regimes remain unanswered.  

Five of the world’s largest banks have failed to satisfy US regulators that, in the event of a financial calamity, their plans of action are up to scratch. Following a damning assessment in April, the race is on to consolidate their recovery and resolution plans in time for the fast-approaching October deadline, or face the regulatory axe. By Farah Khalique

There is a real risk that US Federal Reserve proposals to make it harder to unwind qualified financial contracts with big banks could actually unleash all kinds of unintended consequences, such as creating distortions in the derivatives market and even accelerating bankruptcies