Financial Innovation and Transparency in Turbulent Times

34 Pages Posted: 16 Jun 2011

See all articles by Panos Delimatsis

Panos Delimatsis

Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC); Tilburg Law School

Date Written: June 16, 2011

Abstract

The stunning failure of banks put regulatory intervention high on the agenda of governments. Adequate risk monitoring, including by credit rating agencies, measurement and management have proven to be a daunting task, whereas regulation of innovative financial instruments has not brought about adequate disclosure and transparency. After critically reviewing the virtues and pitfalls of financial innovation, this paper offers an analysis of the main transparency initiatives undertaken in the EU and the US in the wake of the crisis to harness various financial innovations that have marked the history of financial markets in the last three decades. In addition, the paper identifies the approach as to financial innovation that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has adopted in the early ‘90s and assesses the likely impact of the recent financial crisis on this stance. As the perimeter of regulation grows and countries become more suspicious vis-à-vis home-country financial regulation, trade in financial services will most likely not remain unaffected.

Keywords: financial innovation, transparency, global financial crisis, Dodd-Frank Act, hedge funds, credit rating agencies, derivatives, World Trade Organization (WTO), General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)

JEL Classification: G01, G15, G18, G2, G38, K23, O38, F13

Suggested Citation

Delimatsis, Panagiotis, Financial Innovation and Transparency in Turbulent Times (June 16, 2011). TILEC Discussion Paper No. 2011-031, Tilburg Law School Research Paper No. 015/2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1865747 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1865747

Panagiotis Delimatsis (Contact Author)

Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC) ( email )

Warandelaan 2
Postbus 90153
Tilburg, NL-5000 LE
Netherlands
0031 13 466 8251 (Phone)
0031 13 466 8047 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/p-delimatsis

Tilburg Law School ( email )

Warandelaan 2
Postbus 90153
Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/p-delimatsis

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
260
Abstract Views
1,798
Rank
214,809
PlumX Metrics