Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect at the start of 1994, production and trade in goods and services have become ever more integrated in the region. Banking and financial systems thus also must increasingly inform, adjudicate, transact, invest, insure, and intermedi ate all across North America. Presently, however, there is no single, or up to-date source of information on the banking and finance systems of the current NAFTA countries-Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Relying on top specialists from international financial organizations, central banks, regulatory authorities, and universities, this and a companion volume together bridge that information gap. The focus is not just on description but on regulatory and institution-building challenges posed by the opening up of domestic financial markets, and on the political economy of reforms. The ultimate goal is to enhance the process of safe and efficient integration by policies, regulations, and private initiatives that contribute to the welfare of people in North America and beyond. This volume goes into essential detail in assessing banking and finance regulations, supervision, and prudential and operating standards in the NAFTA countries in a global context."

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect at the start of 1994, production and trade in goods and services have become ever more integrated in the region. Banking and financial systems thus also must increasingly inform, adjudicate, transact, invest, insure, and intermediate all across North America. Presently, however, there is no single or up-to-date source of information on the banking and finance systems of current (Canada, the United States, and Mexico) and prospective (Chile) NAFTA countries. This volume presents the first report on the banking and financial structure of each of the three NAFTA countries and Chile.

Uncertainty could be associated with wisdom, enterprise, and discovery. In ordinary speech, however, it has mostly negative connotations. There is "fear of the unknown" and "ignorance is bliss;" there are maxims to the effect that "what you don't know doesn't hurt you" (or: "bother you") in several languages. This volume suggests that we need be bothered by the excessive confidence with which scientists, particularly social scientists, present some of their conclusions and overstate their range of application. Otherwise many of the questions that should be raised about all the major uncertainties attending a particular issue routinely may continue to be thwarted or suppressed. Down playing uncertainty does not lead to more responsible or surer action, it sidetracks research agendas, and leaves the decision makers exposed to nasty surprise. This volume demonstrates that recognizing the many forms of uncertainty that enter into the development of any particular subject matter is a precondition for more responsible choice and deeper knowledge. Our purpose is to contribute to a broader appreciation of uncertainty than regularly accorded in any of the numerous disciplines represented here. The seventeenth-century French philosopher Descartes, quoted in this volume, wrote that "whoever is searching after truth must, once in his life, doubt all things; insofar as this is possible. " White areas left on maps of the world in past centuries were a much more productive challenge than marking the end of the known world with the pillars of Hercules.

Central bankers play a prominent role in many societies; a few of them even become oracles or celebrities. Yet they are not paid much heed - commonly accorded little respect - as educators and intellectual leaders. This volume hopes to change that. For the world's best central bankers, portrayed here, teach and lead impressively, doing so with insight, courage, quality, and conviction. They are commendable role models for those with high aspirations. The growing reputation of central bankers suggests that there is much to be learned from examining the ways in which they practice their profession. So the authors proceeded to ask what are arguably the world's seven best central bankers, from various countries throughout the world, for documentation on what they considered to be their finest achievements and how they went about gaining support for policies designed to maintain price stability. They obtained excellent cooperation from John Crow of Canada, Roberto Zahler of Chile, Alan Greenspan of the United States, Helmut Schlesinger of Germany, Markus Lusser of Switzerland, Donald Brash of New Zealand and Yasushi Mieno of Japan. They offer here a series of essays in which they present what central bankers have to say for themselves and the lessons they believe they can teach about monetary policy - not what economists, politicians, or journalists like to say about them. Learning from gifted practitioners is common in many fields where personal skills and the quality of judgment and execution matter so critically. It is particularly important in fields such as central banking where gaining political support, maintaining independence, and establishing credibility often make the differencebetween success and failure. In this volume, we find a fascinating treatment of how the governors have tackled the hardest dilemmas of policy-making in their own specific political settings. We learn how the bankers themselves believe they have earned and preserved credibility and how they have maintained and expanded their base of support. We read, partly in their own words, how they have attempted to inspire trust and have secured and defended the independence of their institutions. We read how they have tried to cope with regulatory failures, unstable surges of capital flows, extremes in asset valuations, and financial crisis. Perhaps one of the most interesting lessons we learn is that central bankers must refuse to accept credit for fortuitous successes, like favorable supply shocks, lest they be blamed and lose credibility when things beyond their control go wrong. As Professor Malkiel concludes in his Foreword, the essays in this volume can be of enormous value to academic economists, students, and especially future leaders in banking, finance, and government service. No study of monetary theory and policy will want to miss this fascinating work where the world's most gifted central bankers speak so eloquently about their trade.

Contingent Convertibles (CoCos) represent debt that is subject to being converted automatically into common equity under pre-specified terms of conversion if the chosen regulatory capital ratio falls to a level triggering conversion. CoCos are that subspecies of contingent capital that references regulatory (Basel III) concepts in its triggers. From 2014, trigger points are set by common equity (Common Equity Tier 1 [CET1]) in percent of risk-weighted assets [RWA] or of more complicated measures of total exposure to a variety of risks, particularly credit risk. This is the first comprehensive book on CoCos, an innovative instrument that has attracted growing attention since it was first issued in 2009.The book is mostly concerned with going-concern 'recovery-' rather than 'resolution-' CoCos, because avoiding failure and costly disruption of financial networks without government financing is the first order of business. CoCos hold a high promise of providing fully loss-absorbing equity capital when it is most needed and least available to financial institutions. Yet, having grown out of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, they are still an 'infant' reform instrument in many respects. Few of the instrument's design features (or even the rating, regulatory, and tax treatments) are entirely settled. This book seeks to move the discussion toward, and then past, the main decision points so that CoCos can prove their value for contingency planning and self-insurance all over the world. It is intended to increase the ability of issuers and investors to analyze and understand the different kinds of CoCos.

This title was first published in 2001. Containing a wide array of intellectual perspectives, this illuminating text takes an authoritative look at the rules, decision-making procedures and organizational resources at the heart of the institutions of global governance and provides a much-needed Asian perspective on key issues, dealing with new questions raised at the Okinawa summit. Particularly suitable for graduate courses in political science, international political economy, international organizations, corporate strategy and international business, as well as having implications for the public policy community.

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect at the start of 1994, production and trade in goods and services have become ever more integrated in the region. Banking and financial systems thus also must increasingly inform, adjudicate, transact, invest, insure, and intermedi ate all across North America. Presently, however, there is no single, or up to-date source of information on the banking and finance systems of the current NAFTA countries-Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Relying on top specialists from international financial organizations, central banks, regulatory authorities, and universities, this and a companion volume together bridge that information gap. The focus is not just on description but on regulatory and institution-building challenges posed by the opening up of domestic financial markets, and on the political economy of reforms. The ultimate goal is to enhance the process of safe and efficient integration by policies, regulations, and private initiatives that contribute to the welfare of people in North America and beyond. This volume goes into essential detail in assessing banking and finance regulations, supervision, and prudential and operating standards in the NAFTA countries in a global context."

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect at the start of 1994, production and trade in goods and services have become ever more integrated in the region. Banking and financial systems thus also must increasingly inform, adjudicate, transact, invest, insure, and intermediate all across North America. Presently, however, there is no single or up-to-date source of information on the banking and finance systems of current (Canada, the United States, and Mexico) and prospective (Chile) NAFTA countries. This volume presents the first report on the banking and financial structure of each of the three NAFTA countries and Chile.

This book deals with supply-side economics and the needed reorientation it would bring to West German policy. The change, recommended after searching analysis, would add up to an overall strategy for freeing markets, for removing government-imposed distortions, and for using free-market approaches to correct distortions imposed by pressure groups. The strategy would pierce Germany's state-supported encrustations and corporatism. It would equip the country to follow the lead of the United States and Great Britain in starting to escape from the tangle in which taxes, regulations, and unemployment have grown in step. The impending completion of the European internal market in 1992 adds urgency to this task.

Uncertainty could be associated with wisdom, enterprise, and discovery. In ordinary speech, however, it has mostly negative connotations. There is "fear of the unknown" and "ignorance is bliss;" there are maxims to the effect that "what you don't know doesn't hurt you" (or: "bother you") in several languages. This volume suggests that we need be bothered by the excessive confidence with which scientists, particularly social scientists, present some of their conclusions and overstate their range of application. Otherwise many of the questions that should be raised about all the major uncertainties attending a particular issue routinely may continue to be thwarted or suppressed. Down playing uncertainty does not lead to more responsible or surer action, it sidetracks research agendas, and leaves the decision makers exposed to nasty surprise. This volume demonstrates that recognizing the many forms of uncertainty that enter into the development of any particular subject matter is a precondition for more responsible choice and deeper knowledge. Our purpose is to contribute to a broader appreciation of uncertainty than regularly accorded in any of the numerous disciplines represented here. The seventeenth-century French philosopher Descartes, quoted in this volume, wrote that "whoever is searching after truth must, once in his life, doubt all things; insofar as this is possible. " White areas left on maps of the world in past centuries were a much more productive challenge than marking the end of the known world with the pillars of Hercules.

Central bankers play a prominent role in many societies; a few of them even become oracles or celebrities. Yet they are not paid much heed - commonly accorded little respect - as educators and intellectual leaders. This volume hopes to change that. For the world's best central bankers, portrayed here, teach and lead impressively, doing so with insight, courage, quality, and conviction. They are commendable role models for those with high aspirations. The growing reputation of central bankers suggests that there is much to be learned from examining the ways in which they practice their profession. So the authors proceeded to ask what are arguably the world's seven best central bankers, from various countries throughout the world, for documentation on what they considered to be their finest achievements and how they went about gaining support for policies designed to maintain price stability. They obtained excellent cooperation from John Crow of Canada, Roberto Zahler of Chile, Alan Greenspan of the United States, Helmut Schlesinger of Germany, Markus Lusser of Switzerland, Donald Brash of New Zealand and Yasushi Mieno of Japan. They offer here a series of essays in which they present what central bankers have to say for themselves and the lessons they believe they can teach about monetary policy - not what economists, politicians, or journalists like to say about them. Learning from gifted practitioners is common in many fields where personal skills and the quality of judgment and execution matter so critically. It is particularly important in fields such as central banking where gaining political support, maintaining independence, and establishing credibility often make the differencebetween success and failure. In this volume, we find a fascinating treatment of how the governors have tackled the hardest dilemmas of policy-making in their own specific political settings. We learn how the bankers themselves believe they have earned and preserved credibility and how they have maintained and expanded their base of support. We read, partly in their own words, how they have attempted to inspire trust and have secured and defended the independence of their institutions. We read how they have tried to cope with regulatory failures, unstable surges of capital flows, extremes in asset valuations, and financial crisis. Perhaps one of the most interesting lessons we learn is that central bankers must refuse to accept credit for fortuitous successes, like favorable supply shocks, lest they be blamed and lose credibility when things beyond their control go wrong. As Professor Malkiel concludes in his Foreword, the essays in this volume can be of enormous value to academic economists, students, and especially future leaders in banking, finance, and government service. No study of monetary theory and policy will want to miss this fascinating work where the world's most gifted central bankers speak so eloquently about their trade.

Financial services with global reach are becoming ever more important in the conduct and organization of the trade and investment of nations, and currencies that lack international standing lose out in this business. The result of financial development has been destabilizing currency and portfolio substitution - in favour of international currencies and against local ones. This book analyses formal approaches to overcoming monetary divisions within countries and within integrating regions, focusing on the consequences of monetary union for trade among union members and their financial development and stability. The authors discuss hard pegs such as those attempted by the currency board of Argentina, outright dollarization, such as in Ecuador, and multilateral monetary union, as in Europe, the least reversible form of monetary union and the most powerful elixir of financial integration and trade. The political classes and central banks in most countries have been reluctant to admit the market- and technology-driven forces of currency consolidation, much less yield to them. International financial institutions too are still in the habit of proffering advice about national monetary and exchange-rate policies on the assumption that getting rid of both is not even an option. Emerging-market countries, in particular, have to choose between retaining what independent monetary means they still have - and can safely use in the presence of widespread liability dollarization and currency mismatches - and formally replacing the domestic with an international currency to reduce exposure to debilitating financial crises. In concrete investigations of this choice, this volume shows that monetary union deserves a much more sympathetic hearing.