G2 - Financial Institutions and ServicesReturn

The paper deals with negative impacts of chosen regulatory attributes (regulatory arbitrage, relative over and under regulation) on economic agents' behaviour in the financial distribution area. Using three case studies from the Czech market (life insurance, corporate bonds and pension savings), we demonstrate situations, when state regulatory incursions caused substantial deformations of the target market and the subsequent detriment of final customers. Although partial market failures cannot be ruled out, our observations show that in particular, the regulatory arbitrage between individual sub-sectors of the financial market is a potent stimulator of distribution momentum, which, in turn, can lead to future systemic risks.

In recent years, as a result of the financial crisis, several proposals have been put forward to restore some role for gold in the monetary system. In particular, there has been a proposal to employ gold as a nominal anchor or asset for the exchange rates between the most important and tradable currencies in the world. This suggestion, along with alternatives is analyzed in the article. The author describes different historical systems of money, the gold standard and, using concrete figures, the potential role of gold in backing-up issued money. It is the author's conviction that the role of gold in the monetary system inevitably belongs to history.

This paper surveys the institutional arrangement of the financial regulation and supervision. Financial markets channel funds from savers to borrowers by expediting the creation and trading of financial instruments. Financial markets consist of numerous smaller financial submarkets that specialize in different types of financial instruments, different types of customers. The future of financial markets can see in the consolidation of the financial institutions. There are four fundamental objectives of financial regulation. The first is to ensure the safety and credibility of the financial institutions. Second, the central bank uses regulation to provide financial stability. The third objective is to provide an efficient and competitive financial system. Finally, financial regulation should protect consumers from abuses by financial institutions. There are many models of the institutional arrangement of the financial regulation and supervision. Financial theory indicates a wide variety of institutional arrangements, suggesting that is no universal ideal model. Model of the regulation and supervision do not guarantee better supervision. More rational structures may help, but, fundamentally, more efficient supervision comes from independent and transparent supervisory body with bettertrained staff and better enforcement, supporting the development of the financial market.