Analytical background -- Nature of systemic risk -- Who should be regulated (by whom) -- Counter-cyclical regulation -- Regulation of liquidity and maturity mismatches -- Other regulatory issues -- The structure of regulation -- Conclusions -- Appendix : the boundary problem in financial regulation -- Discussion and roundtables.

Provides an in-depth overview of the Federal Reserve System, including information about monetary policy and the economy, the Federal Reserve in the international sphere, supervision and regulation, consumer and community affairs and services offered by Reserve Banks. Contains several appendixes, including a brief explanation of Federal Reserve regulations, a glossary of terms, and a list of additional publications.

This publication contains the proceedings of an international conference on the regulation of financial institutions and supervisory structural reforms, held in Washington D.C., United States in December 2003 and involving participants from 52 countries. It considers case studies of experiences of regulatory reform approaches adopted in a number of countries including Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Sweden, Hungary and Estonia.