The Hayne report – one giant leap forward for Australia

Abstract

We discuss the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Banking and its admirable restraint in avoiding the temptation to call for more regulation: the 2,300 page U.S. Dodd-Frank Act and its progeny have amply demonstrated the perils of that approach. We identify elements of the banking and advisory market that pose challenges in implementing the positive changes called for in the Commission’s Report, and potential solutions. We offer three favoured candidates for overcoming anticipated resistance to implementation: learning from the technology giants; creating a meaningful enforcement program; and building a regulatory measurement system that enables a broader spectrum of clients to better assess and compare providers’ performance.