Rethinking modern financial ecology and its regulatory implications

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Our understanding of the modern financial market significantly shapes the way we regulate it. Sensible and effective regulation will not be achieved if that understanding is misplaced or premised on faulty assumptions. All three mainstream market theories, Efficient Market Hypothesis, Behavioural Finance and Adaptive Market Hypothesis, fail, to some extent, to accurately reflect the complete features of modern financial ecology, and they overlook the unique roles played by regulators, the financial market infrastructures, and the financial gatekeepers. This paper views financial markets as an adaptive, complex ecosystem, and re-explores the distinctive roles played by the various groups of market participant. It re-conceptualizes the comprehensive landscape of modern financial ecology by exploring the mainstream market hypotheses, and by adapting, and applying, to them the insights of complexity science.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)461-494
Number of pages34
JournalBanking and Finance Law Review
Volume32
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Cite this