IMF Working Paper

In recent years many countries have made drastic changes to the architecture of financial supervision, and more countries are contemplating modifications. The current restructuring wave is making the supervisory landscape less uniform than in the past. In several countries the architecture still reflects the classic model, with separate agencies for banking, securities and insurance supervision. However, an increasing number of countries show a trend towards consolidation of supervisory powers, which in some cases has culminated in the establishment of a unified regulator, either inside or outside the central bank....