I am very pleased and honoured to speak here today before such a distinguished audience. So thank you for the invitation. Since I am speaking ahead of a panel discussion entitled "Banking Union and Regulatory Reforms: Mission Accomplished?", I would, if I may, like to present a central banker’s view of the respective issues. The history of banking regulation is almost as old as the history of banking itself. One instance of very tough regulation was reported by the Spanish economist Huerta de Soto: in the year 1300, a detailed set of regulations to control banking were established in Catalonia.[1] Bankers who went ... (full story)