Data access technologies and the 'new governance' techniques of financial regulation

Modern data and information technologies are having a profound impact on financial services and opening new frontiers in regulation. This article explores the opportunities of using modern tools of data access and sharing to embed regulatory objectives within the management and decision-making processes of financial firms. This can enhance oversight of prudential and conducts risks as well as substantially lowering compliance costs. It can also help address the information imbalances that limit the effectiveness of older approaches in which the firm is a ‘black box’ that can only be externally supervised. The central challenge is establishing an appropriate governance of data in regulated firms to ensure the achievement of both regulatory and business objectives. Such an approach can be viewed as a further and more radical development of established ‘new governance’ techniques of financial regulation.