The use of mobile phones in order to effectuate banking transactions is bound to increase in a significant way in the near future. This growth in mobile financial services not only depends on technological advances, but also on consumer confidence in the provided services. Mobile financial services can be divided into mobile banking and mobile payment; therefore, legal certainty must be established as to what supervisory regime applies to the various activities involving banks and non-banks. Mobile banking activities fall within the scope of the banking business, and oversight is provided by the competent financial market authority for prudential supervision, if the definition of banking activities encompasses all relevant mobile banking activities. Furthermore, legal aspects also play a role in the evolution of mobile banking as far as the need to enhance customer trust in the offered services is concerned. Major issues arise in relation to data security and consumer protection. Moreover, the outsourcing of certain key activities to mobile operators deserves further attention, as mobile operators can, under specific circumstances, become deeply involved in mobile banking.

No abstract

No abstract

The paper addresses recent developments in international bank

This paper highlights the functions performed by the financial services industry in the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM enables industrialised economies to meet their emission reduction targets while supporting environmental projects in developing economies. Since the Copenhagen Summit did not give a satisfying response to the future prospects of the carbon market, reliance has increasingly been placed on private actors in order to keep developing the carbon market architecture. Financial institutions are involved in the CDM market as pooling and transferring economic resources in order to develop CDM projects; they can also enhance market liquidity while trading carbon certificates. The financial services industry is active in the CDM market, providing evidence of the necessity to encompass private institutions in the efforts to tackle climate change. This paper shows the benefits of financial intermediation in the CDM market and also explains some shortcomings.

Alors que la création des agences de notation financière remonte au début du xx e  siècle, le problème des conflits d’intérêts a tout particulièrement émergé dans les années 1970, et s’est intensifié à l’aube de la crise des subprimes . Dans les années 1970, les principales agences de notation sont passées du modèle de l’investisseur-payeur au modèle de l’émetteur-payeur, c’est-à-dire que les émetteurs voulant être notés ont commencé à avoir recours aux services de ces agences. Ce changement s’explique essentiellement par le rôle de quasi-régulateur donné aux agences aux États-Unis, et plus tard, au niveau international. Par conséquent, les principales agences de notation Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s et Fitch sont devenues de plus en plus rentables. Cependant, au cours de la crise financière, de nombreux scandales ont dénoncé le fait que les notations de crédit ont peu de qualité informative par rapport aux revenus substantiels qu’elles génèrent. Cette situation paradoxale attire l’attention sur le manque de surveillance des agences de notation et le besoin de contrôler et minimiser les conflits d’intérêts. Aux États-Unis, le Dodd-Frank Act de 2010 répond en partie à ces problèmes dans le cadre de sa réforme des agences de notation. Classification JEL?: G01, G24, G28.

No abstract

No abstract