ISTANBUL, September 14 (Global Risk Regulator) – Global banking regulators are looking at areas where the complexity of the broader international Basel bank capital framework could be reduced or where comparability could be improved, the world’s top banking regulator has said.

LONDON, September 12 (Global Risk Regulator) – Implementing sweeping European Union plans for the European Central Bank (ECB) to supervise all euro zone banks as part of a banking union will be challenging, according to former top regulator Thomas Huertas.

While Washington regulators struggle to impose reforms on money market funds, parallel international plans are moving rapidly ahead By Melvyn Westlake

Senior figures say complicated regulation threatens to make things worse for the financial system, not better. Call for return to simplicity By David Keefe

Industry fears political ruckus over capital rules will not leave sufficient time to prepare for new regime's 2013 introduction

Fatalism over capture is rejected in a persuasive new book. Reform of decision-making processes can often prevent it By Melvyn Westlake

A selection of news items generated by the American regulatory reform agenda

Countries in Latin America and Asia are moving swiftly to adopt the Basel III capital standards, sometimes more quickly and more strictly than the internationally-agreed version requires. Here are some recent developments monitored by GRR.

The three pan-European supervisory authorities (ESAs) for banking, insurance and securities markets have jointly launched a public consultation on methods for calculating the required capital to be held by EU financial conglomerates. The consultation document was issued at the end of August by the European Banking Authority, the European Securities Markets Authority and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority.

ISTANBUL/MOSCOW – Turkish banks' capital ratios were predicted to drop by an average of about 1 percentage point this summer as they switch the Basel II capital standards. That was the judgment of rating agency Fitch in a comment note issued at the end of July.