7 April 2022 - APRA publishes Chair Wayne Byres’ speech on regulating new financial technologies

In “Regulating the technological revolution in finance”, Mr Byres delivered an update on APRA’s regulatory approach to major technological developments that are impacting the financial and payments systems, such as crypto currencies, stablecoins and central bank digital currencies.

Regulation of the financial system exists because history has taught us that, left to its own devices, the system is prone to bouts of instability and considerable harm to society. But equally we know a dynamic and innovative financial system – with participants able to take risk and innovate to deliver better products, services, and ways of doing business – generates important and long-lasting economic benefits for society. Finding that Goldilocks point for regulation – not too much, not too little – so as to allow the digitisation of finance to generate maximum economic benefit, but doing so within society’s risk tolerance, is what we strive for.

That, of course, is much easier said than done.