Excessive corporate risk-taking by systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) is widely seen as one of the primary causes of the global financial crisis. In response, an array of international reforms, under the auspices of the G20’s standard-setting bodies, has been adopted to try to curb that risk-taking. However, these reforms just impose substantive requirements, such as capital adequacy, and cannot by themselves prevent future systemic collapses. To complete the G20 financial reform agenda, SIFI managers should have a duty to society (a “public governance duty”) not to engage their firms in excessive risk-taking that leads to systemic externalities. Regulating governance in this way can help supplement the ongoing regulatory reforms and reduce the likelihood of systemic harm to the public.

Task Force: An International Financial Architecture for Stability and Development