Safe to Fail

The recent financial crisis has changed the face of banking. The days of taxpayer bailouts are over and we now need a new way ahead - to make banks safe to fail. Academically rigorous but written in an accessible and engaging style, Thomas Huertas' new book is a practical guide to making banks safe to fail. It provides an overview of the global financial system today, with a particular focus on the role of systemically important financial institutions (G-SIFIs) and financial market infrastructures in fostering economic growth and development, before moving on to outline why too big to fail is too costly to continue, how to make banks less likely to fail, and then in the event of failure, how to make banks resolvable, without cost to the taxpayer and the financial markets and global economy as a whole. It includes a thorough discussion of the strategic implications for banks and what banks have to do to meet the challenges currently facing them, and provides a comprehensive review and evaluation of reform agenda, including the impact on banks' business models and on economic growth.It may not be possible to make banks failsafe, but there is every opportunity to make them safe to fail, so that they can be resolved without cost to the taxpayer and without significant disruption to financial markets and the economy at large.