Less risk, less profit

Regulators are gearing up for a crucial meeting of the Basel Committee this month, which will finalise proposals on capital buffers, quality of capital and a leverage ratio. Sylvie Matherat, head of financial stability at the Banque de France, talks to Duncan Wood about some of the likely changes

The banking rule book is being rewritten as regulators and accounting bodies act to fill holes exposed by the financial crisis. It's a time of rapid and potentially radical change, and Sylvie Matherat has a seat at the negotiating table - at several tables, in fact. The Banque de France's head of financial stability is also chair of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's accounting task force, and represents the committee on three groups working with the International Accounting Standards