Changes in payment and settlement systems require effective risk management

Abstract

Integration of the Finnish financial system into the global markets is reflected for example in the increasing provision of critical infrastructure services from abroad. Market integration may, through economies of scale, lower transaction costs. The challenge is to ensure that the level of domestic services does not decline and that efficiency gains are maintained. Market participants decisions on payment and settlement systems are strategic: they define the longer-term future operating conditions for the markets and the service level of the infrastructure. The impacts of these decisions therefore require thorough analysis, from the perspective of both individual participants and the entire market. The Bank of Finland assesses infrastructure solutions at the system-level and induces change, where necessary.