This is where financial regulation gets really nasty

Protectionism is on the rise with potentially devastating consequences for all

Monday 20 February 2012 at 17:00

Nobody, nowadays, would deny that the financial industry needs to be better regulated. But, if you are anything like most of people I talk to, you are probably getting a little annoyed by the sheer number of new rules your firm is struggling to deal with. In all likelihood you think that there have been too many in too short a space of time.

And you almost certainly believe that many of them are ill-considered, politically motivated and potentially damaging to not only the financial industry but also the wider economy. Well, you ain't seen nothing yet I'm afraid.