I would like to begin by thanking Governor Guy Quaden of the National Bank of Belgian and Chairman Jean-Paul Servais of Belgium’s Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission for graciously hosting this conference. The organisation of this conference began shortly after the ICBS in Mexico ended.
Despite the extensive preparation of our Belgian hosts, I do not think any kind of planning could have prepared us for what we are now experiencing in the financial markets. The events we have witnessed in the past two weeks are nothing short of extraordinary.