The Forum has also encouraged the adoption of standards and codes of conduct established at international level. As a general principle, the attention of the Forum is focused on the intermediaries and infrastructure of the financial sector rather than on individual countries and on structural, financial and regulatory problems rather than those of a cyclical, real or macroeconomic nature.
Its ultimate aim is to prevent crises, not to forecast or manage them. Looking ahead, one cause for concern is the danger of the present period of low volatility in the markets coming to an end without financial institutions being adequately prepared.