In the debates we have had within the MPC over the past year, there appear to be four key areas where these differences of judgement arise, and which – so far at least – have led me to a different conclusion on monetary policy from the majority on the Committee. These are not new issues in that they have featured throughout my time on the MPC and in many earlier debates on UK monetary policy. But the current economic situation has brought them into sharper focus. Issue 1: The powerful influence of the global economy The first of these key issues I would highlight is the way in which the MPC takes into account the powerful influence of global economic trends and their impact on the UK economy. The way in which the global economy affects the economic outlook for the UK has been a major theme of my speeches and interviews since my very earliest days on the MPC. The UK economy is very open to international trade, with imports and exports combined accounting for over 60% of GDP. We are also the second most important global economy after the US in terms of flows of international direct investment. The UK is home to one of the most important global financial centres in the world – London.
In any event, the preamble to Law 11/2015 establishes that these arrangements for the allocation of functions should be assessed once – within two years – the implementation of the restructuring plans currently under way has been completed, in light of the experience acquired, with a view to achieving greater efficiency. 4  BIS central bankers’ speeches  All told, as regards the organisation of the traditional supervisory functions, namely solvency, conduct and investor protection, Spain retains a sectoral approach which, as indicated earlier, was abandoned some time back by our peers. Hence, the Banco de España retains supervisory competencies for the solvency of credit institutions and also for their conduct, as regards the marketing and selling of loan and deposit products. The CNMV, meanwhile, in addition to overseeing the functioning of markets, supervises the solvency and conduct of investment firms and other capital market intermediaries (such as investment fund management companies), and the commercialization of financial products classified as securities. Finally, the Directorate General for Insurance and Pension Funds oversees the solvency and conduct of companies in the insurance sector, along with the operations of pension funds and their management companies. These authorities also manage enquiries and claims services in their respective areas and are empowered to issue reports on disputes between the different institutions and their customers, although, as you know, such reports are not binding.