Financial stability is our common good, and we should also face a more subtle threat to it: debt complacency on a global level, in the context of accommodative monetary policies which will be less warranted in the near future. Global debt was already about 200% of world GDP before the crisis (2007), but is up to 220% today. Sound fiscal policies for public debt, responsible lending by financial actors for private debt and – if needed – macroprudential measures, should react against this debt complacency. 1/3  BIS central bankers' speeches  More broadly on multilateralism, we should continue to work together to preserve the world economic and trade order. We Europeans, shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada, Japan and others, must resolutely defend international economic relations based on commonly respected rules and multilateral institutions: we are all aware that an escalation of protectionist threats from the United States would dampen growth everywhere. The recent uncertainty is probably already having some negative effects on investment: you saw it in the British economy since the Brexit vote in 2016. And real tariffs would hurt more: according to most calculations including ours, a 10% increase in tariffs would diminish world trade by double digit figures, and decrease global GDP by more than 2%, starting in the United States. 2. The finance of tomorrow Let me now turn to my second point: the finance of tomorrow in an interconnected world.
The players in the Islamic financial industry must therefore, have in place robust risk management practices and system. In this regard, the establishment of the Islamic Financial Services Board has been timely. The IFSB has the important mandate of developing the prudential standards in accordance with the unique features of the Islamic financial institutions. Given that the IFSB and the existing standard setting body embraced common objectives, l do not see any difficulty in integrating the international standards with the Islamic prudential standards. This will contribute towards the development of a robust and resilient Islamic financial system that can effectively preserve financial stability and contribute to balanced growth and development. This will also facilitate the integration of the Islamic financial system as a viable component of the global financial system. Over the years, the Islamic financial industry has adopted the adaptation approach in the formulation of Islamic financial products and services. Although there are Islamic financial instruments that are distinct from the conventional financial instruments, the numbers are still few. In most instances, the Islamic financial products are repackaged along the features of the conventional financial products, while eliminating the elements that are not in-compliance with the Shariah. While this adaptation can continue, the downside risk is that Islamic financial instruments will always have to “catch-up” with the pace of product development in the conventional system. Efforts should therefore be intensified to develop new financial products that embodied the virtues of Islamic banking. This would evolve Islamic financial instruments into distinct, innovative and cutting-edge products.