The response to Brexit should be the economic and financial strengthening of the euro area: if we remained mired in technical nit-picking with self-satisfaction from some, disparagement from others, and distrust on all sides, we would not only have missed an opportunity, we would, collectively, have failed in our duty. ** I would like to conclude on that note. The unity demonstrated by the EU27 in their Brexit position, behind their negotiator, Michel Barnier, who has done a remarkable job, has been impressive. And everyone now better appreciates – at least in the sense of what they would miss – all the advantages offered by our Europe and our common market. This political desire to “protect” must now unfold into an ambition to “construct”, to build a more effective Europe. Thank you for your attention. 1 European Central Bank press conference, 25 October 2018. 2 Four-quarter cumulative flows. 3/3  BIS central bankers' speeches
For a start, regulation goes hand in hand with supervision. We will continue to ask searching questions about the quality of a firm’s assets, the rigour of its risk management, the experience on its board, the plausibility of its resolution plan and so on. That is the bread and butter of our role. Meanwhile, the reforms will be treated to revisionist history and the calls of counter-revolution. Now, reasonable people can disagree about the right balance of financial regulation in order to achieve our goals. The most celebrated example of this is how to trade off the cost of higher bank lending rates, which dampens investment in the economy, versus the benefit of reducing the probability or severity of future financial crises. Unless some other breed of revolutionary brings an end to capitalism itself, then I think that debate will go on for a long time after we are all dead. But in my view, the post-crisis reform package – taken as a whole – strikes the right balance between the competing interests present within our mixed economy system. Brexit does not affect this judgement. The UK financial system must be robustly regulated and supervised whatever the outcome of the government’s negotiations with the European Union. As my colleagues on the Financial Policy Committee and I put it last month: “the FPC will remain committed to the implementation of robust prudential standards in the UK financial system.