Financial regulation and risk management: addressing risk challenges in a changing financial environment

Will the April 2nd Announcement generate its intended objectives? It’s still early days – however, it appears increasingly likely that negotiation outcomes – particularly between those significantly impacted by the Announcement, will be a major determinant in deciding whether the tariff hikes resulting from the April 2nd Announcement, will be short or long term. As of the 11th April, 2025, President Trump’s universal tariffs on China had amounted to 145% whilst China announced tariffs of 125% on U.S imports. Amongst other things, this paper aims to address complexities and challenges faced by regulators in identifying and assessing risk, problems arising from different perceptions of risk, and solutions aimed at countering problems of risk regulation. It will approach these issues through an assessment of explanations put forward to justify the growing importance of risks, well known risk theories such as cultural theory, risk society theory and governmentality theory. In addressing the problems posed as a result of the difficulty in quantifying risks, it will consider a means whereby risks can be quantified reasonably without the consequential effects which result from the dual nature of risk that is, risks emanating from the management of institutional risks.