This book discusses current issues affecting the development of banking activities in the Latin American region together with various perspectives on possible reform. It presents a comparative study of several Latin American banking systems and their supervisory bodies and examines the institutional structures put in place following the reforms of the last decade. There is further discussion about the relationship that should exist between regulations and discretionary power when banks face difficulties. These various subjects are explored through national case studies including Brazil Ecuador Venezuela Colombia Peru Mexico Bolivia Guatemala Argentina Costa Rica and - by way of comparison - the United States and Canada. In addition the book covers general discussion of the wider international context. There is comparative study of the structure of supervisory bodies in developed countries and the implications for developing countries and of how recent international trends in banking supervision have been reflected in the experiences of Latin American countries. The authors examine the recent crises experienced by South East Asian financial systems and the ways in which they could impact Latin America. The book also investigates the integration of banking markets at an international level and the harmonisation of different regulatory frameworks. A study of the European Union experience provides a background for the discussion of harmonisation in the MERCOSUR countries.