Congress edged closer to a landmark financial reform as Democrats patched up differences over restrictions on bank investments in hedge funds and private equity firms

“It’s now or never for the leaders of the world’s biggest economies to make the changes that will support their claims to have learnt the lessons of the financial and economic crises. Oooh aye? “Strict and consistent measures must be put in place to regulate financial markets, particularly in regard to hedge and private equity funds. Private equity

The EU internal market commissioner tells Tim Geithner that new rules for hedge funds and private equity will not shut foreign funds out of EU financial markets

The European Commission's draft directive on hedge funds and private equity funds can and will be improved, according to the UK's financial services minister

Sweden, the new holder of the EU presidency, came to the defence of hedge funds and private equity, saying it did not blame them for the financial crisis and would press for improvements in EU proposals to regulate them

By supporting tighter regulation on hedge funds and private equity on 10 September, the European Parliament's Economic Committee may have signalled the end of an era for the financial sector. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists, told EurActiv why he thinks events have taken a new turn.

The Finance Minister of Sweden, which took the helm of the EU yesterday (1 July), said hedge funds and private equity firms needed to be regulated, but warned against "overzealous" initiatives as they should not be seen as the primary cause of the global financial crisis.

By supporting tighter regulation on hedge funds and private equity last week, the European Parliament's Economic Committee may have signalled the end of an era for the financial sector. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists, tells EurActiv why he thinks events have taken a new turn.

Barack Obama adopted the ideas of Paul Volcker, former Fed chairman, including a prohibition on banks trading purely for their own account and a ban on owning hedge funds and private equity firms

European laws to regulate hedge funds and private equity funds for the first time should be subject to a full impact assessment, a UK treasury minister says