encouraged to adopt the measures that will strengthen their financial systems? here part of the answer seems to be to seek greater * cae goodhart “ the organisational structure of financial supervision ” fsi occasional paper no 1, bis, basel, 2000. support from the market. if markets reward high standards by easier access to funds at lower costs, there is little doubt that strong internal pressures would be created to improve standards. perhaps it is appropriate here to say a word about the financial stability forum. the forum was created in 1999, and includes senior representatives of ministries of finance, central banks and regulatory authorities in the major financial markets, as well as representatives of the main international organisations and standard setting bodies. a key reason for setting up the forum was the realisation that there are many bodies whose activities contribute to financial stability and who have a stake in its preservation. the forum, in other words, is a tangible recognition of the fact that financial stability requires vigilance in a number of dimensions. individual financial institutions have to be run on prudent lines, markets have to be open and transparent, and the financial infrastructure has to be robust. all of these objectives have to be pursued at a global level, since the financial industry is global and capital markets are increasingly integrated. yet there is no global authority that can act in all the areas that are required. the forum helps to fill this gap, by facilitating the co - ordination of efforts by the numerous separate authorities having responsibilities in the field of financial stability. iv. conclusion in summary, prudential regulation is becoming more complex and demanding, as well as more important and fascinating. it is demanding a more comprehensive approach than hitherto. it is bringing together multiple disciplines in an attempt to harness the forces of the market to improve the market ’ s stability. it stresses greater risk sensitivity, flexible supervision, and more reliance on market discipline. this is, of course, no more than a further important step along the road to a more efficient and resilient financial system. but it is an important step. and it will work to the benefit of us all.

s maternal mortality rate is amongst the highest in the world ; the rate is estimated to be around 828 and 351 per 100, 000 live births in rural areas and urban areas respectively. there are also regional disparities between the north and south. the north east has the highest rates of maternal mortality at around 1, 549 per 100, 000 live births and the lowest rates are recorded in the south - east, with 165 per 100, 000 live births. teenage marriage also contributes to low female attendance, retention and achievements in school. about 30 per cent of school age girls drop out of school having already begun childbearing at an early age. the physical and psychological implications of these phenomena cannot be overemphasized. challenges to women ’ s access to finance the challenges to women ’ s access to finance include : property rights and control over assets legal regulations and customary rules often restrict women ’ s access to and control over assets that can be accepted as collateral, such as land or livestock. women are less likely to have land titled under their name, even when their families own land, and are less likely than men to have control over land, even when they do formally own it. biased inheritance rights often bestow land to male relatives, leaving both widows and daughters at a disadvantage ( agarwal, 2003 ). cultural norms and family responsibilities socially accepted norms and expected family roles have a profound effect on the type of economic activities that women can engage in, the technologies available to them, the people and agencies with whom they can interact, the places they can visit, the time they have available and the control they can exert over their own resources such as capital. biased attitude of banks women ’ s access to financial resources is also limited by biased lending practices that emerge when financial institutions consider them inexperienced and therefore less attractive clients, or when institutions lack the knowledge to offer products tailored to women ’ s preferences and constraints ( fletschner, 2009 ). bis central bankers ’ speeches lack of collateral and start - up capital access of collateral and asset - based lending generally constrains borrowers from access to finance. this is much more serious women for obvious reasons. data from the nbs showed that men are twice as likely to secure finance compared to women. a recent world bank report on the “ investment climate in nigeria ” showed that capital rather than productivity narrows the range of activities in which women engage. the report also showed that majority of women ( 76 per cent ) rely mostly on