Associate ProfessorDavid Chaikin

There are several strands to my current research covering the following problems:

What is the impact of financial crime and the effectiveness of anti-financial crime measures on financial institutions, payment instruments and regulation? My research deals with specific aspects of financial crime, such as international fraud, corruption, tax evasion and money laundering. I am particularly interested in examining the role and impact of regulation in preventing financial crimes, and critiquing the effectiveness of the current Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism system of regulation.

What is the impact of technological innovation in the banking and finance fields, as well as regulation generally? I am studying governmental responses in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and China in dealing with cryptocurrency and Initial Coin Offerings.

What are the obstacles to the development of Australia as a wealth management centre, particularly in relation to the scope of regulation? My research examines the significance of the failure of Australia to reform its state-based trust laws, in contrast to regional competitors, such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

My research, connects with the business challenges of the future in the following manner:

My research focuses on the consequences of anti-financial crime regulation on businesses, business models and business risk. Specific challenges to businesses included the massive increase in compliance costs as a result of aggressive law enforcement and the expansion of complex regulation.

My research deals with the threat to banking business models and national currency posed by digital disruptive technology and the appropriate national and international regulatory response.

My research proposes regulatory solutions to the challenges faced by Australian financial services businesses posed by international competition, especially in the Asian wealth management sector.

The methodology of my research relies primarily on open sources, complemented by informal interviews with leaders in government, industry and the professions. I engage in historical and comparative research to gain a comprehensive understanding of how regulation has developed, and the effectiveness of potential regulatory strategies.