Access to capital is fundamental to the operation of a free society. It allows for the formation, expansion, and smooth running of the enterprises that make up the private economy. It also provides room for the experimentation that allows innovation in product and service delivery. A well-functioning financial system helps match investors with enterprises for mutual benefit and for the benefit of their employees and customers. Placing too many restrictions on the financial system hinders both the efficient allocation of capital and innovation that can benefit consumers.

CEI has fought excessive regulation in the financial sector from laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. We have scored major bipartisan victories for deregulation. These include the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, signed by President Obama in 2012, that lifted or relaxed some of the biggest burdens preventing small and midsize firms from raising capital and going public; and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Trump in 2018, that lifted some of Dodd-Frank’s crushing burden on community banks and credit unions. We continue to fight to remove regulatory barriers that limit choices and increase costs for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers.

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Did Ben Fold?

Looking back at the Federal Reserve Board’s attempts at self-justification after the Great Depression in Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman concluded that…

Business and Government

Staff & Scholars

John Berlau

Senior Fellow and Director of Finance Policy

  • Banking and Finance
  • Deregulation
  • Financial Regulation

Iain Murray

Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow

  • Banking and Finance
  • Trade and International

Steve Swedberg

Finance and Monetary Policy Analyst

  • Banking and Finance
  • Deregulation
  • Financial Regulation