Introduction:Contemporary issues in financial markets and institutions

The Guest Editors thank the Editor, Professor Chris Adcock, for commissioning this special issue and for providing advice and guidance throughout the process and Pat Anderson at the European Journal of Finance for administrative assistance. They also thank Peter Hahn and Thorsten Beck for excellent plenary sessions, Peter for his opening plenary session debating the merits of regulation and executive compensation in the financial services sector and Thorsten Beck for his closing keynote address critiquing of the merits of cross-border banking and its contribution to the financial crisis.We are also indebted to the discussants: Anna Sarkisyan, SimonWolfe, Francesca Arnaboldi, Elena Beccalli, Andreas Hoepner, Richard Payne, Phil Molyneux, Jonathan Williams, Meziane Lasfer Jerry Coakley and Steve Haberman for chairing the keynote session. Conference organisation was overseen by a scientific committee comprising, in addition to the Guest Editors of this special issue, Barbara Casu, Shelagh Heffernan, Phil Molyneux, Elena Kalotychou, David McMillan, Anna Sarkisyan and Sotris Staikouras.Without papers and presenters, a conference is not possible. It, therefore, remains for us to thank all of the presenters for sharing their work at the second Conference for Emerging Scholars in Banking and Finance. Finally, this event would not have been possible without generous financial assistance from the sponsors: Cass Business School, the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), Bangor University, BNY Mellon and Citi. On behalf of everyone involved, the Guest Editors thank them for the support. The usual disclaimer applies.