Canada would benefit from a single securities regulator, said a report released today by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

While the IMF said the Canadian financial system is sophisticated, stable and well managed, the report concludes that a single regulator would be a big improvement to the system.

The IMF’s Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) reviews countries’ financial systems and helps identify and remedy weaknesses in financial sector structures. It aims to build resilience to macroeconomic shocks and cross-border contagion.

Overall, Canada’s financial sector scored well. The report noted sound macroeconomic policies and strong prudential regulation as well as solid deposit insurance and crisis management arrangements.

“The stress tests show that the major banks can withstand sizeable shocks,” reads the report. “Banks also appear to be able to withstand specific large single factor shocks for credit, market, and liquidity risk.”

According to the update, the big five banks are “conservatively managed and highly profitable.” But, it also notes that while the ‘widely held’ rule for these large banks has enabled them to focus on the domestic retail side of things, it has also limited the scope for mergers and for foreign entry through acquisition. “Canadian banks’ foreign strategies have focused on retail markets, mainly in the United States and the Americas,” it said.

The report’s major recommendation was for Canada to move toward a single securities regulator. Significant improvements to the regulatory system have been made as a result of the creation of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA),” the IMF reports. “Even so, moving further to a single regulator would allow policy development to be streamlined, reduce compliance costs, and improve enforcement.”

As well, the report notes that although sound, the banking system does face some challenges. It warns of information and liquidity risks in the structured finance products that Canadian banks have embraced recently. “Vulnerabilities may also arise from attempts, building on a secure domestic position, to enter highly competitive foreign markets or complex activities, as has sometimes been the case in the past.”

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty welcomed the positive report this morning and noted that it should boost investor confidence. “This positive assessment shows that Canada is demonstrating leadership in the world financial system,” said Flaherty, in a release. “Despite global uncertainty, Canadians can be confident that their financial sector is stable and well-managed.”

Canada is the first G-7 country to undertake the FSAP Update. The assessment also rates a country’s implementation of a range of regulatory standards and codes.

“The Canadian financial sector is among the world’s most highly developed and offers many examples of best practice,” the IMF reports. “The institutions, markets, infrastructure, safety nets, and oversight arrangements that comprise the system are sophisticated, and include a full range of financial intermediaries.”