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More than just a trade association, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's (Isda) reach is almost unparalleled in financial markets, and makes our list this year for its instrumental work on a number of topics highly pertinent to both IFLR and Practice Insight readers. As its full name would suggest, Isda has great sway on the over-the-counter derivatives (OTC) market, but it also works closely with trade organisations in other sectors to ensure that markets harmonise and operate as smoothly as possible.

In the time since she took on the position, the United States House Committee on Financial Services chair Maxine Waters has been a constant irritant for the Trump administration. One of his most outspoken critics, the 80-year old Democratic Representative for California does not take financial issues lightly, and has very much put a dampener on the administration's reform agenda it had managed to push through in the first two years following the 2016 election.

The world of fintech is growing in leaps and bounds. For financial regulators, keeping up is not an easy task. Yuta Takanashi, deputy director for fintech and innovation at the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA), has taken a lead role in engaging stakeholders on fintech, especially on blockchain technologies, to develop better regulations for Japan while creating dialogue with global players internationally. Those regulated by the FSA speak highly of him.

In addition to being the chief executive of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong, Alder is the chairman of the board of the International Organisation of Securities Commission and of the Financial Stability Board's plenary and steering committee.

It would be remiss of us to put a list like this together and not include the thorn in the side of Wall Street. Elizabeth Warren has dedicated much of her career to keeping the US financial sector at bay, and as senior Senator for Massachusetts for the last six years, has been able to make a marked influence from the Senate floor.

US President Donald Trump has frequently advertised his dislike of regulation. Financial regulation has proven no exception. In fact, one of his first acts as president was to sign the now-infamous Executive Order 13771, which requires most executive branch agencies to eliminate two regulations for every one added while capping costs; a sweeping policy that has proven costly to fans of stability and security.

Since 2016, Britain – and by extension, the global news agenda – has grappled with the backlash of Brexit. The UK's planned exit from the EU has created unprecedented levels of uncertainty about what the future holds for financial services in the UK, EU, and much further beyond.

Guo Shuqing is the head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), which was created in 2018 after the merger of local banking and insurance-specific authorities.

The existence of blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), has prompted fierce debate over its usage, status and capabilities, to the point that some experts feel its namesake undermines the benefits it offers.

As chief fintech officer of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Sopnendu Mohanty's team has come a long way in the past four years. One of the most iconic experiments has been Project Ubin, which started in November 2016 as an industry collaboration, to explore the use of distributed ledger technology for clearing and settlement. In addition to the existing regulatory sandbox regime, MAS is also exploring a so-called sandbox express – a fast-track regime – to complement its existing offering. The fintech ecosystem in Singapore has more than 500 fintech startups and over 30 innovation labs, which have been instrumental in driving collaboration between financial institutions and fintech startups.