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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.

The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) has the unenviable task of making sure that the transition from US dollar Libor to the more robust Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) – its recommended alternative – goes smoothly, with plenty of time left before Libor's expiration at the end of 2021.

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.

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.

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.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma) is responsible for pushing some of the most far-reaching regulatory reforms in the history of finance. Their reforms have two basic aims: investor protection and risk management. These deceptively simple objectives have created complicated regulatory frameworks – and it truly is a team effort.

What could be more influential than the 2008-9 financial crisis, the financial crisis of the century? The catastrophic event led to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and left practically the entire world wondering what went wrong.

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.

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.