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From Bretton Woods to Today: Legal Foundations and Emerging Challenges at the IMF

When: Monday, February 23, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Online event

Speaker: Yan Liu

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From Bretton Woods to Today: Legal Foundations and Emerging Challenges at the IMF

Date: 23 February 2026, 17.15 to 18.15 PM GMT

Venue: online webinar through Microsoft Teams hosted by Queen Mary University of London

The London Financial Regulation Seminar is an inter-collegiate and inter-disciplinary group of experts led by CCLS and our Institute of Banking and Finance under the leadership of Professor Rosa M. Lastra and Dr. Daniele D’Alvia.

On Monday, the 23rd of February, Yan Liu delivered a formal presentation titled “From Bretton Woods to Today: Legal Foundations and Emerging Challenges at the IMF”. Prof. Rosa M. Lastra chaired the event.

Yan Liu is General Counsel and Director of the Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She advises the IMF’s Executive Board, management, staff, and member countries on all legal aspects of the Fund’s operations, including lending, surveillance, capacity development, and regulatory and advisory functions, as well as the Fund’s operational and administrative legal matters. Ms. Liu has led the Legal Department’s work on a wide range of policy, country, and strategic issues, including reforms to IMF lending policies; central banking and financial sector legal frameworks; and corporate and household insolvency. She is widely published on issues relating to international financial law and policy, including private and sovereign debt, sovereign debt restructuring, the rule of law, and good governance.

In the seminar, Ms Liu traced the evolution of the Legal Department, highlighting its core areas of work, and reflecting on the emerging legal challenges that are shaping the future of international financial and economic law.

From its post-war origins to today’s rapidly evolving global economy, the IMF’s Legal Department has been central to the Fund’s mandate and its capacity to respond to new and complex challenges. As the guardian of the IMF’s legal framework, the Department plays a pivotal role in upholding the rule of law within the institution—ensuring that the Fund’s actions are firmly grounded in its Articles of Agreement, while also supporting members in strengthening their legal and institutional foundations.

Organized by Queen Mary University of London, Centre for Commercial Law Studies

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