The blame for the financial crisis has been attributed to many actors: bankers, credit rating agencies, central bankers, regulators, hedge funds, financial engineers and mortgage originators to name a few. But seen from a policy perspective for building a more resilient financial system, understanding the mechanisms in the financial system architecture that allowed this to happen are more important than identifying the actors. Keeping the financial jargon to a minimum to reach out to a wider audience, this book provides deeper insights into the financial structures that led to the build-up of risks that were poorly understood by all actors. The key post-crisis financial reforms are then presented by linking them to identified weaknesses of the pre-crisis market practices and regulatory rules. The book concludes with some views on the challenges that lie ahead