Capital markets have become increasingly globalized due to advances in technology and communications and the growing trend of national governments' initiatives to deregulate their capital markets. Globalization of the world's capital markets necessitates the need for comparable and reliable financial information to support the varied transactions and operations of the markets. Regulatory initiatives have been undertaken at the national, bilateral, regional, and international levels to deal with the problems created by diversity in accounting reporting in international capital markets. This paper discusses the progress and impediments faced at each level in attempting to harmonize accounting reporting requirements, describes interactions between regional and international harmonization efforts, and suggests the most desirable and feasible course of action to achieve global harmonization in international capital markets. Efforts of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) have focused on a common goal-having financial statements used in cross-border listings prepared in accordance with international accounting standards as an alternative to national accounting standards. Although no international mechanism exists for enforcing the accounting standards of an international body, IOSCO is the most likely organization to implement conformance.