Are there any nations that do a good job of beating and whipping the finance industry so you can actually trust them with money?
UK is good. Canada is another. USA is not too far off but how they dropped the ball with Bernie Madoff was unacceptable. If I were to choose the country where I to invest my money, I would still invest in these three countries.
No, because the elites running those nations are as corrupt as anyone in the financial industry. Case in point: Of Two Minds - FTX and the Corruption of America
Enlightened self-interest and the social contract generally mean you can trust the financial industry with your money... provided, of course, you perform adequate due diligence. Re: Ethics are only enforced by churches and families... laws are what governments enforce. IMHO it's a mistake to confuse ethics with laws. Unless you live in a theocracy... then try moving.
It's not that simple, though. It's possible a theocracy could have more consistent rule of law and govern more impartially than a sanctimonious-but-secular government that picks and chooses which crimes are "hate crimes" and administers two-tiered justice based on in- and out groups.
You are absolutely wrong. Our nation is a cookie jar run by a theives guild. Laws are "enforced" maliciously when enforced at all.