News
Music fit for a King
We hear that Mervyn King prepared himself for the cut and thrust of the Bank of England's recent MPC meeting with an evening in London's Royal Festival Hall, listening to Shostakovich's fifth symphony.
A plot to discredit Zimbabwe's Gono?
A plot to discredit Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono has been unearthed and there are behind-the-scenes plans to cause his downfall, according to reports.
Serbia's Udovicki 'ready to resign'
The governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Kori Udovicki, has repeated that she is ready to quit if it will help facilitate a change of management at the bank.
Fed says central banks keep buying US debt
Holdings of US government debt held by foreign central banks hit a new record high, the Federal Reserve said on Thursday 12 February. The Fed said it was partly due to the Bank of Japan's heavy intervention in the markets.
US and China plan currency talks
Officials from the US Treasury will visit China in the next couple of weeks to discuss the renminbi and how China could increase flexibility in its exchange rate system.
RBI's Reddy sees better than expected growth
Reserve Bank of India Governor YV Reddy said on Thursday 12 February that he expects Asia's third-largest economy to grow strongly this year and next.
Russia, Belarus interbank currency board meets
The Interbank currency board of Russia and Belarus was due to meet in Vladimir on Friday 13 February to discuss relations between the two countries regarding the introduction of the single currency and common monetary policy.
Sri Lanka's settlement systems implemented
LogicaCMG has announced that it has successfully implemented the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) System and the Scripless Securities Settlement (SSS) System for the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).
Changes in Swedish banknote and coin series 2005
In order to reduce the risk of counterfeiting and to facilitate the recognition of genuine banknotes, the Sveriges Riksbank has decided to increase the security details in 50-kronor and 1000-kronor banknotes.
Riksbank reports loss in 2003 Annual Report
Sweden's central bank published its 2003 annual report on 12 February. This reported a loss of SEK 9.3 billion for the year with the krona appreciation in 2003 leading to a loss of SEK 12.5 billion.
ECB sees faster eurozone growth
The European Central Bank published its February 2004 Monthly Bulletin on 12 February. In the February Bulletin, the ECB said that in its new regular quarterly 'Survey of Professional Forecasters', the experts had revised their forecasts upwards.
Improvements to the Federal Reserve's website
The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday 10 February announced a number of improvements to its website, including the capability to view and submit comments on regulatory proposals.
UAE to hold seminar on money laundering
Senior government officials and lawyers will gather at the UAE central bank on Saturday 14 February to discuss legal procedures against money laundering.
CBI, IDB to hold monetary conference in Tehran
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will hold their first international monetary conference next week between 16-18 February.
Argentina won't pay IMF without accord revisions
President Nestor Kirchner said on wednesday 11 February that the Argentine government would not use its reserves to make its next instalment of payments due to the IMF unless it first approves revisions to the accord.
BOK chief calls for more authority
Governor of the Bank of Korea Park Seung on Wednesday 11 February called for more authority to conduct independent on-site inspections of financial institutions.
City livery company for bankers - and central bankers
After centuries of hanging on to others' coat tails, bankers are set to gain their own liveried guild in London.
Russian for ex intervention hits record $3bn
The central bank of Russia spent a record $3 billion on Tuesday 10 february to hold down the ruble. The intervention represented the biggest foreign-exchange intervention in Russia's history.
EU regulators to redraft settlement standards
European financial regulators are to soften proposed new standards on clearing and settlement after fierce lobbying and sustained criticism from banks and industry bodies.
ECB board member says euro rates appropriate
In a speech on Tuesday 10 February, European Central Bank executive board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell said the ECB is not currently considering a cut in rates and that despite the euro's rise growth predictions remain the same.
Zhou: China's 'stable and healthy' monetary policy
People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Tuesday 10 February that China will allow its money supply and credit loans to keep growing at an appropriate pace in 2004.
Greenspan sees vigorous growth, warns on deficit
In testimony on Wednesday 11 February, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. economy has good odds for sustained robust growth, but that policy-makers can be patient about interest-rate rises. He warned there could be problems "in the relatively near…
Argentina holds 'constructive' IMF talks
Argentina's Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna described talks with IMF chief Horst Koehler on Monday as constructive but said there was no change in its offer to repay its defaulted debt at 25 cents on the dollar.
RBI governor to lead market surveillance panel
The Reserve Bank of India has formed a high power committee headed by the governor for integrated market surveillance and alert systems. The committee is to strengthen market supervision and monitoring.