Africa
BIS's Sleeper: How cbs manage their finances
In a speech 'How central banks manage their finances' given on 18 February, Robert Sleeper of the BIS said the fact that central banks are increasingly taking risks in an attempt to improve the return on their reserves raises the question of whether or…
SARB to present upgraded banknotes to parliament
The South African Reserve Bank said on Friday 4 February that the upgraded banknotes, which went into circulation at the beginning of February, will be presented to members of Parliament in Cape Town on 7 February, ahead of the opening of Parliament.
South Africa urged to avoid rand intervention
A senior World Bank economist on Monday 31 January praised the South African Reserve Bank's strategy of cautiously accumulating foreign reserves and said a deliberate weakening of the rand could have negative consequences for the economy.
South Africa's upgraded banknotes issued Tuesday
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will issue the first upgraded banknotes on 1 February. The upgraded banknotes have several improved security features, which will make it easier for the public to distinguish between good banknotes and counterfeit…
SA's Manuel backs plan to sell IMF's gold
South Africa would back a British proposal to use International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold reserves to write off the debts of poor countries, finance minister Trevor Manuel said on Monday 17 January.
SARB's Mboweni on South Africa's new banknotes
In a speech given on 17 January, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the preparation for the issue of the upgraded series of banknotes has been a complex and a painstaking one and we are very proud of the result.
SARB launches upgraded banknote series
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on Monday 17 January launched banknotes with improved security features which will go into circulation from 1 February 2005.
Mboweni on the South African banking sector
In a speech on 'The South African banking sector: An overview of the past 10 years' given on 14 December, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the presence of international banks in South Africa's banking retail sector would benefit…
SARB to issue upgraded banknotes in the new year
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) announced on Monday 13 December that it plans to issue upgraded banknotes with improved security features from 1 February 2005.
Mboweni prefers 'competitively' priced ex rate
Addressing the annual dinner in honour of the ambassadors and high commissioners to South Africa, Tito Mboweni said: "We neither prefer a weak rand nor an overvalued exchange rate. We prefer a competitively priced exchange rate."
Arab states launch money laundering task force
Arab states agreed on Tuesday 30 November on the creation of the 14-member Middle East-North Africa Financial Action Task Force to work together to try to keep money out of the hands of terrorists.
SARB's Mboweni on monetary policy and inflation
In a speech on 'Monetary policy and inflation: The next decade' given on 18 November, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the recent major structural changes in the world and in South Africa will have little effect on the determination…
SARB's Mboweni on central banking in Africa
In a speech on 'The global economy and central banking in Africa' given on 9 November, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the changes in the world economy in recent years have led to large improvements in central banking in Africa. At…
Bahrain establishes new money laundering taskforce
Bahrain is establishing a new taskforce to combat money laundering and terrorist financing across the region. The Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) will be set up on November 29 and 30 in a meeting to be held behind…
S. Africa's Plenderleith on the gold market
In a speech on 'Developments in the gold market' given on 26 October, Ian Plenderleith of the South African Reserve Bank said with gold occupying such a powerful place in our emotions, I am confident that, provided we take advantage of the opportunities,…
SA's Mboweni on forex market developments
In a speech on 'Developments in the foreign exchange markets during the last couple of years' given on 20 September, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said various factors are in one way or the other responsible for the Rand's general…
Bomb threat at SARB
The South African Reserve Bank's head office received a telephoned bomb threat from an anonymous caller between 12 and 12.30 on Friday 17 September, but national payment systems and market operations were not affected.
Plenderleith: Something normal from South Africa
In the speech 'Always something normal from South Africa' given on 17 August Ian Plenderleith of the South African Reserve Bank said we can, and will, continue gradually to build up our official foreign exchange reserves to a respectable level in an…
IMF's Rato to visit South Africa and Burkina Faso
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will travel to Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa on September 6-7, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, September 8-9. This is Mr. de Rato's second trip to Africa since becoming…
South African economy shows upswing
South Africa's economy grew by 3.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2004, its best performance since the end of 2002, the official statistics agency reported on Tuesday 31 August.
South Africa's Mboweni on challenges in Africa
In a speech on 'Challenges of central banking in Africa' given on 5 August, T T Mboweni, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, spoke about how the traditional challenges facing central banks apply to African countries, what effet circumstances…
SARB announces changes to its MPC
The composition of the South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee has been changed to allow for two senior staff members of the SARB to become members. A.D. Mminele, Head of Financial Markets and Dr M. Mnyande, Head of Research and Senior…
Rato promises more effective IMF
Rodrigo Rato on Wednesday 4 August promised changes at the International Monetary Fund that would ensure its assistance to Africa was more effective and debt relief more readily available.
Common West African central bank by July 2005
A common central bank for the five West African countries, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia will have begun operations by July 2005, this article says. To be officially known as the West Africa Central Bank (WACB) the policy-guiding…