The Americas
Canada holds amid uncertainty over tariffs and energy shock
Governor points to US trade policy and Iran war as known unknowns affecting trajectory of policy
Three in 10 instant payment systems built in-house
Montran is most widely-used commercial partner for development
One in five central banks regulates stablecoins
Most respondents are indifferent on use of stablecoins for payment
Fed to move tailored-capital goalposts soon, says Bowman
Banks hope agencies will index triggers for harsher capital rules to economic growth
Number of unplanned outages in RTGS systems doubles
Central banks with longest average downtime typically plan to upgrade system within a year
Two-thirds of RTGS systems now aligned with ISO 20022
Over 80% of central banks aligned with CPMI harmonised standards
Yellen draws lessons from an age of extremes
Ex-chair calls on Fed to look through supply shocks, supervise pre-emptively and defend its independence
RTGS systems with broader hours accessed by more financial firms
Number of non-banks with RTGS systems access doubles year on year
RTGS systems’ running costs linked to operational hours
Two-thirds of infrastructure still operational for 7–12 hours daily
Powell makes renewed case for Fed independence
Former chair invokes presidents Kennedy and Adams in plea for institutional autonomy to be respected
RTGS systems process nearly 200 million payments on average
Transaction values average $11.6 trillion among respondents
Number of RTGS fee-regulating central banks rises
More than two-fifths of retail payments ecosystem were diversified in 2025
Non-banks lack central bank oversight in some jurisdictions
One in five smaller central banks lack oversight on all payment systems
Some payment departments struggle with staffing capacity
Payment teams from Africa and the Americas report highest staff shortage
Payments units have median staffing of 30 FTE personnel
Central banks say they are boosting staff numbers to keep pace with evolving technology
IMF approves $1bn disbursement to Argentina
Board releases funds following agreement in April
Dollar smiles again, but for how long?
Twitchy investors backed the buck during Iran war, but experts are divided on whether this marks a return of the dollar smile
High-value notes: default money for criminals?
Some experts say the notes are a boon for felons, and that central banks should stop issuing them
The challenges facing Fed chair Kevin Warsh
New chair has pledged sweeping change, but can he keep Trump – and the FOMC – onside?
Working group minutes: guarding financial independence
Dynamic capital may help but tailoring accounting frameworks to central banks is still challenging
BIS announces board changes
Panetta elected chair, plus new roles for heads of RBA, BCB, BoJ and BoK