Payments
Richmond Fed paper examines relationship between deregulation and innovation
Working paper uses a dynamic equilibrium model to look at ATM and debit card industry in US; offers generalised findings on relationship across financial services industry
Philadelphia Fed paper highlights bounce-back in credit card spending
Discussion paper analyses data from Visa Payment Panel Study, finding credit card spending has recovered from a recession-related dip, while growth in debit card spending is slowing
Fed’s Powell lays out payments reform priorities
Jerome Powell highlights four areas in which US payments need to improve as work begins to upgrade the economy’s payment systems
RBNZ to cut costs despite need to implement major new projects
Central bank plans to cut costs and use resources more effectively following tighter funding deal; strategy includes payment systems upgrade, new banknote series and first stress tests
Bank Indonesia cracks down on ‘cash back' transactions
Central bank signs agreement allowing payments industry to seize card readers from merchants offering customers cash through fake credit card purchases
Kyrgyz central bank partners with World Bank to deliver payments upgrade
The Kyrgyz Republic has seen rapid growth in card payments in recent years, which the central bank fears could create instability if the oversight and operation of payment systems is not improved
Cash payments still declining, Norges Bank report finds
Norwegians are making more and smaller payments using cards while cash use continues its downward trend, payments report shows
Danish payments report details challenging shift to real time
Completed in November 2014, ‘Straksclearing’ allows real-time settlement of retail payments, but has run into a few issues; National Bank of Denmark also in process of overhauling RTGS system
Exchange launches asset-backed coins for asset managers
Asset managers will be able to trade physical assets directly with each other through new asset class dubbed ABCs, which will be tradeable on newly launched exchange Abacas
Liikanen sees potential for payments revolution
Bank of Finland governor says we are yet to witness the emergence of a ‘true future payment system’ but it nonetheless feels like ‘something fundamental has changed’
ECB’s Mersch wants pan-European instant payment system
Executive board member hopes to bypass national schemes and use Sepa infrastructure to deliver pan-European instant payments
Buyer sought for RBNZ securities settlement system
Reserve Bank of New Zealand looks to sell NZClear after deciding it is no longer a ‘core business'; sell-off part of payment system facelift
People: Fed names payments director; Denmark appoints assistant governors
Federal Reserve chooses Gordon Werkema to lead its new payments strategy; Denmark promotes director of administration and adds second assistant governor; and more
Zeti sees ‘immense scope’ for greater financial integration in SE Asia
Bank Negara Malaysia governor tells SME conference that greater integration can help support small business growth; points to banking, insurance and capital markets as ‘next phase of development’
EBA prepares to toughen European payments regulation
Plans in motion for tougher and more harmonised retail payments regulation in Europe; EBA names which national regulators have failed to comply with online payment guidelines
Euroclear and Clearstream granted time to agree joint road map
Both ICSDs intend to start a feasibility assessment for real-time settlement after the completion of Target2-Securities migration in June 2017
Alexandre Lamfalussy: 1929–2015
Those who knew him pay tribute to the former president of the European Monetary Institute and general manager of the Bank for International Settlements
Opposition from big banks to RBA interchange fee curb
Large commercial banks and payments providers warn of damaging impact of regulating interchange fees, but smaller challenger payment systems are broadly in favour
Central Bank of Timor-Leste launches e-payments network
The ‘highly secure private interbank data network’ allows electronic payments to be made and received between any individuals or companies on the same day
Malaysia launches new payments system to boost online transactions
Malaysia’s central bank aims to simplify online payments with new ‘JomPAY’ platform, which has the goal of reaching 5,000 merchants by 2020 and reducing usage of cash and cheques
UK payments regulator set for launch
PSR outlines its approach ready for start of regulation on April 1, including plans to work more closely with the industry, increase transparency and boost competition
Investigation unearths flaws in BoE’s RTGS system
Combination of elderly and complex RTGS system, inadequate testing and poor contingency planning led to nine-hour outage last October; BoE adopting review’s recommendations in full
Colombian paper considers reaction functions in payments
Working paper examines how different entities within a large-value payment system react to failures within that system, finding that a range of factors are in play
Gradual rollout for China's payment system
The country’s cross-border interbank payment system will further contribute to the internationalisation of the renminbi