Swiss National Bank (SNB)

Hildebrand calls for restrictions on leverage

Philipp Hildebrand, the vice-chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), said excess leverage was the main cause of financial fragility and the current global banking crisis, and called for restrictions on leverage ratios.

ECB, SNB cut by 50 basis points

The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday lopped a quarter point off its key rate and indicated further cuts were likely. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) also cut the upper and lower bounds by the same margin.

Trichet: joint action sets precedent

Monday's decision to provide broad access to liquidity and unlimited dollar funding marked a "world premiere" in exceptionally-confident cooperation between central banks, Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has noted.

SNB's Hildebrand and Italy's Saccomanni on crisis

The crisis has shown central bankers and regulators rightly predicted that highly-leveraged institutions presented a threat to stability. But officials' attentions were directed at the wrong type of institution, admitted Philipp Hildebrand, a governor of…

A mix of the old and new for central banks

While leading central banks around the world on Monday took similar steps to those seen in recent months to inject liquidity into fear-ridden money markets, the American authorities' response to the latest shocks signals a distinct shift in policy.

SNB opts to hold rates

The Swiss National Bank left its target range unchanged on Thursday, arguing that the global economic slowdown would dampen inflationary pressures in the medium term.