Opinion/Regulation
Comment: More autonomy for the PBOC?
The IMF board is plainly split on what attitude to adopt towards China's exchange rate policy but has come out usefully supporting moves to give the People's bank of China more discretion in setting interest rates.
Comment: Preventing terrorist financing
Public policymaking, at its most simple, involves promoting public goods, preventing public bads and creating processes and structures which make sure this happens.
Basel II may feed volatility
Despite recognising that the new Basel accord is "widely viewed as a much needed effort to deal with the shortcoming of the current system", a recent working paper by the Bank of England (BoE) raises new concerns about how the accord may exacerbate…
Fazio should be forced out of the Bank of Italy
According to this article published on Monday 15 August, Antonio Fazio has tossed aside the few strict principles a central banker must follow. He has become an embarrassment, it says, and there is now no credible way he can remain in office.
Why do we regulate?
This article looks at the need to regulate banks. It quotes a recent paper which says it is difficult to identify a sound policy reason for regulating banks. We do so because we want to, not because we must, it says.
Bank of Italy under siege
The trials and tribulations of Antonio Fazio, governor of the Bank of Italy, have raised many disturbing questions regarding the governance of Italy's central bank and of its regulatory system. This is a very sad business. This is the first of a new…
Thaksin's tiff with the Thai bank governor
This article discusses reports that Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered the finance ministry to study "reform" of the Bank of Thailand's supervisory role. The idea is to reduce the central bank governor's authority, splitting his…
Find your way around Basel II with FSI Connect
Banking supervisors around the world are gearing up to implement the new capital accord Basel II. FSI Connect, a web-based study and tutoring programme has been designed specifically for banking supervisors by experts at the BIS. Courses focus on risk…
Taiwan combining regulators to bring in investors
Taiwan is combining its insurance, securities and banking regulators, reducing the watchdog role of the central bank and the Ministry of Finance, to help lure overseas investors and reduce conflicts of interest. The convergence of institutions is seen in…
FATF strengthens global anti-money laundering
The Financial Action Task Force announced on Friday 27 February at its Plenary meeting that, due to substantial reforms by the Ukraine and Egypt, it has removed the two countries from its list of Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories (NCCTs).
Central banks share anti-counterfeiting technology
This article looks at the use of anti-counterfeiting technology in software, saying that a group of central banks, including the Bank of Canada, are quietly giving secret anti-counterfeiting technology to computer and software manufacturers in an attempt…
Should BOT be a watchdog?
This article published in The Nation, Thailand, asks whether a country's central bank should be involved with banking supervision. It looks at the moves to separate the supervision function from the central bank in countries such as Canada and…
A vision of stability within the Basel accord
In this article, first published by the Financial Times, Bank of Spain governor Jaime Caruana says the new Basel accord offers us the chance significantly to improve financial stability. In a few years' time, the benefits of Basel II will have become so…
Basel's best bet is to keep it simple
Much progress has been made in constructing a regulatory capital framework that can benefit both the industry and its regulators. At this late stage, this article in the Financial Times says, careful revision is necessary to guarantee that the five-year…
Boards should not escape the Basel shake-up
In parallel with Basel II's emphasis on risk measurement and supervisory review, a crucial aspect of regulation should be to ensure that banks have effective governance structures, says this article in the Financial Times. Regulation that is forever…
FATF tightens laundering rules - Monday Special
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering on Friday 20 June released a radically-overhauled set of rules for preventing money laundering internationally. CentralBankNet's Monday special feature comes from the sidelines of the meeting in…
CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature
CentralBankNet looks into the Bank of England's forthcoming trial over its regulation of the now-liquidated Bank of Credit and Commerce International and finds the implications of a loss in court disturbing.
Kuwait Islamic Banking Law opens doors for others
An article in Arab News says Kuwait's long-awaited Islamic banking law leaves Saudi Arabia and Oman the only two Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states which do not have an Islamic banking law in place.
New Irish financial regulator welcomed
An article in the Irish Times welcomes the development of the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority (IFSRA), saying it makes little sense for financial services activities within a group to be regulated by separate regulators when a failure of…
UK financial services regulation needs overhaul
An article in the Financial times suggests that financial regulation is a balancing act. On the one hand too tough an approach may reduce London's position as a major financial centre, but on the other hand a laissez faire attitude will bring criticism…
Complexities of Basle 2
An article in the Financial Times reports that the Basle bank capital accord is being stifled by complexity. Though central bankers and supervisors have worked hard on Basle 2, a US decision to apply the standard to a mere handful of banks has revived a…
European banks agree crisis rules
The European Central Bank, according to an article in Business World, said on Monday that a set of rules had been agreed between EU banking regulators and central banks to deal with financial crises. The framework will deal with preventing a financial or…
Regional Fed banks prepare for aging of the guard
ARTICLE - This article looks at a possible 'seismic' shift in the make up of the Federal Reserve's policy making board. Both the Richmond and San Francisco Fed governors are due to step down next year while Alan Greenspan may not stay beyond 2004.
Howard's way needs to divide
ARTICLE - An article suggests it will be difficult to replace Sir Howard Davies as chairman of the FSA, and describes the UK regulatory authority as the most powerful regulator anywhere in the world.