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CPSS revises glossary of payment system terms
A revised version of the CPSS / BIS publication "A glossary of terms used in payment and settlement systems" is now available for download on the BIS website.
Swiss SNB gold sales total 5.4 tons in 10 days
The Swiss National Bank said on Feb 20 its gold reserves fell by CHF77.6 million to CHF34.33 billion in the 10-day reporting period to Feb. 20, 2001.
ECB updates operational conditions for pay systems
On 20 February 2001, the Governing Council of the ECB updated the operational conditions for the use of eligible securities settlement systems (SSSs) in the settlement of collateral for Eurosystem credit operations.
Canada's Dodge upbeat on economy in first speech
Nortel Networks Corp, long the darling of the Canadian equities market, may have been grounded but it is unlikely that one company will drag down the rest of the economy, Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said on Feb 20.
Japan, Germany agree to cooperate on IMF reform
Japanese and German finance officials agreed Feb 20 to cooperate closely in implementing International Monetary Fund reforms and beefing up the international monetary system.
Nicaragua agrees with IMF to lower public spending
Nicaragua's government agreed with the International Monetary Fund to cut public spending as a step toward both financial stability and debt relief, the president of the Central American nation's Central Bank said on Feb 20.
Turkish market opens 4.95 quadrillion lira short
The Turkish market opened a massive 4.95 quadrillion lira ($7 billion) short after banks rushed to foreign on Feb 19 draining nearly one fifth of the country's international reserves due to a row between the government and the president.
Welteke - upside price risk diminished,not faded
Upside risks to price stability in the euro zone have diminished but the all-clear can't be given yet, Deutsche Bundesbank President Ernst Welteke said on Feb 20.
Ireland sets up new financial regulation body
The Irish government said on Feb 20, 2001 it had set up a "radical and innovative" new structure for financial services regulation, linking the Central Bank of Ireland to the Financial Services Authority.
Argentina widens Central Bank laundering probe
An Argentine Congressional panel overseeing the Central Bank on Feb 20 widened a money laundering probe of its chief to include its board of directors in a scandal that threatens a recovery in Latin America's third largest economy.
N Korea to take Chinese approach to development
Lim Dong-won, director of North Korea's National Intelligence Service said on Feb 20 that the communist government would pursue a Chinese-style policy of separating politics from economy to introduce a market economy, while maintaining the socialist…
Turkish cbank governor-no reason to devalue lira
Turkey has no reason to devalue its currency, as the central bank is firmly keeping monetary aggregates in line with the IMF-backed anti-inflation program, central bank Governor Gazi Ercel told the CNN Turk TV channel on Feb 19, 2001.
Israeli finance min slams cbank profits policy
Israeli Finance Minister Avraham Shochat on Feb 20 accused the Bank of Israel of making changes in the system it uses to calculate profits, depriving the government of billions of shekels in revenues.
India economy can grow at least 8 pct per yr-RBI
India's central bank chief said on Feb 20, 2001 said he was confident the country could post annual growth of at least eight percent in the medium term. He added the economy was resilient enough to handle external and internal shocks such as last month's…
Islamic banking needs standardisation - Iran gov
Dr Mohsen Nourbakhsh, Iran's Central Bank (CBI) Governor, said that Islamic banking has a lot of work to do in raising its international banking standards. "We have to strengthen the different interpretations of Shariah Law in order to harmonize the…
Singapore appoints new managing director for MAS
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Feb 20, 2001 it had promoted deputy managing director Tharman Shanmugaratnam to managing director for a two-year term starting on April 1, 2001.
Belgian central bank issues loans warning to banks
The National Bank of Belgium used its annual report on Feb 20, 2001 to fire a warning shot to commercial banks about lending to high tech firms. The central bank, which is pitching to take on a greater role in banking supervision in Belgium, said banks…
Cbanks should be pre-emptive - Fed's Gramlich
U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich said on Feb 20, 2001 central banks had to move preemptively given the time it took for their actions to feed through to the economy. He advocated the use of forward-looking, flexible, inflation targetting as…
Indonesian Wahid's advisers say rethink c.bank law
Prominent foreign advisers to Indonesia's embattled president, including ex-Fed chairman Paul Volcker, urged him to stick with the IMF and to drop current proposals to revamp the central bank law which have become a nasty thorn in relations with the Fund.
ECB- Cross border use of collateral: users survey
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Feb 19 published a report presenting the results of a survey on the cross-border use of collateral.
Vietnam,Russia look to bilateral payment mechanism
Risks encountered by Vietnam's businesses in trading with Russian partners will likely be removed if talks between the visiting Russian banking delegation with their Vietnamese counterparts bear fruit.
Trichet confident consumers will buoy French econ
In an interview on national radio, Bank of France governor Jean-Claude Trichet painted an upbeat picture of the French economy Feb 19, insisting strong domestic demand and robust consumer spending will help protect it from a slowing U.S.
Chile economy posts lowest growth of 2000 in Dec
Chile's economy expanded 2.4 percent in December 2000 from the year before, posting its lowest monthly growth in 2000, the central bank said on Feb 19, 2001.
'Tech Transformation, Retail Banking'-by J. Vesala
The doctoral dissertation of Jukka Vesala, titled "Technological Transformation and Retail Banking Competition: Implications and Measurement", has been published by the Bank of Finland. Mr Vesala is presently employed at the European Central Bank. The…