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New UK coinage meets lukewarm reception
New coin and banknote designs are almost inevitably greeted with criticism and the first new coin designs for 40 years from the UK's Royal Mint, unveiled on 3 April, were no exception. Historians, designers and MPs have already criticised them.
India's inflation surge may mean rate rise
India's key inflation rate rose to a three-year high, said the government on 4 April, raising the possibility of a rate rise being imposed by the Reserve Bank of India.
Sri Lanka's sovereign rating lowered
Sri Lanka's sovereign rating was lowered by Fitch Ratings one notch to B-plus on 3 April, because of rising inflation, a worsening trade balance and a rising fiscal deficit.
Sovereign wealth funds being "unfairly treated"
Jesse Wang, vice president and chief risk officer of China Investment Corporation (CIC), has said that sovereign wealth funds are not receiving fair treatment in international markets.
Shirakawa gets DPJ blessing, poised to lead BoJ
Masaaki Shirakawa, the acting governor of the Bank of Japan, looks likely to get the job formally after a senior opposition official indicated he would back his appointment.
Business sector mark-up decline in Canada
Mark-up in the Canadian business sector has declined since the mid-1980s, finds a new paper from the Bank of Canada.
No need for Sint Maarten CB: Antilles's Tromp
Sint Maarten, a tiny Caribbean island, scheduled to become a country on 15 December, should not set up its own supervisory authority nor have its own monetary policy, said Emsley Tromp, the president of the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles.
Joint Forum: CRT markets' future developments
Firms should not establish material positions in credit risk transfer (CRT) instruments without first having validated models for pricing and risk-managing such exposures, advises a new report from the Joint Forum.
Monetary tools limited - SNB's Jordan
There is no magic bullet with which central banks can restore lost confidence among market participants, said Thomas Jordan, a member of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.
Iceland's Fridriksson dismisses stability concerns
In an effort to reassure investors, Ingimundur Fridriksson, a board member at the Central Bank of Iceland, has denied that the country's banks and economy are unstable.
New members of Bank of Korea's MPC
Lee Myung-bak, the president of South Korea, has appointed three professors as new members of the Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee.
Tokyo wants new governor by next week
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party wants a new central bank governor in place by next week in time for the meeting in Washington of G7 finance ministers, Nobutaka Machimura, Japan's cabinet secretary, said on 3 April.
Lenders expect further credit cutbacks: BoE poll
The Bank of England's quarterly survey of credit conditions, published on 3 April, showed that lenders had reduced the supply of secured credit to households over the three months to mid-March.
Bernanke voices US growth concerns
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned that the country's economy was unlikely to grow much, if at all, this year, and "might even contract slightly".
Tucker: BoE to only partly offset the credit blow
The Bank of England should cut rates gradually to avoid inflation, said Paul Tucker, the Bank's executive director responsible for markets and member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
Germany set to suffer from US slump
Germany will suffer from the downturn in the US and the weakness of the dollar as exports - contrary to what many politicians and entrepreneurs believe - are unlikely to rise, claims Norbert Walter, the chief economist of Deutsche Bank.
Fostering lending to Indian SMEs - Mohan
India's financial system is still not adequately geared to finance new ideas and new firms, said Rakesh Mohan, a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Payment system risk the priority
The need to mitigate the risk involved in using outmoded payments infrastructure has to be given priority, said Ranee Jayamaha, a deputy governor at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Korea's Seong-Tae Lee on household debt oversight
To maintain the soundness of Korean household debt, policymakers must avoid a housing boom and bust cycle said Seong-Tae Lee, the governor of the country's central bank.
Fed's new subprime and alt-A maps
The Federal Reserve System will publish maps updated monthly to illustrate the state of subprime and alt-A mortgage loans across the United States.
Fed's new mortgage lenders regulations - Kroszner
New lending regulations proposed by the Federal Reserve will apply to independent mortgage companies and mortgage brokers as well as banks, said Randall Kroszner, a member of the board of governors.
Norges's Gjedrem praises SWFs
Debate on sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) should reflect their potential to benefit international financial markets, said Svein Gjedrem, the governor of the Norges Bank.
UAE governor urges fiscal frugality
Sultan Bin Nasser Al-Suwaidi, the governor of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, warned that inflation could accelerate further if the government failed to curb spending.
Nigeria raises rates 50bp, flags further hikes
Nigeria's central bank raised rates to 10% and warned that policy would need to tighten in the future with "huge fiscal injections" expected.