Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
Liquidity risk is top issue: Luxembourg's Mersch
In the wake of the recent banking crisis, the most important regulatory issue is ensuring that the liquidity risk relating to complex structured products is adequately assessed, according to Yves Mersch, the governor of the Central Bank of Luxembourg.
Crisis not yet over - Switzerland's Hildebrand
The subprime crisis that triggered the credit market turbulence is undoubtedly not yet over and further global financial market turbulence is likely to slow down the Swiss economy, said vice-president of the Swiss National Bank Philipp Hildebrand in a…
Czechs hold rates at 3.25%
The Czech National Bank decided on Thursday to keep its benchmark two-week repo rate at 3.25%.
Indonesia still vulnerable to shock
Indonesia's current economic conditions mirror those that sparked the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis and the central bank is working to protect the country from the impact of a potentially similar scenario, Budi Mulya, a director at Bank Indonesia,…
Inflation behind first Brazil hold in two years
Fears that economic growth could lead to inflation were behind the Central Bank of Brazil's decision to hold rates for the first time since July 2005 earlier this month, minutes published on Thursday reveal.
Sharia banking not "cosmetic" - Indonesia's Siti
"We don't want the sharia units to be mere 'cosmetic lipstick' for the banks, where they say they have such Islamic-based banking businesses but the fact is the units only have an inappropriately small market share," deputy governor of the Bank Indonesia…
Old Lady could get more privacy under new rules
The Bank of England could soon be able to rescue troubled lenders in secret as a result of the recent Northern Rock crisis.
Dubai in regulatory pact with US
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States banking supervisors. The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the…
Non-bank financial firms' impact on the eurozone
The growth in the amount of deposits held by financial institutions other than banks in the euro area has led to the integration and deepening of the region's financial markets and a shift in the attitude of investors towards risk, research by the…
IMF reform needs compromise to succeed: De Rato
Rodrigo de Rato, the outgoing managing director of the International Monetary Fund, stressed that if reform efforts were to be successful, a give-and-take spirit was needed.
Netherlands Antilles - Annual Report 2006
The Netherlands Antilles economy grew by 1.5% in 2006, the same pace as in 2005.
UK business view used to judge economic impact
Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, will use business surveys and housing market indicators to judge whether the downside risks to the UK's inflation outlook have increased.
Chavez takes control of Venezuelan Central Bank
The Venezuelan government has regained control of the central bank following a parliamentary vote on Wednesday.
New Zealand leaves rates at 8.25%
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand decided on Thursday to hold its benchmark official cash rate at 8.25%.
New shocks may emerge, Old Lady warns
Holders of stock, commercial real estate and the US dollar could be the next victims of the banking crisis, the Bank of England predicted in the latest edition of its financial stability report.
UK funds unlikely to have helped in crisis
Alistair Darling, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, implied on Thursday that injecting funds into the money markets would have done little to lessen the impact of the subprime crisis in the UK.
Czech Republic breaks free of EBRD support
The Czech Republic has become the first country to opt out of funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the development bank set up to invest in the central and eastern European transition economies.
Policy solutions to crime and joblessness compared
Need to lower unemployment and crime? Then, according to the Cleveland Federal Reserve, the best policy is to introduce wage subsidies.
Commission's data on euro-area inflation misleads
The balance statistic, used by the European Commission to gauge inflation perceptions, is a poor measure of actual inflation, research published by the Bank of Portugal finds.
Bank of Thailand - Annual Report 2006
Thailand's economic growth accelerated slightly in 2006. The agriculture industry performed particularly well, with farming income rising by 30.3%.
Curacao needs reform for an ongoing recovery
Curacao, an island in the Caribbean belonging to the Netherland Antilles, must introduce fiscal and structural reforms if its recent economic recovery is to continue, Emsley Tromp, the governor of the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, said.
Bank of England reports on the crisis
The Bank of England has acknowledged that the recent banking crisis has revealed that the UK's financial authorities need to strengthen their crisis management arrangements.
Polish governor was sole dissenter on rate vote
Slawomir Skrzypek, the governor of the National Bank of Poland, was the only member of the monetary policy council to vote against the decision to raise the benchmark interest rate to 4.75% in August.
Gono set to put shopping "anarchy" right
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said that the central bank would soon correct the "anarchy" that erupted after the government ordered retailers to cut prices in June.