Articles by Central Banking staff
Governance Benchmarks 2022 – executive summary
Central banks discuss how they deal with problems of accountability and independence
Few central banks report funding problems
Only 10% of central banks say they lack adequate resources
Median bank has had four governors in past 20 years
Governor turnover probably does not reflect independence
Governors are rarely dismissed early
Most jurisdictions have the power to dismiss central bank governors, but rarely use it
Central banks usually transfer profits to governments
But many central bank respondents did not share profits in the last financial year
Minority of central banks worry over independence
Most central banks say law protects them, but some say changes are needed
Central bank of the year: Bank of Korea
South Korea’s central bank was the first developed-world central bank to tighten policy to address inflationary risks
Lifetime achievement: Stanley Fischer
Fischer has had a profound impact on monetary economics and central banking during his prolific career
Transparency: Czech National Bank
New monetary policy report, and publication of attributed minutes and economic model raise the bar for disclosure
Reserve manager: Central Bank of the UAE
The Middle Eastern institution approved a new investment policy, allowing it to diversify into new asset classes and, for the first time, allocate part of its portfolio to external managers
Economics in central banking: Wenxin Du
Du’s work clarifies the dollar’s role as a barometer of global markets, and explores the myriad implications for financial stability
Initiative: BoT and MAS’s PromptPay-PayNow link
Connecting the two nations’ instant payment systems is empowering citizens
Technology services: SAP
The software company pulled off a high-stakes ‘big-bang’ launch of a new core banking system for the Saudi Central Bank
Risk management technology: BlackRock’s Aladdin Risk
ESG feeds into integrated position reports, customised benchmarking and robust scenario analysis assist prudent reserve management
Specialised lending initiative: BNP Paribas Securities Services
Technology platform improvements have resulted in faster, safer and more tailored securities lending services to its central bank clients
Central Banking Awards 2022: third group revealed
Awards recognise payments, currency, regulatory technology and financial market infrastructure
Payments and market infrastructure development – retail: Central Bank of Brazil’s Pix
The implementation of the Pix real-time payment system in Brazil was a runaway success in terms of payment activity, innovations and inclusion
Payments and market infrastructure development – wholesale: Reserve Bank of India
The RBI’s work on its 24/7/365 RTGS can serve as a model and possibly as the bedrock for an international RTGS that operates around the clock
Financial stability initiative: ECB’s SSMnet
Online tool fosters cohesion, agility and effectiveness for supervisors working across member institutions of the European Single Supervisory Mechanism
Currency initiative: Central Bank of the Philippines’ Cash Service Alliance
Homegrown IT system allows Philippine central bank to direct cashflows between banks during Covid-19
Currency manager: Central Bank of Costa Rica
New banknotes and coins combine environmental protection, aesthetics and security
Payment services: CMA
The Swedish payments firm is well known as a provider of core infrastructure for central banks, and is now a key player in a new payment system linking the Arab world and beyond
Currency services: De La Rue
Printing doyen expanded capacity, functionality and market share amid corporate turnaround