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Hamalainen on challenges for retail banking
In a speech on 'EU accession - challenges for retail banking' Sirkka Hamalainen of the ECB said the ECB has assessed the payments infrastructure in the acceding countries and found it sufficiently robust to ensure that it will not generate systemic risks…
Bank of England to withdraw Dickens £10 note
The Bank of England on Tuesday april 29 announced that it is to withdraw from circulation the older style £10 notes featuring a portrait of Charles Dickens.
Chile's new central bank chief tough but popular
The newly appointed president of Chile's central bank Vittorio Corbo has said the tight grip on inflation will be maintained as he takes office. Corbo is reported to joke, in the Reuters report, that markets rally every time U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman…
Bank of France :Trichet to propose branch closures
A report from Bloomberg news says Bank of France governor Jean-Claude Trichet will probably inform the central bank's board members that he plans to cut the central bank's branch network by more than 100.
Lithuania may be first from east to adopt euro
Lithuanian central bank chief Reinoldijus Sarkinas has said the east European country could be the first to adopt the euro in 2007 as it already meets conditions to adopt the single currency, according to a report by Bloomberg.
ECB voting change could hinder UK euro entry
The UK's treasury select committee said on Monday April 28 in a report that the ECB's proposed change in voting arrangements could pose an "obstacle to entry" for Britain and the euro, according to the Financial Times.
Estonian central bank reappoints auditor
The Bank of Estonia has asked parliament to reappoint Deloitte & Touche as auditors, according to the Baltic News Service The company audited the central bank's results for 2002.
Philippines c bank to tighten dollar transactions
The monitoring of dollar transactions will be tightened by the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the country's central bank)as part of an effort to plug loopholes in existing rules on currency forward transactions, says BusinessWorld.
NZ c bank to appoint new external monetary adviser
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will appoint a new external monetary policy adviser, after placing newspaper adverts at the weekend, according to Dow Jones. The position plays a central role in advising the bank's governor Alan Bollard on interest rate…
Greenspan returns to work after surgery
After undergoing surgery Alan Greenspan was back at work towards the end of last week for what was described as a routine work day, Associated Press reports.
Ensuring a balanced ECB Executive Board
On Tuesday 29 April at 9.30 , the Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs will be holding a Confirmation Hearing of Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell who has been nominated by the Council of Ministers as a member of the Executive Board of the European Central…
Capital flows to emerging markets
A recent Working Paper from the Bank of England 'Capital flows to emerging markets' extends a model previously developed by Barro et al. The paper looks at the optimal rate at which capital should flow to emerging market economies. It suggests optimal…
Bergo on inflation targeting with variable ex rate
In a speech on 'Inflation targeting with a fluctuating exchange rate' Jarle Bergo of Norges Bank said experience has shown that monetary authorities do not have the means to control the exchange rate. Monetary policy has nevertheless, Bergo added, been…
Michael Moskow on the economic outlook
In a speech on 'Economic Outlook' Michael Moskow of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said the road to recovery for the economy has turned out to be bumpier than expected. But underlying trends in productivity are strong and although there is still a…
Poole on maintaining financial stability
In a speech on 'The Fed's Role in Maintaining Financial Stability' William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said the US is fortunate that the Federal Reserve is generally effective in minimizing collateral damage from unpredictable shocks…
CentralBankNet Monday Special Feature
SPECIAL FEATURE - In this week's Special Feature CentralBankNet presents extracts from an exclusive interview with Professor Manfred Neumann of the University of Bonn. In the interview Professor Neumann spoke to Central Banking journal's Editor Robert…
Decision looming on Iraqi currency
The Iraqi currency has collapsed along with the government. In an article published by Associated Press, Professor Steve Hanke says the currency issue is an urgent one and should be a high priority for Jay Garner and his team of U.S. administrators in…
IMF calls for transparency on inflation
The IMF's chief economist Kenneth Rogoff questions the long-term inflation objectives of the Fed, ECB and Bank of Japan asking why they are so reluctant to speak about the subject in an article in the Financial Times. Would a bit more transparency hurt,…
Poland: Central bank cuts interest rates
Poland's central bank cut interest rates on Thursday 24 April by 25 points. The bank has come under sustained pressure from the Polish government which has complained of a too restrictive monetary policy, according to a report from the PAP news agency.
Bank of England condemns rise of red tape
In a report published on Thursday 24 April the Bank of England criticised proposed changes to the Consumer Credit Act saying it could lead to more complex regulation and limit competition, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Swedish trade minister on ECB vote proposals
Sweden's trade minister has said the proposals for reform of the voting arrangements on the ECB's governing council will leave Sweden without a worthwhile role and the Swedish people as less than full participants, according to a report in the Swedish…
Moskow says deflation unlikely but Fed stands by
The threat of inflation is low for the US economy, Reuters reports that Chicago Fed chief Michael Moskow said on Thursday April 24, but the Fed stands ready to react should it occur.
Czech president slams central bank over deflation
An overly restrictive monetary policy has been blamed by the Czech President Vaclav Klaus for the deflationary trend seen in the past three months. Klaus also criticised inflation targeting saying it was only useful for discussions at economics…
Uganda's c bank appeals against Sh700m tax bill
The Bank of Uganda is appealing against a decision by the Revenue Authority to charge the central bank sh700m in taxes after it sold property, All Africa News reports.