Central Banking staff
Follow Central Banking
Articles by Central Banking staff
Riksbank appoints new dep head of mon pol dept
Kerstin Hallsten has been appointed the new Deputy Head of the Monetary Policy Department of the Sveriges Riksbank, 3 April.
ECB meeting on monetary policy decisions
At Thursday 3 April's meeting, which was held in Rome, the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain…
Duisenberg speech before the President of Italy
In a speech Wim Duisenberg of the European Central Bank spoke of Rome as a symbolic City for the ECB to hold a Governing Council meeting. The ECB has decided to meet twice a year outside its Frankfurt base, partly to emphasise the federal character of…
ECB's Duisenberg receives award in Italy
Decoration for Dr. Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank,2 April 2003. Duisenberg was presented with the "Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy".
Macfarlane - Do Australians borrow too much?
In a speech on 'Do Australian Households Borrow Too Much?' Ian Macfarlane of the Reserve Bank of Australia said that although household debt/income has increased since the 1980s, the risks have not increased significantly. This is due to the less…
Ex-BoJ Kanno expects action from Fukui
In an interview with Dow Jones, ex-Bank of Japan official Masaaki Kanno said rather than increase the BOJ's account balance target to shake-off deflation the BOJ's new governor Toshihiko Fukui will focus more on ways to make sure that money injected by…
Taiwan's c bank chief touts herbs to fight SARS
With the deadly virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spreading rapidly around the world, Reuters reported on Wednesday 2 April that Perng Fai-nan, governor of the central bank of China (Taiwan) has suggested a mixture of vinegar, crushed garlic…
Minehan on the U.S. Retail Payments System
In a speech on 'Technology and the U.S. Retail Payments System: Challenges and Opportunities' Cathy Minehan of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said after September 11, no list of challenges can be complete without mention of the need to continually…
Richmond Fed's Broaddus on the economic outlook
In a speech on 'The Economic Outlook in a Turbulent Period' J. Alfred Broaddus of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said economic recovery in the US will be strong enough to ride out the Iraq war. The economy should be "solid enough" to withstand…
Brazil real gains on central bank reform hopes
Increasing optimism that Brazil's central bank will gain greater independence pushed the real up against the dollar in trading, says the Financial Times. The legislation to be presented Wednesday is the first of a series of radical reforms designed to…
OECD chief economist calls for ECB rate cut
A newspaper has quoted the OECD's top economist as saying "there is a clear-cut case" for a cut in the ECB's interest rate by a "significant" amount, according to Reuters.
Serb PM urges central bank to adapt exchange rate
Under a special law the National Bank of Serbia will soon be officially recognised, Serbian premier Zoran Zivkovic said on Tuesday 21 March, according to a report by the tanjug new agency. He also called for the central bank to listen to the market and…
Russia takes Latvia off currency control list
Russia's central bank has removed the tight currency controls which it had in place against Latvia. These are the last of the restrictions adopted by Russia's central bank regarding Latvia in 1998, according to a report from the baltic News Service.
E.African c b bosses support monetary union study
A meeting of east African central bankers has called for a greater role for central banks in the conduct of monetary policy and supervision of the financial sector. The EAC also agreed to intensify cooperation and information sharing between the central…
UK financial services regulation needs overhaul
An article in the Financial times suggests that financial regulation is a balancing act. On the one hand too tough an approach may reduce London's position as a major financial centre, but on the other hand a laissez faire attitude will bring criticism…
Riksbank's Heikensten in favour of ECB vote deal
Swedish central bank chief Lars Heikensten has come out in favour of the agreement to reform the European Central Bank's Governing Council, but he also wants more transparency from the institutions.
CGFS report on institutional asset management
The latest report from the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS) has been published. The report "Incentive structures in institutional asset management and their implications for financial markets" was prepared by a working group comprising…
RBA holds fire on interest rates
The Reserve Bank of Australia held interest rates steady at 4.75 per cent on Tuesday 1 April in a widely expected move, reported The Australian Financial Review.
Belgian central bank defends shareholder treatment
Guy Quaden, Belgium's central bank governor, has denied accusations made by shareholders at an annual meeting that the bank favours its main shareholder, the Belgian government.
Nauru passes legislation to axe offshore banks
Nauru's parliament has passed legislation which will abolish the country's controversial offshore banks.
Finnish central bank governor on medical leave
The governor of Finland's central bank Matti Vanhala will be on leave from the Bank until June. Mr Vanhala will be undergoing an operation.
NIESR; euro 'would boost economic growth' in UK
Influential think tank, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research has said that UK entry to the euro would boost economic growth significantly over the long term, according to a report in the Financial Times. Main benefits would be the…
Jordanian c b approval needed over Iraqi funds
Jordan's central bank has told banks to secure its authorisation before allowing the withdrawal of funds from Iraqi accounts. AFP reports that the governor of the central bank of Jordan said the measures would help guarantee the security of the banking…
Callum McCarthy confirmed as FSA Chairman
UK Chancellor Gordon Brown today (1 April) announced that Callum McCarthy has been appointed as Chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA).