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Thailand eases bank credit-card rules
THAILAND - Thailand's central bank Friday announced it has eased rules and regulations governing commercial banks' credit-card services in order to promote competitiveness and improve the quality of service.
Debating and preparing for the Payments Future
FEATURE - In a rare set of predictions on how the U.S. payments system's transaction mix will evolve, The Nilson Report in the American Banker says that in about 10 years debit cards will overtake credit cards, cash will remain king, and paper checks…
Fraga sees crisis in Argentina as "worrying"
BRAZIL - Central Bank chairman Arminio Fraga said on Friday that the crisis in neighboring Argentina is "extremely worrying". He compared Argentina to Brazil, stating the former has yet to restructure its state finances, which he said was carried out…
Argentina's banks re-open to chaotic scenes
ARGENTINA - Argentina's banks and financial markets reopened on Monday after a 10-day emergency shutdown.
Speech by Jarle Bergo of Norges Bank, 25 Apr
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Oil - natural resource and financial asset' Bergo asks the question "Is an abundance of natural resources really an advantage?" and says that developing countries whose most important export is oil have generally recorded…
European Central Bank Working Paper
RESEARCH - ECB Working Paper by Francesco Paolo Mongelli, "New" views on the optimum currency area theory: what is EMU telling us?, April 2002.
Speech by the Governor, Bank of Greece, 22 Apr
SPEECH - In an introductory statement to the European Parliament Papademos conceded that an anonymous publication of the policymaking body's members' positions could enhance the transparency of ECB monetary policy and thereby provide financial markets…
Fed Reserve Bank of New York - Annual Report 2001
ANNUAL REPORT - The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2001.
Speech by David Clementi, Bank of England, 29 Apr
SPEECH - In a speech 'Property and the Economy' Clementi played down talk of a dangerous "bubble" similar to the late 1980s when a housing boom suddenly turned to bust.
BofE's Clementi may become new Prudential chief
UK - David Clementi, deputy governor of the Bank of England, is favourite to become the next chairman of the Prudential Corporation reports the Sunday Telegraph, in a move that will reassure the City following last week's sudden resignation of Sir Roger…
Gold's backers want to polish up its image
FEATURE - It isn't just the war against terrorism, or the growing violence in the Middle East. It isn't just increased Japanese demand or the Enron scandal's effect on the equity markets. Rather, gold's 10% rally this year, to a recent two-year high of…
RSA to delist from Securities Exchange on 2 May
SOUTH AFRICA - The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will delist from the JSE Securities Exchange from the start of business on 2 May after the required number of shareholders voted in support of the move, it said on Friday.
Duma votes for second reading on c bank law
RUSSIA - The Russian State Duma at its Friday plenary meeting voted unanimously (with 366 votes) to return amendments to the law on the Central Bank for a second reading.
Ireland asks - Please be gentle with your euros
IRELAND - The new euro notes are taking a battering in Ireland. Despite being in circulation only four months some of them have deteriorated to such an extent that they will have to be replaced.
Dep gov, Thomopoulos, interested in becoming chief
GREECE - Bank of Greece's depupy-governor, Panagiotis Thomopoulos, on Friday expressed his interest in replacing Mr Lucas Papademos at the central bank's head.
Central banker may become road sweeper in Russia
RUSSIA - After more than a decade running the Russian Central Bank, Viktor Gerashchenko says he'll try his hand as a street sweeper if his pension payments don't come through soon.
NZ central bank has six months to replace Brash
NEW ZEALAND - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said in a statement released Monday that it will advertise the position of governor locally and overseas - a decision that leaves the door open for an external candidate to fill the role vacated by Don Brash…
Argentine Peso will not be fixed, says Lavagna
ARGENTINA - Argentina's banks and exchange markets will open today for the first time in nine days, as the new economy minister, Roberto Lavagna, attempts to calm fears of a wholesale collapse of the financial system.
Speech by A Santomero of Philadelphia Fed, 25 Apr
SPEECH - Santomero said on Thursday in a speech titled 'The Reluctant Recession: Why Was the Recession So Mild?' that it is too soon to tell when the U.S. economy will be strong enough for the U.S. central bank to consider raising interest rates.
The single monetary policy in the euro area
REPORT - The single monetary policy in the euro area: General documentation on Eurosystem monetary policy instruments and procedures, (update of the November 2000 edition), European Central Bank, April 2002.
ECB Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Publication of 'The single monetary policy in the euro area: General documentation on Eurosystem monetary policy instruments and procedures', 26 April.
Speech by David Dodge of Bank of Canada, 26 Apr
SPEECH - In a speech titled 'The Interaction Between Monetary and Fiscal Policies' Dodge said that Canadian monetary and fiscal policies both went badly off course just over 25 years ago. It then took 15 to 20 years to establish the appropriate focus for…
Speech by W. McDonough, New York Fed Bank, 25 Apr
SPEECH - In the speech 'Bank Supervision and Credit Standards under Basel II - Perspectives for SMEs' McDonough said "it is an honor to join your discussion on the efforts of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to ensure that the international…