Governors still lack immunity
Benchmarks data gives mixed picture on the protections officials can expect from criminal and civil actions
More than two-thirds of central bank governors have no legal immunity from prosecution, Central Banking’s Governance Benchmarks 2026 find.
Forty-four of the 64 central banks surveyed (68.8%) say their governors have no immunity. Although this marks a slight reduction on the 74.6% recorded last year, the 2026 survey also asked institutions if their governors enjoyed ‘partial immunity’, with eight (12.5%) saying that they did.
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Governance Benchmarks 2026 Charts
Take a deep dive into the Governance Benchmarks charts, which have just been released for 2026
Majority of central banks posted profit in last year
Largest share of profit-makers have no dividend-sharing contract with government
Half of central banks prohibit senior officials’ shareholdings
Minority of respondents working to adopt other internal policies
Non-executive directors earn five times less than governors
NEDs work an average of 14 hours weekly, Governance Benchmarks 2026 find
Boards with salary-setting duties have largest membership
Greatest number of non-execs appointed by government
Roughly 40% of central banks lack a monetary policy committee
Governing boards remain widely responsible for setting overall strategy