Financial Stability
MAS pushes for tighter rules on financial advisers
Monetary Authority of Singapore expands and elaborates on report recommending tighter rules for financial advisers; calls for higher qualifications, more capital and greater efficiency
Top US regulators restless over too-big-to-fail
Fed’s Jerome Powell and FDIC’s Martin Gruenberg stress the need for ongoing progress in bid to eliminate ‘too-big-to-fail’ problem
ECB lauds 2012 as year of ‘great achievement' for T2S programme
Annual report details progress in 2012 including 22 participating clearing houses and new governance and legal frameworks, though one deadline has already been missed
New Zealand central bank publishes macro-prudential ‘tool-kit' consultation
Four new tools proposed by Reserve Bank of New Zealand; former RBNZ chief economist says implementation will take time, but anticipates an ‘announcement effect'
Dutch paper suggests using loan-to-deposit ratio in macroprudential policy
Study says LTD ratio could be a useful tool for regulator to address liquidity risk; suggests counter-cyclical policy to encourage lending in tough times
BIS paper urges inclusion of financial cycle in output gap calculation
Working paper warns ignoring the financial cycle when calculating the output gap can cause policy-makers to overlook unsustainable output movements
Deutsche Bundesbank’s losing struggle in European integration battle
The Deutsche Bundesbank was once the cornerstone of European monetary stability but has become little more than a bargaining chip for politicians negotiating European integration.
Booknotes: Europe's Unfinished Currency
Mayer has grasped the essential truth about Europe’s single currency – that the project not only has an economic context but also an historical one and, above all, a political one.
Booknotes: The Ponzi Scheme Puzzle: A History and Analysis of Con Artists and Victims
Tamar Frankel offers us a colourful and broad picture of con artists who have initiated their own ‘Ponzi schemes’.
Central Bank of Ireland economist says monetary policy will not save euro
Lars Frisell suggests loosening monetary policy in the eurozone is unlikely to have much effect on the distressed periphery; instead advocates risk sharing through common deposit guarantees
National Bank of Slovakia backs controversial law
Slovakian central bank supports draft law to prohibit foreign bank branches from offering mortgage loans; questions over legality of law under EU treaty
The trade-off between bank regulation and economic growth
The pendulum has swung firmly in favour of financial services regulatory reform. But economic growth is likely to suffer – particularly in Europe – unless some of the rules are changed
Bretton Woods transcripts reveal global discord that still resonates today
In the first of three articles, Andrew Rosenberg discusses the issues that arose at the 1944 conference that continue to echo down through the years.
Collateral problems in the euro area
The euro area sovereign debt crisis has caused remarkable growth in the operations of the Eurosystem. It also led to diminished collateral availability.
Draghi delivers sermon on trust
European Central Bank president says trust is the key to mutual support, stronger collective responsibility and a deeper economic and political union
ECB paper seeks to balance the arguments of eurosceptics
Researcher says sovereign debt crisis should be seen as a mix of many harmful factors rather than one single problem; offers optimistic view on the prospects for recovery
Spanish governor unimpressed by banks’ capital requirement shortcut
Luis Linde unhappy that European banks have increased the CET1 ratios by deleveraging; concerned about impact of regulatory overhaul on credit and growth
New Zealand finance minister proposes new central bank toolkit
Bill English says new tools would allow RBNZ to manage excesses in credit cycles; emphasises credibility will hinge on continued central bank independence
Korean paper draws macro-prudential policy lessons from history of the 2000s
Working paper draws on Korea's experience of macro-prudential policies over the last decade, which failed to shield it from the impact of the global crisis
Czech National Bank enlists mobile app in fight against forgery
New mobile app to help Czechs check notes and coins for signs of forgery; counterfeit seizures continue downward trend
Byres hints at Basel Committee rethink on risk-weight modelling
Secretary-general weighs challenges of balancing complexity and simplicity of capital requirements; outlines possible changes to banks’ risk modelling choices
EC and FDIC team up to tackle G-sifi resolution
European Commission and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation establish working group to co-ordinate G-sifi resolution efforts
Weidmann says Europe does not revolve around Germany
Bundesbank president calls on co-ordination between Europe’s "heavyweights" to drive reforms and boost credibility of the EMU’s fiscal rules
Singapore aims to match Hong Kong with ‘good-as-new' new year banknotes
Singapore follows Hong Kong's lead in encouraging public to use 'good-as-new' banknotes for new year gifts