Financial Stability
Malaysian and Thai central banks agree deeper cooperation
Bank Negara Malaysia and the Bank of Thailand sign agreement to facilitate a cross-border collateral arrangement for eligible financial institutions in the countries
BoE's Posen continues crusade for SME credit
Posen laments decline of political interest in plans for credit easing for SMEs in the UK; reaffirms his drive to improve the provision of finance for smaller non-financial corporations
RBI's Subbarao highlights new ‘trilemma' facing central banks
Reserve Bank of India governor Duvvuri Subbarao says policy contribution of central banks to sustainable sovereign debt policies must be clarified to maintain independence
ECB paper finds evidence in support of exchange rate scapegoat theory
European Central Bank study shows expectations of frequent changes to structural parameters explains instability in the relationship between exchange rates and fundamentals
BoJ’s Yamaguchi warns of ‘vicious cycle’ from de-leveraging of European banks
Bank of Japan deputy governor Hirohide Yamaguchi says Japan should exercise vigilance over potential knock-on effects from introduction of higher capital ratios in Europe
Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines talks Basel III
Amando Tetangco explains how Basel III has a “perverse” impact on countries with strong fiscal discipline and why the Sifi designation is less important than rigorous regulation
Sri Lanka remembers suicide bomb victims
New memorial unveiled at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to mark 16th anniversary of bomb attack on the institution; governor says terrorists failed in aim to paralyse economic growth
Germany highly exposed to US and European contagion effects, says Buba paper
Bundesbank study finds strong contagious effects from the US and Europe, but no effects from the Asia-Pacific region and emerging markets on the German financial system
MAS's Menon calls on Asian countries to boost IMF resources
Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon says Asian countries will need to contribute further to International Monetary Fund to enhance global safety net
Bahrain completes transition to Iban
Commercial banks in Bahrain will now use international bank account numbers as preferred method for international and domestic payments
Basel guidance on settlement risk delayed until June
Updated guidance on FX settlement risk from Basel Committee and CPSS was originally due by end of 2011, but now has an expanded remit
Risk-weighted assets proved useful indicator during crisis, says IMF paper
Fund study shows banks with lower risk-weighted assets were able to weather the recent financial crisis better than those with more risky assets
RBI’s Mohanty discusses limitations of capital controls
Reserve Bank of India executive director Deepak Mohanty says India’s external debt service position has improved, but country’s external position remains vulnerable
FSB regional group discusses policy responses to eurozone crisis
Commonwealth of Independent States hold first regional FSB consultative group meeting; members including Russia and Ukraine discuss possible policy actions to counter eurozone crisis
Switzerland investigates need for ‘more specific’ insider trading rules
Head of legal services at the Federal Confederation explains the investigations under way into the circumstances that ultimately caused Philipp Hildebrand to resign as governor of the Swiss National Bank
State Bank of Pakistan warns on ‘deteriorating’ budgetary conditions
State Bank of Pakistan quarterly report says government fell short of budget target last year; warns drying up of foreign direct investment could leave economy vulnerable
Lithuanian central bank becomes victim of a cyber attack
Bank of Lithuania's website hit by hackers; days after Central Bank of UAE experienced a similar attack
UK government publishes Financial Services Bill
New legislation to fundamentally change financial regulation in the UK; fears raised that the important issue of the accountability of the Bank of England has not been addressed fully
Central bankers gather in Davos for World Economic Forum
Central banking is a hot topic at this year's World Economic Forum; attendees of the event discuss issues in Russia, Poland, China and more
Monetary policy can ease sovereign risk, says IMF paper
Fund study shows sovereign risk becomes a critical determinant of macroeconomic outcomes if the central bank is constrained in counteracting higher risk premiums
BoE’s Salmon expects tighter regulation of payment operations
Bank of England executive director of banking services says authorities will pay more attention to network of payment operations and question the internal organisation of firms’ operations
Finland commemorates the end of the markka
New book describes the history of Finnish banknotes and museum exhibition displays competition entries for past currency design contests
Bernanke to give student lectures
Chairman of the Federal Reserve will deliver a series of lectures to university students in the US
Bangladesh Bank calls on government to borrow less
Bangladesh central bank wants to bring inflation to single digits and halt foreign currency reserve “depletion”; hopes government borrowing will not “crowd out” available liquidity in banking system