Financial Stability
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
Tajikistan announces enhanced payments systems
National Bank of Tajikistan launches national processing centre' striving to bring banking services up to date
CNB’s Singer condemns approach towards EFSF
Czech National Bank governor Miroslav Singer calls on policy-makers to eliminate uncertainties relating to the European Financial Stability Facility
Debt ceiling acts as fiscal stabiliser, says IMF paper
Fund study shows the introduction of a debt ceiling may reduce the pro-cyclicality of fiscal policy and consumption volatility
IMF criticises Hungary over policy 'missteps'
International Monetary Fund Article IV consultations says Hungarian economy is in perilous state; country must push ahead with structural reforms and reverse a central bank law to receive funding
Financial taxes can bolster macro-prudential policy, says IMF paper
Fund study shows counter-cyclical tools should be incorporated to enrich the broader macro-prudential policy framework in Korea
Capital shortfalls explain sharp fall in bank lending, says Bank of Spain paper
Bank of Spain study finds evidence that supply-side factors are restraining loan growth to non-financial private sector in Spain
Macro-prudential policies address root of stability problems, says SNB’s Danthine
SNB governing board member Jean-Pierre Danthine says policies that lean against asset bubbles can create large shortfall in economic growth; prefers forward-looking macro-prudential tools
Thailand blames floods and ‘likely’ eurozone recession for rate cut
Bank of Thailand drops benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3%; says recession now "likely" in the eurozone
IMF fears eurozone crisis will stall global recovery
World Economic Outlook slashes growth projections for 2012 as downside risks to eurozone economy intensify; IMF warns spill-over effects could slow economic activity globally