Financial Stability
Serbia's Jelasic: microfinance struggling
The microfinance sector has been hit hard by the crisis, said Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia.
Institutions matter in financial development
The gap in financial development between the countries of the CFA franc zone and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa can be explained by differences in institutional quality, new research from the International Monetary Fund reveals.
CEE central banks' reaction mixed on Latvia
The views of officials from other Central and Eastern European central banks on this week's escalation of Latvia's currency crisis are mixed.
Denmark urges banks to accept government offer
The National Bank of Denmark said on Thursday that almost half of its largest banks could go bust if they do not sign up to a government-funded initiative.
ECB's Trichet: prepare for rebalancing world
The world has to prepare for a very profound structural rebalancing of world output during the next years, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank.
No to EU, yes to supervision role for BoE
The idea of a greater role for European Union regulation of United Kingdom's financial services must be resisted, said Sir Martin Jacomb, a former external director of the Bank of England, in a new report from the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank.
Latvia under intensified devaluation pressure
The Bank of Latvia on Thursday issued a strongly-worded statement defending the lats after the Baltic state's currency crisis intensified on Wednesday following a failed government auction.
Bernanke announces Fed communication enhancements
In a bid to ease lawmakers' concerns over transparency, Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the central bank will publish several new reports on its lending.
Bank losses not as bad as 1990s, says Riksbank
The Riksbank has predicted a sharp, but manageable, rise in Swedish banks' loan losses, largely on the back of defaults by businesses in the Nordic region and the Baltic States.
Fed's governance structure should be revisited
The conventional model of central bank independence may need to be revisited given the unprecedented expansion of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, new research from the International Monetary Fund notes.
Czech National Bank - Annual Report 2008
The Czech banking sector was not hit directly by the global financial crisis, says Zdenek Tuma, the governor of the country's central bank, in the latest Annual Report.
Plosser joins district criticism of Fed
Charles Plosser, the president of the Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, added his voice to a growing chorus of discontent from regional banks over the policies of the Washington-based Federal Reserve Board.
Macroprudential supervision for BoE - lawmakers
The Bank of England should be given responsibility for macroprudential supervision, recommends a report from Britain's House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee.
Finland's Hakkarainen: retail payments not core
Central banks should not provide retail-payment services themselves, said Pentti Hakkarainen, the deputy governor of the Bank of Finland.
Greece's Provopoulos: EU supervision overhaul hist
The European Commission's planned overhaul of the European Union's financial architecture is a historic step forward, said George Provopoulos, the governor of the Bank of Greece.
The Nederlands Bank - Annual Report 2008
In the years ahead, banks will reduce their dependence on short-term funding in the wholesale markets and focus more on serving domestic customers, says Nout Wellink, the president of the Dutch central bank in its latest Annual Report.
India's Subbarao: in crisis better to over-insure
It is safer, in crisis management, to err on the side doing too much rather than doing too little, said Duvvuri Subbarao, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Barbados's Williams: FSB to look at corporates
It is important to clarify whether the Financial Stability Board's mandate extends beyond banks to the wider corporate world, said Marion Williams, the governor of the Central Bank of Barbados.
Markets discipline governments
Markets are exerting pressure on governments to improve the state of public finances and restore competitiveness, a new paper from the International Monetary Fund reveals.
Egyptian central bank to sell bank stake
Farouk al-Okdah, governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, told reporters that the central bank intends to sell its minority stake in British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB).
Latvia allays devaluation fears
Einars Repse, Latvia's finance minister and a former governor of the Bank of Latvia, on 29 May reinforced comments by Ilmars Rimsevics, the governor, that the country was not facing a currency devaluation.
CDS auctions improve settlement efficiency
Credit default swap (CDS) auctions have the potential to enhance the efficiency of settlement, new research from the New York Federal Reserve reveals.
Dallas's Fisher: do not politicise regional Feds
Richard Fisher, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve called on US lawmakers not to "politicise" the central bank by taking a role in selecting the presidents of district banks.
Bank may extend support operations
Paul Tucker, deputy governor of the Bank of England said on 28 May that the Bank might give permanent form to some of the programmes it created specially during the financial crisis.