Central Banks
National Bank of Slovakia governor handed second term
Jozef Makúch is the first governor to be reappointed at the Slovakian central bank; tells Central Banking he is ‘very much looking forward’ to new challenges
Government spend no more effective at ZLB – NBER paper
US government spending did not become more powerful when monetary policy hit a zero lower bound, according to a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research
Prolonged weakness of Mexico’s peso could impact inflation, says central bank deputy
A weakening of the Mexican peso could lead to a pick-up in inflation and ‘should be carefully monitored’, says Manuel Sánchez
Coins and notes with same value to circulate in Angola
Angola’s central bank will issue two new coins in November, of 50 and 100 kwanzas, which will circulate with equal denomination banknotes
Israeli research finds monetary policy is ‘dominant factor’ on short-term yields
Paper published by Bank of Israel examines impact of monetary and fiscal policy on government bond yields; finds the influence of government debt has ‘strengthened’ in past decade
Draghi and Rajan strike deal on cooperation
MoU signed on the sidelines in Basel will see ECB and RBI exchange information and cooperate on technical matters, banks announce
Tombini: Central Bank of Brazil to do ‘whatever is necessary’ to hit inflation target
Brazil central bank ‘will do whatever is necessary’ to ensure inflation enters into a ‘long period of decline’ from this year onwards, governor says
IMF paper considers merits of macro-prudential liquidity buffer
Working paper asks whether such a buffer would be desirable, and how it might operate in practice; authors say it would complement other requirements including the LCR and NSFR
Heavy snowfall forces Central Bank of Jordan shutdown
Central bank and commercial banks were forced to close their doors as the Middle East was battered by a freak snowstorm; president urged people not to venture out
Turkmen central bank chief ousted as economic malaise worsens
Gochmurat Muradov is the latest in a string of Central Bank of Turkmenistan chairmen to be dismissed after only one or two years in the post; deputy chosen to take over his position
Bank of Mexico expects inflation back on target in 2015
Inflation in Mexico ended the year slightly above target, at 4.08%; Agustín Carstens expects it will converge to the goal of 3% ‘from mid-2015’
People: Philadelphia Fed gets new directors; Paraguay central banker named finance minister
Jon Evans and Carol Johnson are appointed to the Philadelphia Fed board of directors; Central Bank of Paraguay loses member of the board of directors to the government; and more
Fed earns $116bn on QE assets in 2014
Regional Fed banks transfer just under $100bn in earnings to US Treasury, a 27% increase on the previous year; operating expenses totalled $3.6bn
The winners of the Central Banking Awards 2015
Raghuram Rajan wins Governor of the Year while Reserve Bank of New Zealand picks up Central Bank of the Year; Jacques de Larosière honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award; 12 more awards announced
Governor of the year: Raghuram Rajan
Sharp analytical skills, decisive policy action, powerful communication and impressive leadership skills have enabled RBI governor Raghuram Rajan to lead the Indian economy onto firmer ground
Central bank of the year: Reserve Bank of New Zealand
A joined-up approach to monetary and macro-prudential policy, excellence in communication and governance, updated risk management, improved supervision and security made the RBNZ the standout central bank
Lifetime achievement award: Jacques de Larosière
Jacques de Larosière has earned a reputation as the great French international public servant, central banker and scholar of his generation
Economics in Central Banking: Claudio Borio
The Bank for International Settlements’ economics head secures win for his work applying the concept of ‘excess financial elasticity’ to the international monetary and financial system