Financial Stability
ESRB paper identifies difficulties in tracing origins of collateral
Occasional paper presents results from two data collection exercises, finding ‘widespread’ use of securities financing transactions and lack of clarity on the reuse of collateral
Hong Kong protests trigger emergency action by HKMA
HKMA activates its business continuity plan and takes extraordinary measures to maintain stability as thousands of pro-democracy protesters take to the streets
Carney spells out ‘right ideas’ for insurance regulation
Bank of England governor sets out three forthcoming strands of reform to the way insurers will be regulated, to avoid systemic crises in the style of AIG
RBA’s Richards outlines fast settlement service at Chicago symposium
Reserve Bank of Australia head of payments policy says the fast settlement service on the country’s new payments platform will be able to deal with ‘very short response times’
Rebel incursion has not halted central bank operations, says Yemen deputy
Ibrahim Alnahari says the central bank is doing its best to maintain normal operations despite continued violence on the streets of Sana’a, with action taken to protect banking sector
Ingves outlines Basel Committee response to ‘excessive variation’ in risk-weighted assets
Basel Committee 'endorses' final details of NSFR and turns attention to comparability of risk-based ratios; expands membership to include ECB’s single supervisory mechanism
Cecchetti calls on Fed to become international lender of last resort
Stephen Cecchetti says Fed should extend swap lines internationally if the dollar is to continue in its privileged position as reserve currency; Paul Tucker outlines ideal lender of last resort
RBA discussing steps to cool ‘unbalanced’ housing market
Australia’s financial regulators are discussing whether ‘additional steps’ are necessary to address the disproportionate increase in credit to investors in the housing market
World Bank says the PMA is ‘steadily building the capabilities’ of a central bank
World Bank report says the banking sector in Palestine ‘remains healthy thanks to the efforts of the Palestine Monetary Authority’
EBA zeroes in on recovery and resolution trigger conditions
European Banking Authority publishes final guidelines on testing for bank failure and launches consultation on what conditions could trigger a resolution process
Portuguese central banker warns new €10 banknote may not be accepted by all vending machines
Bank of Portugal board member says he cannot guarantee the note will be accepted by all machines, as owners are responsible for making necessary software changes
BoE's Bailey calls for ‘much more systematic approach' to financial sanctions
Bank of England's senior prudential regulator recognises need for clear understanding of when and to whom sanctions apply; calls for greater international co-operation
Carney hints at coming shift in FSB focus
Mark Carney says Financial Stability Board will need to shift its focus towards ‘evolving’ threats such as shadow banking; ending too-big-to-fail high on the agenda for Brisbane G-20 summit
Yellen: Unexpected $400 expense would put majority of US households in financial bind
Federal Reserve chair notes many of 25 million poorest US households have no wealth or negative net worth
Central Banking poll finds tepid response to EU stress tests
Some 60% of respondents to Central Banking poll say the EU stress tests are ‘not stringent enough’; ECB will release results for eurozone banks along with AQR findings next month
Financial liberalisation much more encompassing ‘than just technical lifting of controls'
Market participants face numerous unexpected challenges as they adapt to more liberal operational environments, says Bank of Finland board member at China financial liberalisation event
FSB warns of ‘increasing signs of complacency' in financial markets
Concerns about the mispricing of liquidity risks are also raised at plenary meeting in Cairns this week, but ‘core of financial system continues to strengthen'
Barnier hints at longer pensions clearing exemption for OTC derivatives
The EC's outgoing head of internal markets, Michel Barnier, has hinted the Commission will extend a pension funds derivatives clearing exemption beyond 2015
Mortgage credit subsidies 'disastrous for the poor'
Credit subsidies a ‘short-sighted palliative for addressing economic inequality', argue leading academics in Central Banking Journal article
Mobile money accounts trump number of adults in Kenya, IMF data show
African bank depositors increased five-fold between 2004 and 2013, IMF's fifth annual Financial Access Survey shows; includes data on mobile money for first time
FSB estimates of Chinese shadow banking fall short of target, IMF representatives suggest
FSB's ‘filtering out' of parts of the non-bank financial system in China paints incomplete picture, IMF Asia division chief and HK representative say
‘Flower power’ drives new Dominican Republic banknote series
The Dominican Republic is issuing upgraded banknotes to include the country’s new national flower; Israel and eurozone also introducing new notes in the market
Mersch: T2S may prompt ‘more global network for mobilisation of collateral assets'
ECB board member says Target2 offers 'possibilities for linkages' between T2S central securities depositories with those 'from other geographical areas'
Banks must ‘rediscover' relationships with companies, Italian deputy says
Salvatore Rossi says better understanding of companies by banks would complement capital market intermediation as ‘only banks can acquire direct knowledge of firms'