Financial Stability
Credit cards account for more than half of all payment cards in the US, report shows
Credit cards accounted for 334 million of the 776 million ‘general purpose cards' used in 2012; Over 250 million mobile payments made using mobile wallet application, Fed study finds
RBI executive director says ‘multiple instruments' needed to stem EM capital outflows
Deepak Mohanty says drawdown of forex reserves, monetary tightening, and augmentation of reserves needed to dampen speculative flows
Herding tendencies mean smaller banks won't solve moral hazard issue
Anticipation of bailouts encourages banks to invest alike, making bailouts more probable and crises more severe, Minneapolis Fed paper argues
BoE exec calls for enough GLAC to restore capital level above minimum
Banks that have undergone resolution ‘likely to need at least as much capital as other banks in the market' to command market confidence
Banxico deputy says capital controls 'multilaterally detrimental'
Manuel Ramos-Francia says EMs that have implemented capital controls to stem capital flows have ‘deflected' them towards other economies, creating political tension
ECB data stolen in blackmail attempt
Hackers raid ECB database that contains around 20,000 email addresses of people who have registered for its events; security breach did not impact internal systems
Menon: ‘Too early’ to ease macro-prudential policies
Managing director says there are ‘some indications’ the property market is cooling down, but remains concerned by high prices and household debt
Bulgarian governor offers to step down
Ivan Iskrov says he will resign ‘immediately’ if parliament sets a date for picking his successor; attacks politicians for using the central bank as a ‘plaything’ in their election campaigns
RBA deputy hints at renminbi clearing bank and RQFII quota
Philip Lowe reveals that Australia should get a designated clearing bank ‘in the coming months’ and hopes to obtain a quota for investment in mainland China shortly after
IMF staff note: Structural reforms 'more desirable' than nominal wage cuts in Europe
International Monetary Fund staff note says ‘many reforms’ are still needed in deficit countries; highlights benefits of greater fiscal integration in longer term
IMF paper finds macro-prudential polices can help prevent liquidity traps
Researchers find that debt limits and insurance requirements can help prevent economic agents from accumulating excessive leverage and triggering liquidity traps
Sri Lanka seeks return of money offered at Indian shrines
Sri Lankan central bank seeks to repatriate estimated 20 tonnes of coins offered as part of religious worship in India
Tanzania hits financial inclusion target early due to mobile surge
Benno Ndulu says the number of adults with access to financial services has doubled in five years; describes mobile phones as ‘critical link’ between the unbanked and the formal system
French paper warns buffers ‘may not be sufficient’ to avoid credit crunch
Banque de France working paper finds an increase in market pressure to hold more capital can ‘limit the ability of banks to expand credit’ and trigger a crisis
Euro banknote counterfeiting rises 4.4% year-on-year
‘Europa’ series will not address forgery problem until 2015; Eurosystem central banks urge consumers to ‘look, feel and tilt’ notes to look out for counterfeits
Robert Pringle’s Viewpoint: Start policy normalisation now!
Policy changes are needed to reduce the chances of another recession
UAE central bank to put Braille on banknotes
Emirati authority joins Hong Kong in using feature rejected by the Bank of England and Bank of Canada, on the basis that not all blind people read Braille
Former SEC chair urges US to accept use of NGAs for overseas swaps
Recent focus on US banks' use of non-guaranteed affiliates risks taking regulators down a slippery slope - issue could be tackled via disclosure instead, argues ex-SEC chair Harvey Pitt
BoE’s Cunliffe says leverage ratio is no mere ‘backstop'
Bank of England deputy governor says leverage and risk-weighted capital ratios serve different purposes; term ‘shadow banking’ casts a pall over productive aspects of non-bank financial services
Chiang Mai Initiative doubled in size to $240 billion
Financial safety net for China, Japan, Korea and the Asean nations doubled in size; Bill Allen describes the initiative as 'ornamental' as it has never actually been used
ECB sets out plans for disclosing comprehensive assessment results
European Central Bank on course to publish findings from its asset quality review and stress tests in late October; reveals the template it will use for disclosing the results
Polish financial stability goes from strength to strength, report says
National Bank of Poland financial stability report says banking system is more resilient than ever, but threats from the outside environment remain
Effective oversight needed to consolidate gains from mobile payments infrastructure
Increased diffusion of mobile payments in developing countries calls for better oversight, IMF paper says - recommending that central banks cooperate with other regulators