Reserves
Accounting for reserves
John Nugée highlights the disparities in alternative accounting treatment of external reserves. Portfolio management decisions increasingly have to take these into account, with unforeseen consequences for markets.
No middle ground on operational risk debate
ARTICLE - While regulators insist they are well on their way down the road to new international capital standards, bankers say they are following the wrong map to destinations unknown. From American Banker, 12 August.
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - IMF Completes First Review and Approves New Increase on Uruguay Stand-By, 8 August.
Central Bank of Russia to offer $13,000 gold coins
RUSSIA - New Russians, extravagant businessmen famed for their love of gold and deep pockets, might now have to start thinking about getting wide ones too, reports Reuters on Friday.
Belarus reports notable rise in for ex reserves
BELARUS - The Belarusian central bank's net foreign exchange reserves rose by 48.5m dollars since the beginning of the year to 252.9m, Pyotr Prakapovich, head of the National Bank of Belarus (NBB), told reporters in Minsk on 7 August.
Central bank relaxes bank suspensions - Uruguay
URUGUAY - Uruguay's central bank has authorized suspended banks to partially resume operations, Uruguayan daily El Pais reported.
Egypt central bank reports fall in bank liquidity
EGYPT - The central bank has revealed a continued downturn in commercial banks' performance over the past period. Rates of capital efficiency and of net profits and incomes have gone down. Also, the banks' liquidity crunch has worsened due to a decline…
Banks urged to expand risk management techniques
US - A top Treasury Department official said this week that regulators need to push banks to back up advanced risk management techniques with old-fashioned, case-by-case credit analysis.
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - IMF Managing Director Kohler Prepared to Recommend US$500 Million Increase in Stand-By Credit to Uruguay, 4 August.
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - Joint Statement by IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank on Uruguay, 4 August.
Korea's for ex reserves jump to $115.49 bn
SOUTH KOREA - The nation's foreign exchange reserves hit a fresh high of $115.49 billion at the end of July, up $3.05 billion from the end of June, the Bank of Korea (BOK) reported Monday.
Uruguay set to receive IMF money to avert crisis
URUGUAY - Uruguay was yesterday set to receive $1.5bn (£950m) from the International Monetary Fund and impose limited restrictions on bank withdrawals in an effort to avert a collapse of its once-vaunted financial system.
Brazil's real up on biggest single day gain ever
BRAZIL - Brazil's real broke a nine-session losing streak Thursday posting its biggest single day gain ever on hopes that help from the International Monetary Fund is on its way.
Korea's for ex reserves jump to $115.49 bn
SOUTH KOREA - The nation's foreign exchange reserves hit a fresh high of $115.49 billion at the end of July, up $3.05 billion from the end of June, the Bank of Korea (BOK) reported yesterday.
Negative sentiment leads to slide in Thai baht
THAILAND - The conflict between the prime minister and the central bank governor on how to manage the baht under the managed float system has resulted in confusion among dealers in the foreign exchange market.
Argentine central banker admits contagion effect
ARGENTINA - Aldo Pignanelli, the president of the Argentine Central Bank (BCRA), said Friday that the Argentine crisis, which has been dubbed the "tango effect", has spread to Brazil and Uruguay, adding that the local banking and foreign exchange system…
Gold rises as dollar slips back
UK - Gold shone on Friday morning in Europe as the dollar slipped against other currencies and producer selling seen earlier this week eased off, leaving prices with a chance to head up, traders said.
Cyprus c bank refutes alleged money laundering
CYPRUS - The Central Bank of Cyprus has refuted allegations in a Financial Times report, published on 25 July, that knowingly it was involved in sanctions busting and money laundering during the years when UN sanctions against Yugoslavia were in force.
Putin and c bank chief discuss inflation, gold
RUSSIA - On Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central Bank chief Sergey Ignatyev discussed the macroeconomic situation in Russia.
New Basle norms favour SME lending - Brazil
BRAZIL - New Basle norms that will be applied in Brazil and other developing countries in 2006 will loosen reserve requirements for banks lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Brazilian daily Panorama Brasil reported on Tuesday.
Inquiry says fx controls contributed to rand fall
SOUTH AFRICA - A public inquiry into the sharp fall of the South African currency last year blames the country's slow pace of privatisation and the tightening of exchange controls.
Cen bank dollar-buying boosts Thailand's reserves
THAILAND - Thailand's foreign reserves jumped by nearly 2% to a five-year high last week, official data showed on Friday, as the country's central bank bought dollars to slow a rise in the Thai currency.
Indian banks to fortify risk management systems
INDIA - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the commercial banks in the country not to depend entirely on the certificates issued by the chartered accountants on the financial health of corporate borrowers.
Argentine rescue
FEATURE - Next week, four wise men are off to Buenos Aires. Their mission is to help Argentina's government and the International Monetary Fund to reach agreement on a programme of economic recovery. If they are to succeed, they must inject a sense of…