Reserves
Iceland lifts capital controls
Controls on individuals, firms and pension funds lifted, though the central bank will retain controls on inflows to resist carry trade
Barbadian finance minister thanks Worrell, despite sacking him
Sinckler says government will “eliminate reliance" on central bank financing; gives Worrell lukewarm thanks for his time as governor
Nigeria’s central bank rolling back forex restrictions
Allocation rules are scrapped under the new regime, while all forex dealers must open outlets at airports to aid travellers; additional forex is to be made available for tuition and medical expenses
ECB profit for 2016 rises on asset purchase income
Supervisory charges on banks rise by €105 million
Malaysian government opens case on historic forex losses
Task force to probe heavy losses of Bank Negara Malaysia in the early 1990s, which reportedly included costly bets against George Soros
Risk management services provider of the year: OpenLink
OpenLink has continued the evolution of its Findur product with the development of collateral management functionality, notably supporting the Bank of Canada in its move towards collateral posting
Reserve manager of the year: Bank of Israel
Israel’s central bank has made breakthroughs in its sensitivity analysis of near-optimal portfolios, as well as making notable gains from its diversification strategy
Asset manager of the year: State Street Global Advisors
Boston-based asset manager not only has depth and reach – it has taken customisable services to a new level
Global securities lending services provider of the year: BNP Paribas Securities Services
The French bank has helped a range of official institutions to glean additional revenue from their bond holdings in tight markets
Technology provider of the year (risk management): Calypso Technology
Calypso scored several prestigious client wins in Denmark, France, South Africa and Spain by tailoring its platform to the needs of central banks
IMF resources may influence EM creditworthiness – paper
The level of fund resources are more important than the means of lending, the IMF researcher argues
Reserve Bank of Tonga makes further tweaks to exchange controls
Reserve Bank continues to relax exchange controls, removing monthly limits and some identification requirements; IMF says central bank making progress
Nigerian central bank attacks ‘unpatriotic’ critics of forex regime
Reserves under pressure due to “huge fall” in earnings, the bank admits
Lebanon’s innovative financial operations not sustainable – IMF
Central bank used a complicated mechanism to simultaneously boost foreign reserves and improve banks’ capital positions, but it cannot be used without limit, the fund warns
Denmark to trial primary dealer payments in effort to boost liquidity
Central bank says payments in exchange for tougher requirements should improve liquidity, which has shown signs of weakening
Barbados has failed to find growth balance, says governor
Further restrictions on spending needed to protect country’s reserves, says Worrell
African central banks have cut euro exposures, says Uganda’s Kavuma
Combination of negative interest rates and falling reserves hit euro holdings but most central banks still avoid investments within Africa
SNB ups allocation to currency reserves
New rule allows for higher allocations to reserves provision even in periods of low nominal growth; foreign exchange intervention now a key monetary tool
IMF urges Sri Lanka to ‘modify’ international reserves target
Deputy managing director says international reserves remain below “comfortable levels”; central bank intends to continue building up reserves while allowing for “greater” exchange rate flexibility
Ukraine’s central bank calls for action against illegal forex dealers
NBU says authorities failed to act against 32 illegal operations in Kyiv; says it will publicise further information on unauthorised forex dealers
Ukrainian central bank proposes abolition of forex restrictions
The central bank’s multi-stage plan includes a draft law, despite political disputes
Some way to go for renminbi as reserve currency – Bundesbank's Thiele
Chinese investment markets should be opened up to foreign investors, Thiele says
IMF amends SDR calculation method
Exchange rates used to calculate SDR to be obtained from a commercial provider by the Bank of England, in effort to make methodology more “robust”
New high for reserves a sign of 'growing confidence' in Argentina – Sturzenegger
Reserves breach $40 billion mark after treasury bond sale and climbing export levels; contribution from overseas investment starting to be felt, government says