Central Banks
RBA takes action to cut interchange fees
Reserve Bank of Australia reduces interchange fee cap for Eftpos payments system by 30% to 12 cents; move follows swingeing cut in 2006
BoE warns UK banks on ‘overstated’ capital
Financial Stability Report says banks’ reported capital may fall short of actual buffer; FSA urged to ensure banks take action
Austria’s Nowotny advocates new growth strategy for emerging Europe
Ewald Nowotny says explosive, capital-driven growth model has been discredited in the wake of the financial crisis; suggests more sustainable model is needed
Fed’s Beige Book finds ‘measured’ improvement despite hurricane damage
Survey of economic sentiment maintains cautious optimism in the US in face of hurricane damage and rising fears over ‘fiscal cliff’
BoJ’s Shirai examines link between demographics and monetary policy
Sayuri Shirai says the Bank of Japan has been forced to respond to the twin challenges of an ageing population and a string of economic crises, making monetary policy-making difficult
National Bank of Hungary warns of tight lending conditions
Quarterly lending survey finds number of companies with access to credit is falling, with a further squeeze possible when the Hungarian transaction tax feeds through
Hong Kong regulator cautious about CoCos
The HKMA is unconvinced about banks issuing contingent convertible instruments, according its deputy chief executive, Arthur Yuen
Riksbank recommends interbank rate-setting reform
Central bank review finds no manipulation but identifies governance shortfalls; part of latest stability report that deems banks in Sweden ‘financially strong’
Canadian deputy fears ‘ugly’ outlook for global economy
Bank of Canada’s John Murray says policy slippages are endangering global recovery; hits out at surplus countries and says world is trapped in a ‘bad’ scenario
Estonian governor supports fast fiscal reform
Ardo Hansson discusses the merits of speedy reforms and budget balancing but warns mistakes can be made
ECB’s Cœuré wants structural co-ordination
Executive board member appeals for the cohesive implementation of Volcker, Vickers and Liikanen proposals
Fed paper examines commodity price correlation
Study find lower interest rates capable of smoothing price divergences
Korea paper considers spillover effects of currency hedging
Study considers the impact of creating an Exchange Stabilization Corporation designed to prevent short-term currency liabilities accumulating in hedging process
EC gives go-ahead for Spanish recapitalisation plans
European Commission says recapitalisation and resolution plans for four Spanish banks under Frob control do not violate state aid rules; paves way for capital injection in early December
Kenyan coin shortage is a public misperception, says central bank
Central Bank of Kenya says “perceived shortage” can be eradicated if members of the public raid their piggy banks
ECB’s Constâncio advocates sovereignty transfer
The vice-president says some aspects of decision-making should be moved from a national to a European level
King grilled over £37bn grabbed by UK Treasury
Treasury Committee takes Mervyn King to task over 'profits' from quantitative easing claimed by UK Treasury; BoE officials insist bank’s independence is not under threat
Eurogroup agrees on Greek aid package
Eurozone countries agree on measures to boost Greek debt sustainability alongside a €43.7 billion ($56.5 billion) disbursement from the European Financial Stability Facility
Zeti promotes Islamic finance expansion
Says the industry’s rapid growth is dependent on its ability to serve the real economy
Ireland’s Elderfield sees tension between micro and macro objectives
Deputy governor of the Central Bank of Ireland says micro-prudential emphasis on ‘more and faster’ capital requirements could fuel pro-cyclicality and harm debt sustainability
Czech paper evaluates monetary policy lags
Finds greater financial development is correlated with the slower transmission of monetary policy
Norges Bank urges banks to continue accumulating capital
Financial stability report says although financial market conditions have improved, banks should strengthen their capital positions; supports supplementary capital requirements for Norwegian banks
Robert Pringle’s Viewpoint: Changing of the guard at the Bank of England
Mark Carney's nomination as governor of the Bank of England will be viewed as punishment for the central bank’s staff failing to avert the financial crisis. But Carney also has many strong qualities
Carney gets Bank of England top job
Mark Carney, currently governor of the Bank of Canada, will take over from Mervyn King to run the UK central bank in June 2013, despite earlier appearing to deny interest in role