Central Banks
Indonesia raises rates in unscheduled meeting to rescue the rupiah
Bank Indonesia raises interest rates in attempt to slow the fall in the value of the rupiah; observers fear the move will hit economic growth
Bank of Brazil hikes rates for the fourth time in as many months
Brazilian central bank deploys primary monetary policy weapon in a bid to hold back inflation and open another front to support the real, following intervention in the currency markets
Canada deputy says QE exit may be ‘more benign’ than critics fear
Despite Canada’s close ties to the US, Bank of Canada deputy governor John Murray believes tapering of Fed asset purchases will have less of a negative impact than many pundits fear
Czech governor slams one-size-fits-all regulation
CNB workshop considers impact of Basel III on emerging and smaller economies; participants consider the unintended consequences of both capital and liquidity rules
Rajan faces daunting challenges as he takes over as RBI governor
Raghuram Rajan faces a raft of monetary policy, governance and financial stability challenges when he takes over as governor of the Reserve Bank of India next week, writes Hugh Sandeman
Carney's BoE walks fine line between stimulus and financial stability
Bank of England governor Mark Carney’s maiden speech includes announcement of relaxation of bank liquidity rules; insists the central bank is in charge of interest rates, despite market moves
Bank of Jamaica will continue to tighten liquidity conditions
Governor Brian Wynter says central bank will keep on issuing ‘special securities’ to ensure exchange rate stability; unconcerned by recent increases in inflation rate
Forward guidance successful in mitigating downside risks to price stability
Provision of time-based forward guidance reduces downside price stability risks but may result in upside risks during the medium term, finds ECB working paper
RBA payments head hails ‘hub-based’ retail payments platform
Reserve Bank of Australia’s Tony Richards delivers update on country’s new payments platform and the central bank’s work towards a faster settlement system
Adherence to Islamic financing principles could benefit credit unions
Islamic savings products would make institutions more resilient, and possibly strengthen incentives for good governance, IMF working paper argues
Ugandan governor rejects president’s growth target
Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile says it is impossible for Uganda to become a middle-income country by 2017, as it will take two decades for the country to double its GNI per capita
US needs to improve supervision of insurers, FSB peer review concludes
Dombret-led review says US is making progress in reducing systemic risk, but insurance supervision architecture is ‘fragmented'; FSB also publishes progress report on compensation practices
Iran central bank appoints new governor
New Iranian president names commercial bank veteran to take over at the top of the central bank; priority will be taming inflation now running at around 40% a year
Kuroda believes QQE has started to ‘exert effects’
Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda says the radical easing plan unveiled in April has led to a ‘favourable turn’ in the country’s finanical markets, public expectations and economic activity
Jackson Hole speakers question viability of central bank co-operation
BoE deputy Charlie Bean says it is not ‘viable’ for advanced central banks to internalise the spillovers from their monetary easing; academics argue co-operation could create extra costs
Sweden puts FSA in charge of financial stability
Central bank passed over as government stresses importance of democratic accountability; new financial stability board and bolstered foreign exchange reserves also announced
Israel central bank reinstates September meeting due to market volatility
Bank of Israel reverses a decision not to meet around the Jewish new year; u-turn likely to have been influenced by market expectations that the Fed will begin to 'taper' next month
BIS sizes up derivatives reforms and Basel III progress
Bank for International Settlements releases one report on the expected benefits and costs of OTC derivative reforms, and another on countries’ progress in implementing Basel III
ECB research highlights Greenspan’s powers of persuasion
Researchers say Alan Greenspan was a ‘dominant’ chairman of the FOMC who frequently managed to convince regional Fed presidents to walk his own policy line
Mauritius governor urges African central banks to help small business
Speaking at the AACB's annual get-together, Rundheersing Bheenick calls for support of small businesses alongside traditional ‘pro-poor policies' such as price and currency stability
Lagarde tells central bankers not to 'rush to exit' on QE
Speaking at Jackson Hole, the head of the IMF said unconventional monetary policies were "still needed in all places it is being used" and that it was unclear what "exit" actually implied