Central Banks
FSB regional group discusses policy responses to eurozone crisis
Commonwealth of Independent States hold first regional FSB consultative group meeting; members including Russia and Ukraine discuss possible policy actions to counter eurozone crisis
Bollard to leave Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Alan Bollard will not seek a third term as governor; Reserve Bank board to include candidates from abroad in search to replace him
Cyprus central bank pay freeze passes ECB scrutiny
European Central Bank says Cypriot public sector wage freeze does not threaten the central bank’s ability to perform its tasks independently from government
Precautionary motives drive rapid build-up of reserves in EMEs, says IMF paper
Fund study shows stockpiling of international reserves in emerging markets are motivated by insurance against capital account, rather than current account shocks
Malaysia’s Zeti encourages stronger economic ties with India
Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz says potential for further collaboration between India and Malaysia is “tremendous”
BoE report captures impact of QE policy
Bank of England’s Asset Purchase Facility report shows government bond yields and market spreads eased as a result of the central bank’s stimulus measures
Switzerland investigates need for ‘more specific’ insider trading rules
Head of legal services at the Federal Confederation explains the investigations under way into the circumstances that ultimately caused Philipp Hildebrand to resign as governor of the Swiss National Bank
State Bank of Pakistan warns on ‘deteriorating’ budgetary conditions
State Bank of Pakistan quarterly report says government fell short of budget target last year; warns drying up of foreign direct investment could leave economy vulnerable
Lithuanian central bank becomes victim of a cyber attack
Bank of Lithuania's website hit by hackers; days after Central Bank of UAE experienced a similar attack
UK government publishes Financial Services Bill
New legislation to fundamentally change financial regulation in the UK; fears raised that the important issue of the accountability of the Bank of England has not been addressed fully
CB.com poll result says eurozone break-up comments are not irresponsible
CentralBanking.com poll shows majority of participants believe non-eurozone central bankers are not acting recklessly by commenting on a possible break-up of the euro
Central bankers gather in Davos for World Economic Forum
Central banking is a hot topic at this year's World Economic Forum; attendees of the event discuss issues in Russia, Poland, China and more
Sarb proposes further adjustments to open market operations
South African Reserve Bank wants to allocate amounts tendered by banks in repo auctions on a pro rata basis, to enhance efficiency of its monetary policy operations
Monetary policy can ease sovereign risk, says IMF paper
Fund study shows sovereign risk becomes a critical determinant of macroeconomic outcomes if the central bank is constrained in counteracting higher risk premiums
Core inflation is a poor forecaster of future price levels, says Brazilian research
Central Bank of Brazil study finds core inflation is a poor directional indicator for future headline inflation
BoE’s Salmon expects tighter regulation of payment operations
Bank of England executive director of banking services says authorities will pay more attention to network of payment operations and question the internal organisation of firms’ operations
Lebanon’s Salame vows to apply Syria sanctions
Bank of Lebanon governor Riad Salame says Lebanese banks will not undertake any activity in Syria that might embarrass correspondent banks
Finland commemorates the end of the markka
New book describes the history of Finnish banknotes and museum exhibition displays competition entries for past currency design contests
Bernanke to give student lectures
Chairman of the Federal Reserve will deliver a series of lectures to university students in the US