Central Banks
Lenders use strict covenants to hedge against rate hikes – study
US banks exposed to policy volatility use breaches to cut lending in tightening cycles, authors say
BoE holds rates at 3.75% in yet another close decision
Good progress on disinflation and weak labour market open door for cut in March
BoK and BI’s QR payments link to come online in April
South Korea and Indonesia also renew $7.3bn currency swap agreement for five years
MAS says support for IMF’s anti-poverty work aids stability
Central bank to provide $36.9m to aid fund’s work in Sudan and other underdeveloped countries
BIS paper models fiscal influence on monetary policy
Researchers propose alternative mechanism to fiscal theory of the price level
EU banks need more control over their data – DNB board member
Chair of supervision says tech, finance and public sector need to work together to reduce dependencies
Miran resigns from Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors
Departure from White House role comes after senators on banking committee called for his resignation
Slovenia’s politicians agree to appoint Dolenc as governor
Acting head given full tenure more than a year after parliament rejected president’s initial choice
Kenya warns against ‘cash flower bouquets’
Floral-style gifts made of glued-together banknotes disrupt ATMs and are illegal, says central bank
Most non-centrally cleared repos have zero haircuts, FSB warns
New report provides sweeping view of $16 trillion market and suggests ways to close data gaps
HKMA wants lenders to accelerate post-quantum planning
De facto central bank to unveil preparedness index, among other future-proofing tech initiatives
Bank of Israel pushes back against politicians’ calls to buy gold
Head of markets says bank has done enough sanction-proofing with its portfolio, but refuses to elaborate
Eurozone banks unexpectedly tightened lending – ECB survey
Respondents suggest tariffs were partly to blame for reduction in available credit for businesses
Warsh is an excellent pick for Fed chair, says Quarles
Former vice-chair believes Trump’s choice will make policy-makers feel heard
Banks must keep up with high-speed traders – BoE’s Jackson
Risk has migrated to a part of the system where execution is measured in microseconds, official says
RBA tightens policy, citing higher-than-expected inflation
Australia’s first rate hike since late 2023 had been expected by economists
People: Turkey appoints new deputy governors
Plus high-level restructurings in Thailand and Italy
Bank Indonesia becomes full member of Nexus
Cross-border network seeking system architect to lead global instant payments interoperability
Trump has already made life harder for Warsh, say economists
Experts say president’s actions during selection process stymie Fed’s ability to tackle inflation
Czech National Bank restructures monetary department
Bank abolishes external economic relations division, launches ‘international organisations unit’
Colombia shocks markets with 100bp rates hike
First tightening in nearly three years comes after government announces 23% rise in minimum wage
Taiwan rejects accusation of ‘backdoor currency manipulation’
Central bank says it ‘cannot and will not’ have upper limit for New Taiwan dollar
‘Pricing cascades’ crucial to post-Covid inflation – study
ECB researchers say speed and interdependencies were key components to shock
Kazakh crypto fund to hold assets seized from criminals – report
Central bank to use hedge funds to hold confiscated digital assets on its behalf