Central Banks
Swift defends role in data exchange
Swift, the Belgian company accused of transferring data on financial transactions to the US authorities, has refuted claims that it acted illegally.
Change at top likely at Bank of Thailand
This article from the Bangkok Post, published Tuesday 3 October, focuses on potential replacements for Bank of Thailand as M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula after he confirmed he had been approached to join the interim cabinet.
Bahrain to revamp payment system
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), formerly the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA), is in the process of revamping the national payment system, Trade Arabia reported.
Study shows rising trend in Venezuela's reserves
The Venezuelan financial system has seen an important growth in its international foreign currency reserves, reaching more than 35 billion dollars at the end of September, according to a new study.
Saccomani takes up Bank of Italy role
Fabrizio Saccomani took up his new role as director general of Italian central bank Banca d'Italia, La Stampa said Monday 2 October.
Rick Hou on Solomon Islands bank notes
In the speech 'Launching of Solomon Islands' new and revised bank notes' given on 2 September Rick Houenipwela of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands said in the Solomon Islands currency development is influenced by various socio-economic factors.
Monetary policy in the media
This European Central Bank Working Paper, published 29 September, analyses the coverage which ECB monetary policy decisions receive in the print media, and the determinants of its extent and of its favourableness.
St. Louis Fed's Poole on data dependence
In the speech 'Data dependence' given on 29 September William Poole of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said inflation must be kept under wraps, but if both growth and price pressures were sufficiently weak, he would back a reduction in U.S…
BOK apologises over driver, guards salaries
The Bank of Korea has apologized for giving high salaries to drivers and guards stationed at its headquarters and promised to streamline its organization, The Korea Herald reported Monday 2 October.
RBA's Lowe on payment systems evolution
In a speech given on 27 September Philip Lowe of the RBA said over the past year or so, the Reserve Bank has been examining the architecture and governance of Australia's payment systems and the range of payment products offered in Australia.
Gonzalez-Paramo on the design of monetary policy
In the speech 'Expectations, uncertainty and the design of monetary policy' given on 28 September Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo of the ECB said as regards the predictability of monetary policy, policy moves have been well anticipated by money markets.
Interview with Central Bank of Yemen's Al-Maswari
In an interview published by the Yemen Times on Friday 29 September, the chairman of the Central Bank of Yemen, Hussian Al-Maswari, said the government of Yemen represented by the Central Bank should give more attention to developing the banking industry.
Riksbank to sell 10 tonnes from gold reserves
Sweden's Riksbank said on Friday 29 September it intends to sell up to 10 tonnes of its gold reserves between Sept 2006 and Sept 2007, in order to obtain a better risk-adjusted return on the its assets.
ECB will move forward with financial integration
A European Central Bank executive board member signalled in comments to the Financial Times, published Friday 29 September, that the ECB will push ahead with plans to increase eurozone financial integration by providing securities settlement services,…
China FX regulator denies new forex rules reports
China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) denied media reports on Friday 29 September that it intends to issue a new regulation governing foreign exchange today.
New Japan MOF chief to be soft on BOJ
According to this article from Reuters, published Wednesday 27 September, newly appointed Japanese finance minister Koji Omi is unlikely to adopt his predecessor's stance on intervention in the Bank of Japan's monetary policy.
RBA Financial Stability Review, September 2006
The Reserve Bank of Australia published the September 2006 edition of its Financial Stability Review on Thursday 28 September. Household balance sheets are in reasonable shape despite recent interest rate hikes, according to the latest Review.
Fed's Hoenig says lags slowing rate impact
Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig said on Wednesday 27 September that the impact of previous interest rate increases has not been fully felt yet and must be considered by the FOMC at future meetings.
Interview with Richmond Fed's Lacker
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday 27 September the U.S. economy was on solid ground, but that inflation was still a worry.
A case for inflation targets in the US and Japan
This article published by the American Enterprise Institute on Wednesday 27 September says that the world's leading central banks are struggling with what is happening to prices in their respective countries, and what they should do and say about it.
BIS's Knight on reserve diversification
In the speech 'International reserve diversification and disclosure' given on 8 September (published 25 Sep) Malcolm Knight of the BIS said powerful arguments can be made for the disclosure of the composition of official foreign exchange reserves.
UK's Blanchflower on his first four MPC votes
In the speech 'Reflections on my first four votes on the MPC' given on 27 September Professor David Blanchflower of the Bank of England painted a softer picture on the outlook for the UK economy, saying that both inflation and growth are likely to come…
Mauritius plans new monetary policy framework
The governor of the Central Bank of Mauritius said Wednesday 27 September that the bank will move to a new monetary policy framework next month, the first major shift since 1999.
Solving Kozlov's murder is 'question of honour'
The Moscow Times reported Tuesday 26 September that the killers of Russia's central bank first deputy chairman Andrei Kozlov may have been hired on the cheap and had no idea who they were being paid to kill.