Central Banks
Payment Innovation Conference, Amsterdam 4-5 April
The key theme is 'Payment Innovation Beyond SEPA'. SEPA is the acronym for 'Single European Payment Area', a political effort to harmonize all payment systems within Europe.
India following 'passive policy' on gold
Reserve Bank of India governor, Yaga Venugopal Reddy, said on Tuesday 6 December that the federal government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have been following a "passive policy" on its gold holdings.
When will Asian central banks buy into gold?
This article published on Friday 2 December asks what would happen to the gold market if central banks in Asia decided to follow the recent trend and increase their gold reserves?
Norges Bank Financial Stability Report No.2, 2005
The central bank of Norway, Norges Bank, has published its twice yearly Financial Stability Report 2/2005. "The short-term outlook for financial stability is regarded as satisfactory and somewhat better than half a year ago," said Governor Svein Gjedrem.
Bank of Canada raises interest rates
The Bank of Canada announced on Tuesday 6 December that it is raising its target for the overnight rate by one-quarter of one percentage point to 3 1/4 per cent. In a press release the bank suggested rates would rise further saying, "some further…
BNB implements new treasury management system
The Bulgarian National Bank has strengthened its accession strategy through the implementation of The Trema Suite as its new treasury management system covering Front-, Middle- and Back Office for their reserve management operations.
Turkey to begin inflation targeting
Turkey plans to adopt formal inflation targeting in 2006, according to central bank governor Sureyya Serdengecti.
Comment: Turkey to target
Governor Sureyya Serdengecti's announcement on Monday 5 December that the Central Bank of Turkey will adopt formal inflation targets from January 2006 marks another step along the road of monetary policy reform that has seen Turkey shrug off its volatile…
Interview with new OECD secretary-general
In an interview published on Monday 28 November, Angel Gurria, the new secretary-general of the OECD, said the OECD should become the forum for resolving global imbalances.
How the Fed should steer the Bernanke transition
According to this article published on Monday 28 November, the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting, released last week, suggest the Federal Reserve is having some difficulty handling the transition to a new chairman.
Bianchi appointed to Bank of Italy FX division
Bruno Bianchi has been appointed director general of Ufficio Italiano Cambi, the foreign exchange division of the Bank of Italy.
Argentine economy minister forced to resign
Roberto Lavagna was forced to resign this week as Argentina's economy minister, raising doubts over the sustainability of the country's economic recovery.
Nigeria's president approves CBN appointments
President Olusegun Obasanjo has approved the appointment of five new non-executive directors to the Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria following the expiration of the terms of the former members.
Crisis solved, but Reserve still political
According to this article published on Saturday 3 December, the Howard Government has practised classic crisis management on its problem with the Reserve Bank of Australia's board. This protects the Government and the Reserve Bank from further…
Interview with Bank of England's Walton
Speaking in an interview published on Wednesday 30 November, the most recent member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, David Walton, said the Bank of England should not rush to move interest rates until it has a clearer idea of whether…
State Bank of Pakistan governor retires
The governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Ishrat Husain, retired on Thursday 1 December. Tawfiq A. Husain was appointed as acting governor with effect from Friday and till the appointment of a regular governor.
Interview with Brandon Davies on risk management
In an interview published on Thursday 1 December, Brandon Davies, managing director of the Global Association of Risk Professionals, speaks about the implementation of Bank Indonesia's five year training program to raise risk management standards.
Proposal for BOJ's next-generation RTGS project
The Bank of Japan has released a consultation document on the proposal for the next generation of the BOJ-NET Funds Transfer System.
BoT should regulate payments, says committee
According to a government committee on electronic transactions, the Bank of Thailand should have the authority to regulate the electronic payment business.
RBA's Gerard resigns from Board
Australian businessman Robert Gerard resigned from the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate setting Board on Friday 2 December, four days after reports he had to pay $150 million ($111 million) to settle a tax dispute.
Document shows plan to shake up EU payments system
The European Union's payments system is set for a wide-ranging overhaul to cut down on the cost of cross-border transactions and save up to 100 billion euros ($117.7 billion), a European Commission document quoted by Reuters showed on Thursday 1 December.
Hedge funds bet Asia will boost gold reserves
According to this article published on Tuesday 29 November, hedge funds, after sending the gold price to an 18-year high, are looking to China and other Asian central banks as the next big drivers of the precious metal.
FSF meets with the hedge fund community
The Financial Stability Forum (FSF) recently convened two informal workshops of senior members of the hedge fund community, their counterparties, and financial authorities.