Central Banks
Indonesia, Malaysia launch joint ATM network
Against the setting of an increasing number of Indonesian workers, tourists and students in Malaysia, the two nations have launched a joint Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) network, Xinhua reports.
New General Manager at Banco de la Republica
Dr Jose Dario Uribe Escobar has been designated by the Board of Directors as new General Manager of the Banco de la Republica, Colombia.
A slow boat to yuan devaluation
This article says China is probably a decade away from a free floating yuan and full-blown capital liberalization. A more realistic option, it says, would be a two-stage program that involves a widening of the yuan trading band and the adoption of a…
Canada's Kennedy on household debt
In a speech on 'Getting a perspective on household debt: Separating myth from reality' given on 15 February, Sheryl Kennedy of the Bank of Canada examines the likely implications of the rising debt burden of Canadian households.
Deutsche Bundesbank Monthly Report, January 2005
The Deutsche Bundesbank published the English version of its January 2005 Monthly Report on 14 February. "The available indicators continue to suggest only weak overall production growth in the final months of last year," the bank said in the report.
HKMA's Chan on developing Hong Kong's debt market
In a speech at the cocktail reception of HKCMA Forum 2005 given on 26 January, Norman Chan of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said that over the years the HKMA has been working closely with the Hong Kong Capital Markets Association in developing the…
IMF's Krueger: How stable is the global economy?
In the speech 'How stable is the global economy?' given on 11 February, Anne Krueger of the International Monetary Fund said economic policy makers around the world should act now to slow inflation and improve the flexibility and resiliency of the global…
China to restrict use of RMB image on internet
Anyone who wants to use images of Chinese currency (RMB) on the internet will have to get approval from the People's Bank of China, or otherwise will face fines of up to 30,000 yuan (3,627 US dollars), a draft regulation said.
Forex reserves top US$200bn in South Korea
South Korea's foreign exchange reserves passed the US$200-billion mark for the first time, says a report from the Bank of Korea released on Thursday 17 February.
BOJ's Fukui confident of meeting liquidity target
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui on Thursday 17 February expressed complete confidence in the central bank's ability to keep meeting its liquidity target, and ruled out increasing the amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) purchased monthly…
Vietnam extends electronic payment infrastructure
Vietnam's central bank officially granted credit card giant Visa International a licence to set up a representative office in the country on Wednesday 16 February.
Brazil's Cavalcanti against central bank autonomy
Severino Cavalcanti, the new president of Brazil's lower house, has said he opposes a plan make the central bank autonomous from the government.
BIS: Inflation targeting, asset prices, imbalances
This BIS Working Paper published on 10 February attempts to conceptualize the debate regarding the role of asset prices and perceived financial imbalances in the formation of monetary policy from the perspective of theoretically optimal policy responses.
SNB's Tornare on technical aspect of new banknotes
In a speech on 'Technical aspects of a new banknote series' given on 2 February, Roland Tornare of the Swiss National Bank said the design of banknotes has to meet various requirements. The banknotes must guarantee a high degree of security and satisfy…
PNG's Kamit on liberalisation of forex controls
In a speech on 'Central bank initiatives - liberalisation of foreign exchange control' given on 7 December (published 26 Jan), L Wilson Kamit of the Bank of Papua New Guinea said that the liberalization of foreign exchange controls is one more step…
Bank of England Inflation Report, February 2005
The Bank of England published its February 2005 Inflation Report on 16 February. In the report the Bank raised its forecast for economic growth and inflation over the next two years after manufacturing rebounded and commodity prices rose.
Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy Report, Feb 2005
Presenting the Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy Report to the Congress on Wednesday 16 February, Alan Greenspan said in the seven months since he last testified before the Committee, the US economic expansion has firmed, overall inflation has subsided,…
MOF: Japan to halt yen gain should China revalue
Japan would sell yen should the currency rise in response to a revaluation of China's yuan, according to three former Japanese currency chiefs and a Ministry of Finance official.
Li says China hopes to join FATF
A People's Bank of China official said on Wednesday 16 February that the country hopes to become a full member of the Financial Action Task Force, a global body that develops policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Sri Lanka's cb says aid will cover tsunami cost
Reconstruction work and foreign aid will more than offset the economic losses Sri Lanka suffered following the December tsunamis disaster, the central bank said.
ECB says Eurosystem currency reserves unchanged
The European Central Bank said net foreign currency reserves in the euro system were unchanged at 154.9 bln eur in the week ending Feb 11.
Japan's economy enters recession
The yen fell against the dollar after a government report showed Japan's economy entered recession for the fourth time since 1991.
Minneapolis Fed: Avoiding monetary policy mistakes
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Quarterly Review December 2004 article 'Avoiding significant monetary policy mistakes' by Gary Stern and Preston Miller deduces properties of optimal monetary policies based on modern theory and standard empirical…