Central Banks
Third of economics departments say staffing ‘barely sufficient’
Forecasting, policy analysis and research are economists’ top duties
Central bank gold demand bounces back to record high
World Gold Council revision points to slowdown in central bank demand in first quarter of 2026
Czech National Bank employee arrested for alleged theft
Long-time central banker accused of misappropriating tens of millions of koruna
Strained public finances may trigger ‘great repression’ – paper
IMF study of a century of data on financial repression finds the tactic is tempting governments again
Sarb governor outlines cautious stance on technological change
Kganyago sets out opportunities and risks of AI and stablecoins as Sarb marks 105th anniversary
BoE’s crisis lending plan hits buffers
Scepticism greets regulator’s proposal to increase releasable leverage capital buffers
South Korea to resume gold buying and may vault domestically
BoK’s reserves head cites geopolitical risks as motivator for institutional gold purchasing
Economists’ average annual salary rises
Incomes have some relation with GDP per capita and central bank size
LLMs can analyse news articles to spot stability risks – ECB study
Authors use AI to find trigger events in dataset of over 1 million stories
Colombia holds rates in surprise move
Banrep says Middle East conflict and El Niño could intensify inflationary pressures
Weather shocks impact the economy unevenly, study says
Central banks overlook the broader economic fallout of cold spells
Economics staff strength increases over two-year period
Departmental size as share of central banks’ workforce widens to 7.7%, on average
Joint US-Japan FX intervention could advance BoJ tightening
Experts say tighter policy needed to lock in yen gains over the long term
Mampho Modise on payments reforms and the hierarchy of money
Sarb's deputy governor discusses conflicting crypto directives, wholesale CBDC plans, expensive remittance and a Brics gold-backed settlement unit
Financial education hits the golf course in Kenya
Central bank uses tournament to tee up domestic bond market
CNB to create dedicated department to implement AI
Bank builds self-hosted capabilities to ensure data safety, with plans for hybrid solution
Bolivia’s central bank to intervene in FX market
Governor says intervention will occur during market overreactions and to accumulate reserves
BoJ holds as yen and won both rise on suspected interventions
Japan’s central bank more hawkish than at previous meetings as it keeps rates at 1%
Book notes: Money: the inside story, by Rupal Patel and Jack Leslie
BoE’s latest explainer provides an entertaining and accessible guide to finance
Icelandic policy has been sub-optimal for two decades – research
Central bank set rates too high post-GFC and should have eased quicker, paper suggests
Bank of England keeps rates at 3.75%
Split 6–3 decision points to divisions over inflation outlook amid escalation of Iran war
Bolivia and IMF reach $1.9bn financing deal
Three-year agreement comes below country’s expectations of more than $2.5 billion
Jordan leaves key rate unchanged for fourth consecutive meeting
Most sectors of domestic economy operating normally despite conflict in region, says IMF
People: South Sudan’s president fires governor (again)
Plus: RBNZ appoints deputy board chair