Central Banks
ECB bulletin says institutional reform important for increasing resilience
Governing institutions in eurozone countries need reform, the ECB says; Finland’s institutions are among very best in OECD but those of Greece and Italy are close to worst
Russian central bank establishes reinsurance company
New company will improve transparency and stability of the market and restore capacity lost to financial sanctions, central bank says; observer says role of the company may be more complex
BoE seen as ‘boxed in’ ahead of MPC vote
Forward guidance from MPC members has laid the ground work for a rate cut or other form of easing; even if the effect of a cut is minimal, a hold decision would be worse, says former committee member
Boston Fed seeks ‘more welcoming front door’ with new website
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston launches new website embracing responsive design; new navigational system focuses on four elements of its work
Larger changes in policy statements lead to more volatility – paper
Research considers how much similarity in central bank statements on monetary policy matters for their reception
RBA cuts as housing risks posed by lower rates ‘diminish’
Reserve Bank of Australia cuts by a further 25bp to 1.5%, after annual CPI inflation drops to 1% in June; growth in lending for housing has "slowed a little"
ECB data reveals changes in eurozone wage rigidity
ECB publishes its third survey of wage dynamics in the eurozone; it argues data is “crucial” to designing monetary and other macroeconomic policies
Italian banks feel more pressure from EBA stress-test results
Publication of the 2016 stress tests on European banks focuses attention on Italian banks in particular, but private sector recapitalisation plan takes some pressure off MPS
UK payments regulator finds ‘no effective competition’ for infrastructure
Market review says current provider of the UK’s three main payment systems faces limited competitive pressure, and suggests reforms
Flug points to risks as banking competition work proceeds
Government approves banking competition bill and central bank moves ahead with payments competition work, though Karnit Flug says new risks stemming from the reforms must be dealt with
Kenyan central bank concerned by proposed interest rate caps
The central bank warns of “adverse consequences” from a proposed cap on bank rates, including problems for monetary policy transmission; the measure is part of a bill awaiting presidential assent
People: Mongolia gets new first deputy; BIS names Financial Stability Institute chair
Erdembileg Ochirkhuu joins Bank of Mongolia as first deputy shortly after new governor takes office; Fernando Restoy to chair Basel-based body; World Bank names new chief economist; and more
Romanian deputy submits resignation following arrest
High court places Olteanu under 30-day house arrest; he resigns from post as deputy governor at National Bank of Romania following corruption allegations
Dudley: market expectations may be ‘too complacent’
Federal Reserve Bank of New York president says the Fed will probably need to hike more than once before the end of 2017 if the economy evolves as expected; warns of "insufficient weight” on upside
All eyes on Italy as EBA prepares to release stress test results
Portuguese, Austrian and German banks may also be the possible subjects of market attention after tonight's publication
Cœuré: central bankers must be mindful of possible ‘economic lower bound’
Negative interest rates in the eurozone have not reached an “economic lower bound”, Benoît Cœuré says; support from governments’ policies and commercial banks’ business models is needed
Governments must make use of fiscal policies with regard to gender inequality – IMF paper
‘Not enough’ to just aspire for gender equality; clear scope for countries in Middle East and central Asia to make ‘more effective’ use of policies available to them
Sarb review calls for changes to payment frameworks
An enforcement committee is to be created in the next six months as part of Sarb’s payment system review; the report identifies a number of “inadequacies” with current framework
National Bank of Romania deputy arrested over corruption claims
Bogdan Olteanu to be held for 24 hours, with the potential for extension, following accusations of €1 million bribe; central bank says others will assume his responsibilities
IMF’s crisis performance criticised by internal review
Report evaluates IMF’s handling of eurozone crises from 2010 to 2013; work during programme design and implementation described as ‘uneven’ and concerns raised over political pressure
BoJ boosts ETF purchases in face of global uncertainty
The Bank of Japan nearly doubles pace of ETF purchases to ¥6 trillion per year, and introduces measures to smooth funding in foreign currencies; stock market and exchange rate rise on the announcement
Liberia in line for new largest banknote
Liberia to have first new banknote series in 16 years, including a L$500 for the first time; all notes to be printed on a “higher-quality substrate”
Bank of Mauritius constantly ‘beefing up’ regulatory capacity, says governor
Post-financial crisis ‘awakening’ posed challenges for authorities, says Roi; updating regulatory and supervisory capacity is ‘never-ending’
ESRB unveils methodology for mapping shadow banks
ESRB presents report on European shadow banking and identifies major risks in sector; says major gaps in data still exist