Central Banks
National Bank of Angola separates financial regulation from supervision
Central bank is restructuring its operating model, making a ‘clear separation between the exercise of developing standards and the role of monitoring [their] implementation’
Iceland renovates approach to financial stability
Már Guðmundsson comments on introduction of financial stability council and systemic risk committee in Central Bank of Iceland publications
BoE lifts lid on Scottish independence contingency plan
Plan warned of ‘potential instability’ from use of pound north of the border; central bank prepared emergency liquidity and clear communication strategy in run up to vote
Lars Rhode ‘firmly convinced’ by merits of banking union
The National Bank of Denmark wants to join the banking union, while the government is still assessing the consequences; Danske Bank chief economist supports wait-and-see approach
RBA’s Ellis urges policy-makers to look beyond economics
Head of financial stability says there is ‘a lot’ to learn from other research fields, even if some techniques ‘end up being dead ends for our purposes’
Draghi distinguishes ECB forward guidance from Fed and BoE variants
ECB president compares forward guidance across major central banks; channels John Maynard Keynes and warns that ‘without reform, there can be no recovery’
BIS paper tackles redistributive effects of regulation
Working paper studies how regulation tips welfare in favour of the real economy or financial sector, and suggests how regulators might deliver a Pareto improvement
People: William English switches Fed roles; Argentina central bank adds new senior staff
William English will step down as director of the Fed board’s division of monetary affairs, but will remain as adviser; Central Bank of Argentina gets new director and general manager
Fed minutes reveal growing rifts over forward guidance
Minutes show increased debate over whether forward guidance is being used correctly; two dissenters object to phrasing of policy statement
Thailand’s central bank governor warns on risks of US rates normalisation
Prasarn Trairatvorakul warns that US interest rate normalisation could lead to ‘capital flow volatility’, considering it a ‘notable risk’
Portuguese governor calls for powers to act ‘just in time’
Carlos Costa argues that legislative changes are necessary to give national supervisors greater agility when it comes to intervening in failing banks
SNB speaks out against 'gold initiative'
Swiss National Bank rejects proposals to prevent it from selling gold; Jean-Pierre Danthine argues that ‘currency reserves that cannot be sold are not truly reserves’
Buba official warns against tapping ESM for investment
Andreas Dombret says using portion of ESM funds to finance investment in infrastructure would ‘greatly reduce effectiveness’ of rescue fund
People: RBI names three new executive directors; Former vice-governor returns to Bank of Portugal
Reserve Bank of India promotes three new executive directors and reshuffles portfolios; João Costa Pinto rejoins Bank of Portugal; Rafi Melnick departs Bank of Israel
New York Fed’s Potter fleshes out normalisation plans
Vice-president responsible for open market operations gives details on how the Fed will use interest on excess reserves and reverse repos to raise its interest rate
Netherlands Bank flags risk from ECB asset purchases
Markets are positive about the ECB's efforts to ease monetary policy, but unconventional measures carry the risk of pumping up asset bubbles, Dutch financial stability review warns
Former Argentine governor under federal investigation
Juan Carlos Fábrega is under investigation from a federal prosecutor, accused of corruption and connections in the black market
BoJ paper details approach to macro stress testing
Tests feature model of feedback loop between economic and financial sectors, in attempt to gauge the ways in which shocks may reverberate through the economy
Banks should offer ‘equal service’ when facing a run, research finds
Working paper published by the Bank of Portugal analyses models of bank runs, and finds equal service leads to a faster recovery
Bank of Russia sells $1.4 billion to prop up ruble
Central bank intervenes in foreign exchange market to support currency as it continues to slide against the US dollar; commentators split over prospect of rate hike