Commentary
Covid impacting monetary policy most in middle income countries
Most central banks report shifting stance at the height of pandemic, but some have since reverted
Non-bank access to RTGS systems still rare
Only a handful of central banks allow non-bank users
Nearly 30% of central banks implementing instant payments
Over half of respondents already oversee or operate instant payments
High income countries have larger share of staff devoted to payments
Structure of central banks’ payments sections differs across institutions
Payments oversight more difficult in poorer nations
Lower income central banks more likely to feel they need more resources
Average RTGS system processes millions of payments yearly
Benchmarking data shows wide range of transaction volumes
Less than 10% of RTGS systems meet ISO 20022
Most non-compliant central banks plan to implement messaging protocol by 2025
Most central banks have oversight of non-bank payments systems
Less than half have oversight of non-bank fintech service providers
Some central banks directly regulate RTGS prices
Direct intervention in pricing of other payments means is less common, benchmark respondents say
Few central banks offer free RTGS transactions
Most central banks use a mix of fixed and variable fees to recoup RTGS operating costs
Round-the-clock RTGS operation still uncommon
Most central banks keep core settlement system running for 7–12 hours each day
Central banks use many third parties for payments projects
Respondents mention various providers, with Montran the most frequently cited
Three-quarters of central banks exploring CBDCs for retail payments
Though research is common, only a few have moved to pilot or roll out the technology
Majority of central banks only have one RTGS contingency site
More than half of institutions have had RTGS outages since 2020
Many central banks plan RTGS upgrades in coming year
Over 80% expect to renovate systems within five years
Social media ahead of traditional comms for central banks
High income institutions still skewed towards traditional channels
Central banks use wide array of external comms channels
Institutions employ about 10 media formats on average, and almost all use social media
Central bank websites vary greatly in popularity
Some get hundreds of page views per month, while others get millions
Private sector tools often used to shape comms strategies
Meltwater, Hootsuite and Fuseworks among named software providers
Email main channel for central banks’ two-way communication
A majority of central banks interact with the public through social media platforms
Early comms involvement in policy raises effectiveness
Teams involved in earlier stages of policy report communications are more successful
Central banks use multiple channels for internal comms
Email and platforms developed in-house are top channels, but many others are also common
Central banks offer wide range of comms training courses
Many train communications staff in areas such as writing, public speaking and social media