Commentary
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
Many central banks ‘layer’ news for different audiences
Techniques include use of differing language, visual and video presentation, and data release
Central bank comms staff earn $40,000 on average
Data shows wide disparity across institutions and income groups
Wide variation in comms staff numbers
Smallest communications team has just two members, and the largest over 100
Maintaining trust is top focus of comms teams
Benchmarking data sheds light on how central banks measure the effectiveness of communications
Most central banks are bilingual communicators
Only a handful communicate in three languages, but it is common to translate at least some documents
Media relations is biggest job for comms teams
But website, social media and internal comms also account for significant portions of time
Few central banks report funding problems
Only 10% of central banks say they lack adequate resources
Median bank has had four governors in past 20 years
Governor turnover probably does not reflect independence