News
RBZ governor's post not offered to anyone
Highly-placed Government sources said at the weekend that the post of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor has not been offered to anyone, the Zimbabwe Herald said. Reports last week said that Government interference in the running of the RBZ was scaring…
Philippines central bank targeted with phone scam
Fraudsters in the Philippines are offering members of the public the chance to win the "anniversary raffle" of 2 million pesos, Reuters reported. People are told to call a number where they will hear a recorded message from the central bank governor…
China says no currency revaluation soon
Li Yang, a member of the People's Bank of China monetary policy committee, said China will keep the value of its currency, the yuan, stable but gradually allow it to trade in a wider range, according to a report from the Associated Press.
German regulator in pledge over new Basel code
Germany's main financial regulator has pledged to implement changes for the new international capital adequacy requirements by 2006, the Financial Times reported. The initiative comes as attempts to reach agreement over the Basel II code suffered a…
Bank of France expects modest recovery
The Bank of France said on September 15 it expects French gross domestic product to expand 0.3 percent on a quarterly basis between July and September, reversing the second quarter's 0.3 percent contraction, according to the Associated Press.
Malaysian c bank's Zeti says ringgit peg to remain
Malaysia's central bank chief Zeti Akhtar Aziz told reporters that the government will only make a review on re-pegging the ringgit if there is a significant fundamental structural change within the region, AFX Asia said.
Polish central bank rapped over computer tender
The National Bank of Poland has caused uproar among computer producers after a tender it held for new machines allegedly favoured just one manufacturer, according to the Polish News Bulletin.
Bank of Japan leaves monetary policy unchanged
The Bank of Japan said on Friday 12 September at the end of its two-day meeting that it would leave monetary policy unchanged,according to AFX-ASIA. The BoJ said in a three-paragraph statement that the central bank will "conduct money market operations,…
Bank of Spain governor to appear before congress
The governor of the Bank of Spain, Jaime Caruana, is set to appear before a congressional commission on Wednesday 17 September to report on the way the central bank has handled the Eurobank situation, according to a report by Expansion.
UAE to take part in Arab c bank meeting in Doha
Sultan bin Nasser Al Suweidi, Governor of the UAE Central Bank, will lead the UAE delegation to the Doha meeting, according to the Khaleej Times. The meeting will include discussion of a paper submitted by the UAE on role of the monetary authorities in…
Iraq's central bank chief pledges to cut inflation
Sinan Al Shibibi, the newly appointed governor of the central bank of Iraq, said on Thursday 11 September that his top priorities were to fight inflation and to support the currency, according to the Gulf Daily News. But he acknowledged he has few of the…
US Treasury head praises IMF-Argentina deal
US Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Thursday September 11 that he supported the IMF and Argentina for having reached a new three-year financial deal. He said, "I think we have come out with a pretty good agreement" although analysts widely condemned…
BOJ governor Fukui to visit China in October
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui will visit China in October and meet with the governor of the People's Bank of China, according to a report by Reuters. Fukui is likely to exchange opinions with Chinese officials on the yuan currency.
Charges against BSP governor dismissed
The Philippines Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed criminal charges filed against BSP Governor Rafael Buenaventura and 20 other central bank officials, according to a report by ABS-cbnews. In a resolution dated August 11 but obtained by reporters only…
France in hot water at EU finance meeting
After meeting his British counterpart Tony Blair in London on Thursday 11 September, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin claimed a "common view" was emerging about the need not just to respect fiscal discipline but to go for growth as well.,…
Trichet lays down the gauntlet
Subjected to a grilling by its Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in one of the seemingly infinite rooms of the European Parliament's nightmarishly labyrinthine buildings in Brussels on September 11, Jean-Claude Trichet gingerly and with consummate…
New assignments in the Office of Fed Board Members
The Federal Reserve Board has announced the appointment of Winthrop P. Hambley as Assistant to the Board and head of the Congressional Liaison Office, 10 September. and Laricke Blanchard as Special Assistant to the Board.
Iraq Council names central bank governor
Sinan Mohammed Rida al-Shibibi, an economist, was named on Wednesday 10 September as Iraq's first central bank governor since the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The move to appoint a permanent governor comes ahead of an important donors'…
Sweden says euro referendum to go ahead Sunday
Despite the murder of Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh on Wednesday, the euro referendum will still go ahead on Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson said, according to Reuters.
ECBs Issing finds flaws in planned EU constitution
European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing said in an interview, published in EU Business, "I have difficulty in understanding why there is resistance to reinstating price stability as one of the goals of the EU" and that while there had been…
IMF agrees to reschedule Argentina's loan
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner announced on Wednesday 10 September that the outlines of a three-year $21 billion US dollar debt refinancing package had been reached with the IMF, according to Associated Press..
New global banks' rules could be delayed
Wim Duisenberg, ECB president, said on Wednesday 10 September "It could be that it [Basel II] would come in the course of or maybe toward the end of 2007", according to the Financial Times. His remarks were the first by a central banker admitting that…
Inflation to continue falling: Canada's Dodge
In a speech on Wednesday 10 September, reported by Canada Press, Bank of Canada chief David Dodge said inflation had fallen more than expected and would likely continue the downward trend over the next few months.
Belarus to shift to Russian ruble in October
Belarus has agreed to introduce the Russian ruble in electronic form on October 1, reports The Russian Journal, after Russia agreed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's demands that prices for gas, electricity and oil should be equal to Russian…