News
Estonian central bank looks forward to euro
The president of the Bank of Estonia, Vahur Kraft, has set 2006 as the time "horizon" for Estonia in terms of joining the euro, according to a report by Estonian Radio.
Duisenberg biography dredges up 'dim' past
A new biography of European Central Bank president Wim Duisenberg by two Dutch journalists reveals the central banker's unhappiness at the IMF in the 1960s, courtesy of a small and badly-lit room, according to the Financial Times.
Irish central bank seeks firm to mint euro coins
Strong demand and hoarding of coins has prompted the central bank of Ireland to seek a foreign firm to mint 100 million euro coins, the Irish Times reports. In December, the bank financed an advertising campaign to persuade people to stop hoarding small…
Bank of Japan Monetary Policy Meeting, 11 June
The Bank of Japan announced unchanged guidelines at the end of its two day meeting on 11 June.
Japan's central bank to buy securities
The Bank of Japan has decided to buy asset-backed securities, according to a Reuters report. Before this it had restricted its purchases to government bonds, which carry less risk than securities. The bank said the scheme could start as early as next…
Germany's inflation falls to 0.7 percent
Inflation in Germany fell to 0.7 percent in May, the lowest rate in over 3 years, according to Associated Press. The figures released on Wednesday June 11 showed the rate fell by 0.3 percent from 1 percent in April.
Chikaura set to take over as RBZ governor
The acting governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Charles Chikaura, may take over as a permanent replacement to Leonard Tsumba who resigned last week amid the country's bank note crisis. The Daily News reported that candidates from the private…
Bankers say Lebanon not ready for Basel II
Delegates from Lebanese and Arab banks speaking at a bank conference said on Tuesday 10 June that financial institutions in the region need to invest more to comply with the rules of the Basel II agreement, according to the Daily Star.
Luxembourg's Mersch visits Malta central bank
The governor of central bank of Luxembourg visited Malta's central bank on Monday June 9 as part of a networking policy, designed to establish close working relationships with the central banks of both EU member States and accession countries, according…
NZ's Bollard boosts inflation guidelines
Appearing before a parliamentary select committee Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Alan Bollard said the changes made to the bank's inflation targeting guidelines last year may have helped the RBNZ begin its easing of interest rates in April,…
Malaysia PM - Reserve level up to central bank
Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that the level of reserves the country's central bank holds is up to it to decide. "I think Bank Negara is managing its reserves very well," he said, as reported by the New Straits Times.
Bulgaria delays election of central bank governor
The Bulgarian parliament has delayed its decision to appoint a new governor to the central bank by a week, according to BG News. The decision made on Tuesday 10 June was blamed on disagreements in the ruling coalition on whom to nominate for the post.
Fed and Bank of Mexico announce clearing system
The Federal Reserve and the Banco de Mexico on Tuesday 10 June announced a new clearing-house system that will lower transaction costs for banks handling an estimated $200bn in commercial payments and remittances each year, according to a report in the…
Santomero - FOMC should consider inflation target
Philadelphia Fed president Anthony Santomero said on Tuesday 10 June that with inflation at its current levels "Inflation targeting makes sense in principle for the U.S.", according to a Bloomberg report.
European Parliament response to UK euro decision
Christa Randzio-Plath, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs, called the UK's decision on the euro politically motivated and said it was "unimaginable" for the UK to remain outside the single currency indefinately.
Solomon Is's Hou cites govt interference
Rick Hou, the soon to depart governor of the central bank of the Solomon Islands, has suggested it might be difficult to find a candidate to replace him as government interference may put people off from the job, according to Radio Australia
China's banking credit system takes shape
The People's Bank of China said on Monday 9 June that the country has made important advances in establishing the banking credit registration and consulting system, according to the People's Daily.
Bundesbank cuts growth forecast
The Bundesbank has cut its growth forecast for 2003 to between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent, down from 0.5 per cent, Reuters reports. The move follows weak growth for the first three months of this year.
South African 'super regulator' idea rejected
A proposal from South Africa's finance minister to establish a 'super regulator' that would take away responsibility for banking supervision from the central bank has been rejected by bank CEOs in a recent survey, according to Business Day.
Bulgaria parliament to name new central bank chief
Bulgaria's parliament was due to name the new governor of the national bank of Bulgaria on Tuesday with criticism made that the choice may be politically motivated, according to BG News.
Bank of Estonia Council may see new chair
Political party Res Publica has said it does not support Mart Sorg for a second term as chairman of the supervisory council of the Bank of Estonia, according to the Baltic News Service.
Nigeria cb shelves plan for 1,000 naira note
Plans to bring in a 1,000 naira note in Nigeria have been put on hold, according to a report by The Guardian, Lagos The note would be worth double the current highest denomination banknote but the plan was shelved due to unfavourable economic conditions.
Brazil's Meirelles reiterates 8.5% inflation goal
Interest rates "may ease" in Brazil if inflation falls by half, central bank president Henrique Meirelles told journalists after speaking at a seminar in Seville, southern Spain, reports Bloomberg
ECB press conference on Governing Council mtg
At the ECB's post-meeting press conference Thursday Wim Duisenberg said the Governing Council had decided the outlook for price stability over the medium term has improved significantly since the last decision to lower interest rates in March, and as a…