News
SNB Roth - Franc strength likely to be temporary
AUSTRIA - The president of the Swiss National Bank, Jean-Pierre Roth, said Thursday that he expects the franc's current strength to be temporary, and made it clear that the Swiss monetary policy stance may deviate from that of the European Central Bank.
Morand leaves Chile's central bank
CHILE - After five years at Chile's Central Bank, Felipe Morand will leave as head of studies at the end of the year for a visiting post at Stanford University.
Brazil faces tough task on reform
BRAZIL - Time is running out on the Brazilian government's efforts to garner support for key reforms as President Fernando Henrique Cardoso starts his final year in office.
Thai central bank eases collateral rules
THAILAND - Central Bank rules had been eased to allow financial institutions to use internal appraisal for collateral of small-sized debtors, rather than external independent appraisal firms, Bank of Thailand assistant governor Thirachai…
Father of Latvian currency to resign
LATVIA - The father of Latvia's national currency will resign as head of the central bank on 30 November, but analysts and officials expect him to leave a legacy of stability and a well-run Bank of Latvia.
Egyptian draft law for independent c bank approved
EGYPT - Egypt's cabinet approved Tuesday a draft law to make the Central Bank of Egypt independent from the now-defunct economy ministry, according to a cabinet official.
Banks deal with coin shortage in Australia
AUSTRALIA - Banks in some parts of Australia are experiencing coin shortages. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), which recently implemented a new coin distribution system, blames the shortfall on teething problems with the new system.
London Club offer 'unacceptable' to Dinkic
Yugoslav officials appear in no rush to reach a conclusion over a $2.2bn ( £1.6bn) debt rescheduling in negotiations with the London club of private creditors.
Speech by Eugenio Domingo Solans of the ECB
SPEECH - Speech delivered by Prof. Eugenio Domingo Solans, member of the Governing Council and of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) at the CEPR/ECB Workshop on Issues in the Measurement of Price Indices,Frankfurt, 16 November.
Fed survey finds further slowing of the economy
USA - Contradicting growing confidence elsewhere that the recession is bottoming out, a Federal Reserve survey found more signs of further slowing than of recovery.
Delay in naming new c bank dep gov in Indonesia
INDONESIA - The House of Representatives is expected to delay the appointment of three new Bank Indonesia deputy governors because of a month-long recess starting Wednesday, the Jakarta Post reports.
Verdict is delayed in Indonesian bank scandal
INDONESIA - An Indonesian court Wednesday postponed announcing its verdict on a multimillion-dollar corruption scandal allegedly involving the head of Indonesia's central bank.
C bank halves reserves required in the Philippines
PHILIPPINES - In a move that could free up funds for lending and ease pressure on banks' earnings, the Philippine Central Bank decided to halve the general reserves it requires banks to set aside to cover possible loan losses.
Russia's c bank assets reach 1.68 trillion rubles
RUSSIA - The Central Bank of Russia had assets of 1.688 trillion rubles as of 1 October, compared with 1.682 trillion rubles a month earlier.
New audit won't affect criminal process, Indonesia
INDONESIA - Finance Minister Boediono guaranteed on Tuesday that a new audit on the abuse of US$13 billion of Bank Indonesia emergency loans would not put an end to criminal investigations.
FOMC officials say they're armed and ready
US - Federal Reserve officials are seeking to quell suspicions they're running out of manoeuvring room.
Polish c bank mulls making its debt tradable
POLAND - Poland's central bank may switch its untradable debt into tradable paper, Monetary Policy Council (MPC) member Wieslawa Ziolkowska said on Wednesday.
Finnish minister objects to one central bank pick
FINLAND - A senior Finnish minister on Wednesday proposed an alternative candidate to fill one of the vacant board positions at the Bank of Finland, setting up a possible showdown with the central bank's supervisors.
Russia's c bank allegedly a corruption hotbed
RUSSIA - An independent study released Tuesday warns of alleged deep-reaching roots feeding corruption at the Central Bank.
French strike threat to euro launch
FRANCE - A leading trade union from the French banking sector is planning to call a strike from 2 January.
Economics guru warns on UK recession
UK - The threat of inflation in the UK is greater than the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee thinks, according to one of its nine influential members.
IMF in support of bankruptcy plan
UK - The International Monetary Fund's management has thrown its weight behind a radical plan for an international bankruptcy procedure, allowing indebted governments to seek legal protection from their private sector creditors.
German regulator may follow US
GERMANY - The integration of European capital markets means Germany's securities regulator will need to model itself increasingly on the US Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Georg Wittich, the German authority's chairman.
Thailand may sue ex-central bank chief
THAILAND - Thailand's public prosecutor has recommended suing Rerngchai Marakanond, former central bank governor, for $1.6m ( £1.1m) for exhausting the country's foreign currency reserves in a failed defence of the baht, the trigger for the 1997 Asian…