News
Ivory Coast defaults on $2.3 billion eurobond payment
Ivory Coast fails to make January 31 deadline on payment to credit holders; analyst says political situation must be addressed before payment can be made
Australia’s McKibbin could miss out on third term
Treasurer Wayne Swan suggests Reserve Bank of Australia external board member Warwick McKibbin will not be reappointed for third five-year stint
Central Bank of Egypt advises banks to close amid continuing protests
Some banks in Egypt close on Sunday and Monday on central bank guidance; Moody’s downgrades country on fears over political situation
EU auditors issue recommendations on ECB recruitment procedures
European Court of Auditors says European Central Bank must provide further documentation of recruitment processes; central bank responds with launch of new recruitment manual planned for end of 2011
Bank’s Weale explains thinking behind vote for hike
Bank of England external rate-setter Martin Weale says fear of higher inflation expectations becoming ingrained is real
Pakistan adopts wait-and-see tack despite high inflation
State Bank of Pakistan, buoyed by improvement in government borrowing, current account surplus, thwarts expectations of rate hike
Bank Negara Malaysia promotes three directors to assistant governor
Malaysia’s central bank appoints Donald Joshua Jaganathan, Abu Hassan Alshari bin Yahaya and Marzunisham bin Omar to assistant governor
Fed, Greenspan blamed for crisis by bulk of crisis commission
Six of ten members point finger at weak regulation and lack of awareness as to the goings-on in markets as causes of the crisis; four dissent, saying under-regulation claims overstated
Central Bank of West African States close Ivory Coast offices
Ivory Coast offices of central bank shut; interim governor Jean-Baptiste Compaore says attempts to requisition central bank’s offices in violation of monetary union treaty
Paper fault has not damaged business, says defiant De La Rue
Banknote printer insists fault which has hammered share price and fuelled takeover spat with French rival has not blighted business; discussions with RBI “ongoing”
Global supervisors gather at NY Fed for OTC meet
Regulators and supervisors head to Liberty Street for eighth OTC derivatives gathering
Philippines’ Tetangco to get second term: reports
Central Bank of the Philippines governor Amando Tetangco reportedly set to be offered second term at the helm; Tetangco credited with anchoring inflation expectations following recent spikes
FCIC report: the major findings
Risk summarises the major conclusions from the commission report
Ex-Vietnam governor linked to Securency bribery scandal
Payments from polymer-maker Securency alleged to have been channelled to fund education of former State of Bank of Vietnam governor Le Duc Thuy's child
Central banks break 20-year streak with net gold purchase in 2010
World Gold Council's Fourth Quarter Investment Digest says central bank purchases of gold slightly outweighed sales for first time in 20 years on growing demand for the precious metal
Basel III should aim higher on capital targets: Bank research
Discussion paper published by Bank of England and co-authored by external rate-setter David Miles suggests Basel III common equity requirements are too low
S&P downgrades Japan
Standard and Poor's downgrades Japan by one notch to AA– on fears that aging population places greater fiscal burden on Tokyo
LCH.Clearnet 'shocked' at Dodd-Frank capital requirement
Firm might not be able to live with 99% reduction in minimum capital requirement under Dodd-Frank Act, says chief executive
IIF’s Oudéa calls for G-20 taskforce for cross-border resolution
Institute for International Finance’s Frédéric Oudéa says G-20 taskforce will stir up political will for agreement on cross-border resolution
Bank’s Weale joins Sentance in vote for rate hike
Bank of England’s external MPC member Martin Weale joins Andrew Sentance in vote for 25-basis point rate hike; decision marks growing divisions in rate-setting committee
Supply shocks are dictating inflation, King insists
Bank governor reiterates view that temporary events are keeping prices elevated, says development of second-round effects key to picture on underlying inflation; remarks divide analysts
Gbagbo says he has taken control of central bank offices
Former President Laurent Gbagbo's seizes Central Bank of West African States’ Ivory Coast offices in power struggle with President Alassane Ouattara
FASB drops plan to extend mark-to-market rules to loans
US Financial Accounting Standards Board reverses on May 2010 decision to expand fair-value accounting to most loans; commentators welcome move, saying it improves chances of IFRS convergence
IMF uneasy on nagging weakness of eurozone’s banks
Fund’s Global Financial Stability Report and World Economic Outlook updates show concern over insufficiency of eurozone stress tests, links between banking and sovereign risks