News
Russian rouble to get facelift
The Russian rouble is getting its first facelift in six years with the addition of four high-tech security features aimed at discouraging counterfeiters, Goznak, which prints the currency, said on Thursday 6 May.
IMF urges better bank monitoring in NZ
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's monitoring of banks may not give enough information "at the onset of a sudden crisis", according to the International Monetary Fund.
BOJ's Fukui to attend Basel BIS meeting
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui will attend the Bank for International Settlements' (BIS) upcoming bi-monthly meeting in the Swiss city of Basel, Japan's central bank said on Friday 7 May.
NBP warns inflation could hinder economic growth
Inflationary pressure is growing which, in the long run, could hinder economic growth, Krzysztof Rybinski, a deputy president of the Polish central bank (NBP) has warned.
IMF appoints Rato as managing director
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week, as expected, selected Rodrigo Rato to serve as Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board for a five-year term.
Sacked workers petition new CBN governor
More than 1,000 staff retrenched from the Central Bank of Nigeria between 1996/1998 have petitioned the incoming CBN Governor, Professor Charles Soludo over their plight.
Dodge sets the standards in expenses
Bank of Canada governor David Dodge is setting new standards in what one report called "tight monetary policy" with a relatively low expenses bill for the last quarter, released by the Bank of Canada this week.
Bank of England raises interest rates to 4.25%
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted on Thursday 6 May to raise the Bank's repo rate by 0.25 percentage points. In a statement the MPC said although inflation was likely to remain below the 2% target in the near term inflationary…
Polish national bank urges fast euro entry
The National Bank of Poland has said Poland and other recent entrants to the European Union would be well advised to join the eurozone without delay.
Japan denies US warning was behind forex halt
A senior Japanese Finance Ministry official on Thursday 6 May denied speculation that Japan halted intervention in the foreign exchange market in April because of warnings against the operations from the United States.
Azerbaijan selects TietoEnator card system
The National Bank of Azerbaijan has contracted with TietoEnator for the supply of a payment card system, which will be deployed at a new national processing centre.
ECB holds rates, sees improving eurozone economy
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Thursday 6 may that after a "mixed" set of economic indicators for the 12-country eurozone so far this year, the most recent data appeared to be more "encouraging".
BIS warns over fake website
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on Tuesday warned that its name and logo were being used in scams to defraud the public with offers of consumer banking services.
New law to streamline central bank of Iraq
The civil authorities of the US occupation forces in Iraq have issued a new law to streamline the working of the country's central bank, reports Xinhua.
Dallas Fed conference on euro successes/challenges
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and University of Texas at Austin will host an assembly of key economists and European central bankers on 14 May to discuss the euro's successes and assess challenges it now faces.
Trichet calls for banking consolidation in Europe
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet on Wednesday called for further consolidation in the European banking sector and said that cross-border tie-ups were likely to accelerate in future.
Fed study says US deflation risk was overstated
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta says risks of U.S. deflation may have been overstated, blaming the scare last year on rent and used car prices rather than widespread disinflation.
ECB signs agreement with Interpol
The President of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet, and the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald K. Noble, have signed an agreement aimed at ensuring effective co-operation between both parties in the protection of the euro and the fight against…
New Member State NCBs included in ERMII agreement
As of 1 May 2004, the National Central Banks of the ten new Member States of the European Union have become parties to the ERM II Central Bank Agreement.
Euro banknotes with Jean-Claude Trichet signature
Euro banknotes bearing the signature of Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), are starting to come into circulation, the ECB said in a statement. Production of these banknotes began shortly after Trichet became President on 1…
Four new EU members hope to join euro
Four of the 10 new European Union members could take the first step towards joining the euro by the end of the year, with the aim of adopting the single currency in 2007, according to the European Commission.
BOJ's Fukui sees hope for prices
The governor of the Bank of Japan, Toshihiko Fukui, said on Sunday 2 May that he saw hope for ending six years of falling prices as early as the end of the current fiscal year, which began April 1.
Sarkozy pledges to cut in deficit, sell reserves
French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has promised to bring the country's deficit under control and also proposed to sell some of the gold held at the Bank of France.
Fed set to hold rates, but signal change in stance
Federal Reserve policy-makers were due to meet on Tuesday 4 May to plot the beginning of the end for the lowest U.S. official interest rates in 46 years. Some analysts believe there's a chance that the Fed might drop the word ''patient'' in its statement…