News
Tonga appoints woman as governor of central bank
Tonga has appointed a woman as head of the country's central bank. Siosi Cocker Mafi has worked at the Bank since 1993 and becomes the first woman to govern a central bank in the Pacific Islands.
Minutes show Fed had deflation worries in March
Policymakers expressed concern about deflation at the Federal Reserve's March meeting of the rate setting FOMC minutes released Thursday showed.
IMF sees need for Japan inflation target
A senior adviser at the IMF's research department said Friday that the Bank of Japan needs to create expectations that deflation can be beaten and should consider introducing an inflation targeting policy.
Wim Duisenberg gets award from Austrian president
Decoration for Dr. Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the European Central Bank from the President of Austria, 9 May 2003.
Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 3.75%
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday voted to maintain the Bank's repo rate at 3.75%.
CBO tightens norms for appointment bank personnel
Under new rules banks will have to assess the suitability of candidates for senior positions such as CEO's under 'competence criteria' set by the central bank of Oman (CBO) before approaching the CBO for approval of the appointment.
ECB hold interest rates steady at Thursday meeting
At its 8 May meeting the Governing Council of the ECB decided to maintain the current level of interest rates for the eurozone.
Ecuador's Gutierrez withdraws bill from Congress
Four days after the president of Ecuador submitted a bill to Congress which aimed at reform of the central bank, the bill was withdrawn. President Gutierrez said the withdrawal aimed to "reformulate and enrich it with opinions from the Central Bank,…
Lebanon's Saidi: Banks need new e-finance systems
First vice-governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Nasser Saidi, said banks should aim to develop Arab regional payment networks and to integrate national payment networks.
Russia may allow central bank to issue bonds
Russia's finance ministry plans to present a draft resolution allowing the central bank to issue zero-coupon bonds.
Hungary may delay euro adoption until 2009 or 2010
Hungary's central bank chief has said the country will have to delay adoption of the euro until 2009 or 2010 if Hungary is not able to meet budget deficit targets.
Report says Bank of Canada broke contract rules
The Canadian Press reports that the Bank of Canada apparently broke its own financial rules over the awarding of contracts worth millions of dollars. Apparently the Bank twice hired consulting firms without getting competing bids and then paid them…
FATF cancels Philippine mission due to Sars fears
The Financial Action Task Force has cancelled a mission to the Philippines due to the threat posed by Sars.
ECB to aim for inflation 'close to 2%'
The ECB said Thursday that its Governing Council agreed that in the pursuit of price stability it will aim to maintain inflation rates close to 2% over the medium term. "This clarification underlines the ECB's commitment to provide a sufficient safety…
Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged
The Federal Open Market Committee decided to keep its target for the federal funds rate unchanged at 1-1/4 percent, 6 May.
UK Treasury rejects MPC transparency call
The UK Treasury has rejected calls for its selection procedure to the Bank of England's interest rate setting MPC to be more open saying that the appointment process should remain confidential for reasons of market sensitivity.
Banque de France staff urged to strike
Unions have called for further strike action by Bank of France employees over the decision by the Bank to reform its branch network.
US forces recover $800m of 'stolen' Iraqi cash
The US state department said Tuesday that about $800m that was stolen from the central bank of Iraq has been recovered.
Bank of Uganda's powers trimmed by parliament
The central bank of Uganda has lost the power to control capital requirements for commercial banks after parliament voted to amend rules under the Financial Institutions Bill.
Ecuador seeks tighter controls over banking system
Ecuador's President Lucio Gutierrez has called for reform of the country's central bank which could involve the Bank's board replacing an existing board at the helm of the Banking Superintendency regulator in a bid to tighten controls.
NY Fed candidate Fischer favours inflation targets
A leading contender for the job of president of the New York Fed, Stanley Fischer, expressed his support for inflation targeting on Tuesday saying "Inflation targeting is a good way to conduct monetary policy".
New law to boost BMA role as a key regulator
A new law is expected to reflect the Bahrain Monetary Agency's expanded role as regulator of capital markets and will make it easier for international dealings to operate as a central bank.
Jillian Broadbent re-appointed to RBA Board
Announcement from the Australian Treasury of the re-appointment of Ms Jillian Rosemary Broadbent to the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, 6 May.
Eurosystem tender operations amendment
Amendment of the indicative calendar for the Eurosystem's tender operations in 2003, 5 May.