News
Belarus bank chief dismisses currency union idea
BELARUS - Meeting deputies of the Belarusian National Assembly's House of Representative [lower house of parliament] today, the chairman of the National Bank of Belarus, Pyotr Prakapovich, said that the introduction of a single currency of the union…
IMF Press Briefing, 13 March
PRESS BRIEFING - Transcript of a Press Briefing by Thomas C. Dawson, Director, External Relations Department, International Monetary Fund, London, 13 March.
Sabirin verdict - Bank Indonesia suspect foul play
FEATURE - Sjahril Sabirin, the governor of Bank Indonesia, has been accused of corrupt practices; Bank Indonesia is suggesting that the courts are guilty of the same crime. The bank alleges that underhand methods are being used to ensure its governor's…
ECB optimistic about euro zone upturn, inflation
GERMANY - The European Central Bank on Thursday again voiced confidence the euro zone economy had bottomed out and the region's growth should gradually return to full speed before the end of the year.
Green shoots of recovery may be on the way
US - Alan Greenspan continued his new optimistic mantra that the U.S. economy is pulling out of its slump and pointed out that even employment, one of the last indicators to rebound, is showing signs of life.
10 won coins to become less visible
SOUTH KOREA - The Bank of Korea (BOK) said on Tuesday that fewer 10 won coins will be available in the Korean market this year.
Rating agencies criticize c bank reform
ISRAEL - Three leading international credit rating agencies have criticized the Finance Ministry's plans for reining in the independence of the Bank of Israel, but stopped short of saying it would affect the country's credit rating, The Jerusalem Post…
Credit card advantages overlooked, RBA told
AUSTRALIA - Two leading banking industry consultants have criticised planned reforms of Australia's credit card industry.
Duma to consider bill on central bank of Russia
RUSSIA - The Russian Duma will consider on 15 March the bill 'About the Central Bank of Russia (Bank of Russia)' in the second hearing.
Lithuanian c bank lowers reserve requirements
LITHUANIA - Lithuania's central bank said on Thursday it lowered the reserve requirements for banks to six percent from eight percent in a move to bring the country's banking rules closer to European standards.
EU summit won't discuss ECB job - German source
GERMANY - A German government source said on Thursday he did not expect this week's European Union summit to discuss who should succeed European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer, although surprises were possible.
Hayami - To continue to do utmost to stabilize mkt
JAPAN - The Bank of Japan will continue to do its utmost to stabilize the financial markets, BOJ Governor Masaru Hayami said at Thursday's meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, according to a government official, underscoring the BOJ's…
IMF's Koehler says world econ in recovery process
AUSTRIA - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler said on Thursday that the global economy had avoided recession and was now on a process of recovery.
Bulgarian c bank launch redesigned website 15 Mar
BULGARIA - Bulgarian Central Bank (BNB) will launch its redesigned website on 15 March.
Japanese hoarding gold as economic anxiety persist
FEATURE - While Japan has had the world's fastest-growing major stock market this year and the yen has jumped nearly 3 percent against the dollar in the last month, a small but growing number of Japanese investors are preparing for the worst and hoarding…
Hong Kong tightens markets regulations
HONG KONG - Hong Kong legislators yesterday passed into law long-awaited legislation aimed at significantly tightening regulation of the territory's capital markets.
Indonesia court convicts c bank gov of graft
INDONESIA - An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced central bank governor Sjahril Sabirin to three years in jail for corruption over a long-running banking scandal, Reuters reports.
Indonesia c bank gov still in post despite verdict
INDONESIA - Indonesian central bank governor Sjahril Sabirin is still in charge of the institution despite being convicted on Wednesday of graft, as an appeal process has yet to take place, a senior official said. Sabirin was not taken into custody.
Central bank independence should be preserved-IMF
UK - The IMF on Wednesday criticised moves in Israel and Poland to limit the independence of their central banks.
ECB's Noyer questions strong dlr after US tariffs
FRANCE - European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer on Wednesday said the U.S. dollar was over valued against the euro and suggested new U.S. steel tariffs were the latest evidence of this.
China raises gold prices in unscheduled move
CHINA - China's central People's Bank of China (PBOC) raised domestic buying and selling prices of 99.99 percent pure gold by an average of 1.42 percent on Wednesday, an unscheduled move outside its regular weekly fixing.
RBA's Macfarlane to give speech on 22 March
AUSTRALIA - Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Ian Macfarlane has two speeches scheduled in coming weeks, his first public outings since December.
Chile central bank cuts rates 75 bp to 4.75%
CHILE - Chile's Central Bank lowered its benchmark monetary policy lending rate 75 basis points to a nominal 4.75% at a monthly policy making meeting Tuesday.
Arthur Grimes appointed to NZ c bank board
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand's Finance Minister Michael Cullen said Wednesday that Arthur Grimes, one of the country's leading monetary policy specialists, had been appointed as a non-executive director of the Reserve Bank for a term of five years.