News
India's central bank cuts again
The Reserve Bank of India cut rates by a percentage point for the second time in less than a month and eased deposit requirements for commercial banks in a bid to limit the impact of the financial crisis.
Euro adds to Slovakia's New Year celebrations
Slovakia became the 16th country to join the Eurosystem on New Year's Day, an achievement few predicted would happen so soon after it joined the European Union less than five years ago.
Shirakawa warns on yen strength
The governor of the Bank of Japan, Masaaki Shirakawa, highlighted the damage the yen's strength was having on the economy and served notice that the central bank stood ready to act.
Polish policymaker flags half-point cut
Marian Noga, often portrayed as a hawk on the National Bank of Poland's ten-member rate-setting panel, said rates could be lowered by half a percentage point at the next meeting.
Korean rate setting to focus on recovery
Monetary policy will be geared towards restoring economic growth the Korean central bank said in a statement on monetary policy for 2009.
Heller on how crisis will impact payments and settlements
Nick Carver spoke with the new head of the secretariat of the Committee of Payment and Settlement Systems about the impact of the credit crisis on market infrastructure and how central banks will respond
Vienna poised to take control of Bank Medici
The Austrian government is preparing to take control of Bank Medici, a Vienna-based private bank, which has revealed losses on funds that invested with Bernard Madoff, the disgraced financier.
Zeti back further stimulus
Malaysia is unlikely to slip into recession despite slowing exports, but the economy may require another round of stimulus measures, the country's central bank chief said on Wednesday.
Obama nominee underlines change at the Fed
The nomination of Daniel Tarullo, law professor at Georgetown University and regulation expert, to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve provides early evidence of the way the central bank is being reshaped in the aftermath of the financial…
Should financial economists still get Nobels?
Pablo Triana, a derivatives consultant and author, has written to the Swedish central bank, asking them to stop awarding Nobel prizes in economics to "flawed, unworldly, and dangerous theoretical finance constructs."
GM finance arm gets TARP funding
The finance arm of General Motors, the embattled US automaker, has received financial support under the US Treasury's Troubled Assets Relief Programme (TARP) after gaining approval from the Federal Reserve to become a bank holding company.
Sri Lankan CB takes over private bank
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has taken over Seylan Bank, the second largest commercial bank in the country.
Sterling edges towards euro parity
The dramatic decline in the value of the British currency showed few signs of abating as it edged towards parity with the euro on Wednesday.
ECB sees uncertainty and weak economy in 2009
Two members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) governing council on Tuesday expressed concerns over the outlook for the European economy in 2009.
Korean state-owned entities to the rescue
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Korea has unveiled a financial rescue plan for 2009 aimed at helping local banks improve their balance sheets and reduce their exposure to bad debt.
Iraq to cut rates
The Central Bank of Iraq has announced that it will reduce its key policy rate by 1 percentage point to 14%, starting next year.
UAE creates swap lines for local banks
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to provide currency-swap facilities for the UAE dirham and the US dollar to local banks in a bid to inject more liquidity into the country's banking system.
BoJ considers "extraordinary steps" - Kamezaki
The Bank of Japan is considering "extraordinary steps" to counter financial-market turmoil and a deepening recession, Hidetoshi Kamezaki, a member of the central bank's policy board said last week.
China to promote freer yuan trades
Beijing will allow some trade with neighbouring countries to be settled in yuan, the Chinese currency, rather than in the dollar or the euro.
Raza nominated to replace Akhtar
Saleem Raza, a former executive at Citigroup, has been nominated as the new governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, after the unexpected resignation of Shamshad Akhtar.
Italy names first female board member
Anna Maria Tarantola, the managing director of the Bank of Italy's banking and supervision unit, will replace Antonio Finocchiaro in the new year as deputy director-general at the central bank. In doing so, she will become the first woman to sit on the…
Eurosystem continues to shed staff
The number of central bankers in the 16 national central banks that now make up the Eurosystem stands at 46,123, a fall of 17.9% since 2003, reveals the 2009 edition of Central Banking Publications' Central Bank Directory.
Crisis calls for revision of LOLR role: economists
Central banks must broaden their remit as lenders of last resort in the wake of the crisis, two economists who advise central banks have said.
Poland slashes on signs of sharp slowdown
The National Bank of Poland made its steepest cut since January 2001 on Tuesday and cautioned that the country's economy was set for a sharper-than-expected slowdown.