News
Danish central bank prepared to cut rates further in defence of peg
‘We haven’t yet found any absolute lower bound' for the deposit rate, Danish governor tells Central Banking, but acknowledges potential for strain on payments system
Belarus eyes policy overhaul
National Bank of the Republic of Belarus says it will exercise ‘tight control’ over the money supply in an effort to shackle inflation; questions over where this leaves exchange rate peg
Good data vital for effective financial inclusion policies
With the World Bank soon to release the first update to its global financial inclusion database, Central Banking speaks to the Alliance for Financial Inclusion on the importance of good data
People: IMF names new deputy; Brazil in line for two as well
Christine Lagarde wants to appoint an adviser of the Japanese government as deputy managing director; Brazil’s central bank governor proposes two new deputies in a reshuffle; and more
Chan welcomes code of conduct for Hong Kong bankers
HKMA chief executive praises stricter code of conduct, which seeks to improve banking culture, promote competition and protect consumers
Denmark cuts deposit rate for fourth time in three weeks
Governor Lars Rohde says central bank will defend peg to euro ‘for as long as it takes', adding there is ‘no upper limit' to FX reserves as key rate is cut to -0.75%
Ukrainian hryvnia drops 30% after central bank action
Currency in freefall after National Bank of Ukraine scraps subsidised forex auctions and simultaneously increases its key discount rate by 550bp
ECB’s collateral move adds pressure to Greek negotiations
Decision to cease accepting some Greek debt as collateral two weeks earlier than necessary turns banks toward ELA and adds pressure to political negotiations
Pakistan targets automated cash management in five years
State Bank of Pakistan aims to automate cash management and urges commercial banks to follow suit; deputy governor says it will help ensure only clean and genuine notes circulate
Meltzer accuses Fed of three ‘major’ errors
Writing in the Central Banking Journal, Allan Meltzer argues the Fed continued QE for too long, while relying too heavily on ‘noisy’ data and too little on monetary and credit aggregates
IMF: Pan-African banks pose oversight challenges
Report highlights need to reconcile regional and national interests in currency unions in the continent to ensure effective regulation and supervision
Impact study postponed for Basel rate-risk project
An impact study for a Basel Committee proposal on the standardised regulation of banking book interest rate risk has been pushed back. Regulators blame the delay on banks' IT constraints
Bank of Estonia selling manor estate for €2m
Maardu Manor, which dates back to the fourteenth century, has been placed on the market after being deemed an unsuitable property for the central bank to own
PBoC takes action against tighter liquidity
Cut in reserve requirements seen as effort to ease liquidity due to lunar new year and capital outflows, but may do little more than offset a growing shortage
Prasarn dismisses threat of deflation as headline rate goes negative
Thai governor pens letter to finance minister after headline inflation falls to -0.4% in January; IMF sees ‘scope for further easing' as two MPC members dissent on rate hold
BoE’s Kohn and Taylor foresee FPC divisions
Financial policy committee is likely to rely more heavily on voting in future, Donald Kohn and Martin Taylor tell MPs; Andrew Tyrie attacks accountability and calls for review
New York Fed unveils new way to calculate funds rate
Central bank plans to base the rate on a new dataset that captures a broader range of market activity; move likely to happen in about a year’s time
FSB: Bank of Russia's financial stability mandate unclear
Peer review calls for 'adequate' legal basis to impose macro-prudential measures; warns mandate of separate advisory body 'seems to duplicate' that of central bank
Rajan says RBI is seeking ways to encourage foreign investment
RBI tightens rules for foreign investors but Rajan says central bank is looking into ways of encouraging desirable FDI flows; rates remain on hold
IMF calls for reform at Madagascar central bank
Staff report says central bank needs greater independence and stronger oversight mechanisms; new audit committee on the way and government agrees to recapitalise institution
Central Bank of Nigeria sets up steering committee on financial inclusion
Committee comprising central bank governor and finance minister is tasked with coordinating national strategy; will meet three times per year and approve annual reports
Fed’s Tarullo casts doubt on counter-cyclical tools
Daniel Tarullo questions ability of macro-prudential tools to temper booms and busts, and calls for a new ‘prudential market regulation’ to tackle shadow banking risks
Denmark suspends bond sales to stem FX inflows
The move, intended to lower longer-term yields and thereby discourage upwards pressure on the krone, ‘effectively works as QE' says analyst
Basel Committee: Microfinance firms may far exceed supervisory capacity
Some banking supervisors may be struggling to cope with the vast number of small firms they are expected to oversee, finds a survey of the interaction between financial inclusion and regulation