News
Governor of Central Bank of Nicaragua steps down
Rumours of a spat with the Nicaraguan president swirl as central bank governor quits; finance minister put forward to replace Antenor Rosales as chief
Vietnam receives first tranche of loan from Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank to plough $730 million into updating Vietnam's electricity supply system; first tranche of $121 million released
Philippines warns on fake commemorative banknotes
Central Bank of the Philippines denies issuing a 150 piso commemorative banknote; asks the pubic to report any information on the ‘fictitious’ notes to the authorities
Moody’s alters sovereign debt ratings of nine EU countries
Austria, France and the UK see outlooks on Aaa ratings changed to negative; Spain and five other countries’ ratings are downgraded
BoE’s King explains continuing high inflation
Mervyn King writes to chancellor of the exchequer explaining why inflation remains above target; despite 0.6% drop in rate since December, governor must offer reasons for missed target
Japan 'clarifies' monetary policy stance amid criticism
Bank of Japan again increases size of asset purchase programme and sets an inflation target; follows political pressure that Japan is sending the message deflation is acceptable
Wright secures top secretariat job at Iosco
European Commission veteran David Wright is leaving academia to become the new secretary general of the International Organization of Securities Commissions
Central Bank of Ireland reveals enforcement priorities
Irish central bank tells financial service providers what it will focus on in terms of enforcement actions in 2011; warns reactive enforcement will also occur outside of set priorities
Kuwaiti governor resigns after 25 years as chief
Sheikh Salem AbdulAziz Al-Sabah resigns after a quarter of a century as governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait; reports point to political tensions as cause
Solomon Islands warns of counterfeits and announces new coins
Solomon Islands public warned about counterfeit banknotes in circulation; central bank also announces new coins to be issued
New South African banknotes will portray image of Mandela
First democratically elected president of South Africa honoured in currency redesign; new notes expected by the end of 2012
Central Bank of Iraq signs off plan for new headquarters
Central Bank of Iraq finalises agreement with Zaha Hadid Architects to design new office headquarters in central Baghdad
Central banks find novel uses for old banknotes
Central Bank of Ireland makes old notes into artwork; National Bank of Hungary offers the decommissioned banknotes to charities to burn for heating purposes
Shirakawa warns against renewed risk of spillover effects from Europe
Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa says Asian banks should pay careful attention to deleveraging by European financial institutions; calls for further efforts to develop corporate bond markets in the region
Azerbaijan central bank deputy governors up for reappointment
Candidates for roles of first and two other deputy governors revealed as existing board members; appointments require full parliamentary support
EBA makes first assessment of banks’ capital plans
European Banking Authority receives recapitalisation plans from majority of banks highlighted in capital shortfall assessment; confirms no EU-wide stress test until 2013
ECB approves collateral eligibility criteria of seven Eurosystem central banks
European Central Bank leaves interest rates unchanged but confirms plans to relax collateral criteria for credit claims at seven Eurosystem central banks, including Banque de France
BoE boosts QE by £50 billion
Bank of England increases the size of its Asset Purchase Programme to £325 billion as forecasts show inflation in the UK is likely to undershoot its target in the medium term
Brazil deputy governor positive about economic future
Aldo Mendes says Brazil is prepared to face global economic deterioration; expects to see final growth figure of 3% for 2011 announced soon
SNB announces year-long delay on new banknotes
Problems with suppliers mean the new Swiss banknotes will not enter circulation until the end of 2013 at the earliest; latest hiccup in long process of renewing the currency
Ukraine deputy governor resigns
National Bank of Ukraine quietly replaces Volodymyr Krotiuk as deputy governor; offers no explanation as director of financial department takes over the role
EU vows fresh sanctions against Syrian central bank
European Union due to impose freeze on Central Bank of Syria's assets as part of efforts to strengthen sanctions against the Syrian government
Former BoE policy-makers discuss QE and financial repression
Andrew Sentance joins Fathom Monetary Policy Forum for the first time; joins Rachel Lomax and Ian Plenderleith to discuss quantitative easing and financial repression
EPC outlines new models for mobile payments
European Payments Council requests feedback on new model for contactless and remote mobile payments in Europe; focuses on the preferred type of secure-elements technology used in mobile phones