News
Congo hikes rates to 55% as currency plunges
The Central Bank of Congo attempted to halt the depreciation of the CFA franc on Monday with a 15 percentage-point hike in its key rate to 55%.
Report prompts Ireland's chief regulator to quit
Patrick Neary, the chief executive of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, will retire after a report condemned the organisation for its failings in a scandal involving one of the country's biggest banks.
Protect consumers with new measures, says HKMA
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has urged banks to adopt a raft of new guidelines aimed at protecting consumers. The measures follow almost 20,000 thousand complaints about the mis-selling of Lehman Brothers-related products.
New York Fed names nine new vice presidents
The New York Federal Reserve has promoted three of its staff to the role of senior vice presidents and six to vice-presidential positions.
Chile surprises with one-point cut
The Central Bank of Chile surprised observers and markets with the size of the reduction in borrowing costs as data revealed that inflation plunged almost two percentage points in December.
Ireland's Hurley to stay on after term ends
The governor of Ireland's central bank, John Hurley, has agreed to stay on beyond the official end of his first seven-year term in March.
Korea denies renminbi reserves interest
The Bank of Korea has issued a strong denial in response to a story claiming the central bank had looked into but ultimately rejected shifting some of its reserves into renminbi.
Peru holds rates, eases reserve requirements
The board of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru held rates at 6.5% as inflation slowed but lowered reserve requirements by one percentage point in a bid to ease conditions for in for commercial banks.
UK rates hit all-time low
In a widely expected move, the Bank of England lowered its policy rate to 1.5%, the lowest in the institution's 300-year history.
Basel Committee to broaden implementation remit
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision today announced that it is broadening the mandate of its Accord Implementation Group (AIG).
Tanzania looks into new notes
The Bank of Tanzania is looking into printing new banknotes barely five years after the previous series was introduced.
Latvia breached euro budget rules - central bank
Latvia's fiscal deficit for 2008 was in excess of the 3% Maastricht criterion for euro entry, the Bank of Latvia has said, taking issue with the government's figure of 2.8%.
Fed justifies move to target range
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) shifted from a key rate towards a target range owing to a lack of control over overnight market rates and to highlight the need to step up quantitative easing, the minutes of its December meeting reveal.
Czechs say fighting crisis a priority for EU reign
The Czech Republic will strive to enhance the transparency and stability of the European Union's (EU) financial system during its six-month presidency of the common market, Prague said on Tuesday.
Unexpected cuts highlight Asian export slump
The Taiwanese and Indonesian central banks surprised markets with rate cuts on Wednesday, both made as evidence mounted that 2009 will be a tough year for Asian exporters.
Gaza conflict demands SWF review: Oslo
Kristin Halvorsen, Norway's finance minister, has called for a review of the country's sovereign wealth fund investments as a result of the conflict in Gaza.
Regional Feds announce new chairmen
Three of the 12 regional Federal Reserves have named new chairmen for their boards of directors in 2009.
Fed not out of ammo, says SF's Yellen
The Federal Reserve still has the tools to stimulate the economy even with interest rates at next to zero, said Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Fed.
Hungary likely to miss inflation target - governor
Hungary's central bank is likely to undershoot its inflation target, admitted the governor, Andras Simor.
Bernstein: €9bn needed to save Danish banks
Nils Bernstein, the governor of the Danish central bank called on the public sector to provide Dkr70 billion (€9 billion) capital to the banking sector.
Lower inflation gives Manila scope to cut
Inflation in the Philippines fell by almost two percentage points, affording the central bank the opportunity to consider cutting rates further.
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.