News
IMF approves renminbi as SDR currency as questions raised on hedging
Lagarde reveals executive board's decision to include renminbi in basket; inclusion raises questions on whether to hedge exposure to Chinese currency
UK authorities extend Funding for Lending Scheme again
Bank funding scheme will now be tapered over two years, with new banks offered the chance to be involved; lending to SMEs up over the year
Colombia reinforces inflation target as it tightens policy
Central Bank of Colombia board expects to reach inflation target within two years; raises policy rate by 25bp to 5.5% as expectations increase
Banks should do more to meet Basel disclosures, EBA says
Many banks in the EBA sample are falling short of disclosure rules in the Capital Requirements Regulation, with institutions struggling in particular with reporting their modelling
Payments industry body to implement instant payments in euros ‘by 2017’
The European Retail Payments Board encourages industry body to have a system of instant payments operational by November 2017
Egypt central bank ‘kept eyes on inflation’ as it devalued currency
Head of risk at Central Bank of Egypt says the institution considered wider impact of devaluations on the economy; staff welcomed new governor last week
New Dutch deposit guarantee scheme should ‘disincentivise risk-taking’ by banks
The Netherlands Bank has introduced a new deposit guarantee scheme; scope is wider than old scheme and risk-based, ex ante funding structure aims to dis-incentivise risk-taking by banks
Norges Bank gets second deputy governor for first time
Norges Bank announces appointment of academic to newly-created deputy governor position, while NBIM names new chief compliance and control officer
Central Bank of Cyprus to implement organisational change
Organisational change raises profile of supervisory and economics departments
Review sees 'fault lines' emerging in global asset management ecosystem
Monetary Authority of Singapore review urges financial industry to remain ‘vigilant’ against emerging risks
Trinidad governor implies $500m injection failed to solve US dollar shortfall
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jwala Rambarran says domestic economy faces ongoing shortfalls of US dollars despite $14 billion in official sector forex assets; calls for diversification in the economy
Bundesbank calls for harmonisation in CMU response
The Deutsche Bundesbank responds to the European Commission’s capital markets union proposals, calling for greater harmonisation and transparency but warning of burden
PBoC and ECB announce ‘successful’ swap line tests
Tests in April and November provided ‘symbolic amounts’ of euro and renminbi liquidity, involving a ‘limited number’ of counterparties
ECB welcomes draft Portuguese law on banknote production
Proposals would remove requirement that Bank of Portugal must own 51% of legal entity responsible for banknote production; could pave way for closer co-operation with other NCBs
Irish central bank defends retention payments to key staff
Ireland’s central bank has defended its decision to pay retention payments to key members of staff despite criticism by local politicians; a senior civil servant will look into the payments
Riksbank steps up debt warnings in stability report
An absence of measures to address high asset prices and rising debt could result in a ‘serious’ shock with ‘great’ consequences for the economy, Swedish central bank warns
ECB flags threat of ‘abrupt reversal’ in risk premia
Latest review identifies two ‘medium-level systemic risks’ to the eurozone's financial stability, weak profitability prospects for banks and a potential ‘sharp adjustment’ in risk premia
Nigeria cuts rates to encourage growth in ‘bold’ decision
The central bank lowers the policy rate by 200bps as part of a package of measures aimed at supporting growth and easing credit conditions
China permits central banks to trade forex derivatives based on Isda agreements
China allows derivatives trading based on international standard agreement for the first time; applies only to sovereign investors and foreign exchange derivatives
Fed to encourage supervisory staff to air divergent views
Federal Reserve will develop practices encouraging staff to exchange and respond to divergent views in 2016; New York Fed and Richmond Fed boost supervisory resources following review
EBA: European bank capital improving but concerns remain over profits and assets
European banks are improving their capital and leverage ratios but are suffering from low levels of profitability and problems with non-performing loans, transparency exercise finds
BoE advised to publish record of joint MPC/FPC meetings
Treasury Committee advises Bank of England to publish material from joint meetings of the MPC and FPC
EC plans full eurozone deposit insurance by 2024
Proposals outline gradual introduction of common deposit insurance in the eurozone between 2017 and 2024; size of fund equivalent to 0.8% of covered deposits, estimated at €43bn
Hungarian central bank buys controlling stake in Budapest stock exchange
Hungary’s central bank buys 68.8% share in country’s stock exchange, saying the move was necessary to ensure adequate flows of capital to domestic businesses