News
Indonesia hikes policy rates by 50 basis points
Policy rate up to 6.5% despite falling growth; move aims to combat rising inflation, as international capital flows hit currency value
European Commission releases 'radical' proposal to appoint itself resolution arbiter
Single Resolution Mechanism proposal would see the European Commission retain control over whether banks are resolved; argues this would be legal under current treaties, though doubts persist
ECB and Macedonian central bank complete co-operation programme
ECB's Jörg Asmussen says in Skopje that a strong EU has to be based on strong national institutions; report finds Macedonian central bank ‘equal or close to EU standards in many areas'
Fed and FDIC agree 6% leverage ratio for US Sifis
Banking agencies announce rules to increase organisations' leverage ratios; measures remain controversial with the banking lobby and regulators, notably FDIC's Hoenig
Early-warning indicators needed to address failings in Solvency II - PRA chief
Effective and prudent solution needed on Solvency II matching adjustment, says Bank of England deputy governor Andrew Bailey
Banque de France launches mobile app
Users can access key statistics, speeches, news and other information from the French central bank through their mobile phone
IMF cuts global growth forecast as capital outflows hit EM economies
Global growth is projected to remain slightly above 3% in 2013; fund says risks of a longer growth slowdown in emerging market economies ‘have increased'
Libor administration handed to NYSE subsidiary
Independent committee judges NYSE Euronext best placed to restore credibility in the tainted benchmark for interest rates; BBA will hand over after a ‘period of transition'
IMF's Lagarde supports negative rates in eurozone
IMF Article IV for the eurozone backs Draghi promise to keep rates low and says negative rates would support demand and ward off deflation; ECB chief concerned that financial transactions tax will hurt monetary policy efficacy
Central Bank of Egypt seeks help at home and abroad to shore up currency reserves
CBE governor wins $3bn in grant and interest-free loans from the UAE; bank launches ‘Egypt support' fund amid political unrest
Renminbi convertibility remains top of Chinese reform agenda – HSBC
Chinese authorities interested in ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’ of renminbi growth; expected to push through reforms to achieve convertibility in 2015, says senior HSBC executive
UK government set to make electric ring fence ‘virtually useless'
Banking standards commission chairman Andrew Tyrie laments the government's departure from his commission's recommendations on leverage, Bank of England reform and the electrified ring fence
Central Bank of Turkey in aggressive move to defend lira
Central bank sells between $1.5bn and $2.5bn worth of foreign exchange, its highest ever amount in one day, in an effort to halt a slide in the value of the lira
FTT would ‘drain financial resources’, says forex lobby group
The global forex division of the Global Financial Markets Association is upping its lobbying efforts to have forex derivatives carved out of the financial transaction tax with new research that shows the potential impact of the tax on transaction costs
Bank Russia to become ‘mega-regulator' with mandate for growth
New law set to be enacted in September will hand the central bank responsibility for almost all of Russia's financial system, and give monetary policy a broader mandate to support ‘sustainable growth'
Basel Committee finds ‘considerable variation' in bank risk-weights
Variation in bank risk-weights 'driven by diversity in bank and supervisory practices', says Basel Committee as it also moves to strengthen oversight of investments in equity funds
Euro's international role hampered by continued fragmentation
ECB study finds reserve manager confidence in the euro is recovering, but a leading fund manager says the euro cannot challenge the pre-eminence of the dollar without issuing federal bonds
Asian central bank FX reserves not properly recognised by rating agencies, says Sheng
CBRC adviser and former Hong Kong SFC chief Andrew Sheng points to inconsistent approach in sovereign debt ratings; doubts international crisis co-ordination is possible
MAS benchmark proposals may reduce number of dealers in SGD market
MAS proposal on financial benchmark setting aims to hold banks more accountable by imposing criminal and civil punishment
FX clearing driven by capital and collateral costs rather than mandate
As mandatory NDF clearing has been delayed, the likely increase in capital and collateral requirements for FX trades is forcing some to consider clearing ahead of the mandate
Central Bank of Cyprus ‘moving in direction’ of more active board
David Lascelles says interim report on Cypriot banking sector has been well-received; hopes parliament will sanction a ‘more democratic’ board
Carney's BoE shifts towards forward guidance on rates
Bank of England holds monetary policy steady, telling markets that expectations of rate rises have been premature; formal forward guidance is expected at the August meeting
ECB commits to keep interest rates down
Governing council says interest rate will remain at or below 0.5% for an ‘extended period of time’ despite previously refusing to pre-commit monetary policy
No CVA exemptions in US Basel III rules
Europe isolated as US regulators opt for broad counterparty risk charge