News
Credit card clean-up in Australia
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia is poised to make sweeping changes to credit card regulations in 2002. Should it prohibit the banks' interchange fee structure, as has already been flagged, Australia's banks will lose a collective $A400 million…
Noyer - Rate cut possible, strong dollar a worry
GERMANY - European Central Bank Vice-President Christian Noyer says a slight cut in interest rates depends on the speed of economic recovery and the behaviour of wage negotiators, the Boersen-Zeitung reports.
Decision on Noyer successor possible in March
GERMANY - A decision on the successor to European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer is possible at the forthcoming EU summit in March, the Boersen-Zeitung reports, citing EU currency affairs commissioner Pedro Solbes.
Reserve Bank of Australia - Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE - Appointment of Dr Malcolm Edey as Assistant Governor (Economic), 23 January 2002.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand - News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Reserve Bank of New Zealand OCR unchanged at 4.75 per cent, 23 January.
Sjahril's verdict on 6 March
INDONESIA - The Central Jakarta District Court is scheduled to present its verdict on Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin on 6 March.
NZ's Brash - Encouraging signs from US
NEW ZEALAND - Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Donald Brash said Friday that there are "encouraging" signs of improvement from the U.S. but Japan remains the biggest risk to the local economy.
Faites vos jeux The ECB needs a new vice-president
FEATURE - A routine letter, says the European Central Bank. Maybe, say those who watch the ECB. But a reminder, still, about the fun in the next few months, with luck at the expense of some very important Frenchmen.
China's c bank plans payment system development
CHINA - The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank of China, has selected a database and application development tool for its China National Advanced Payment System (CNAPS).
Berlusconi defends central bank powers
ITALY - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Friday threw his weight behind the Bank of Italy after a group of lawmakers proposed to strip the central bank of banking surveillance powers as part of a wider reform involving a number of regulatory bodies.
BOJ's Hayami - FX moves need further monitoring
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami said Friday the 0.8% decline in Japanese consumer prices last year was "normal," apparently attempting to downplay concerns about deflation weighing on the economy.
Russian gov't submits changes to central bank law
RUSSIA - The Russian government has submitted to the State Duma revisions for the second reading of amendments to the law on the Central Bank, State Duma banking committee head Alexander Shokhin said on Thursday.
Kazakh MPs call for c bank no-confidence vote
KAZAKHSTAN - Source Khabar Television. [Presenter] At a plenary sitting of the Majlis [lower house of Kazakh parliament] today, deputies proposed a no-confidence motion against the chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Grigoriy Marchenko.
ECB head predicts harmonisation call
EUROPE - Wim Duisenberg, European Central Bank president, yesterday forecast the introduction of euro notes and coins would lead to public demand for more harmonisation in the European Union, with particular focus on taxes.
Fed's Poole - C banks mustn't risk price stability
US - St. Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole warned on Monday that central banks should not chase economic stability at the expense of stable prices.
ECB sees gradual recovery in 2002, lower inflation
GERMANY - The European Central Bank said on Thursday the euro zone economy showed signs of a recovery later this year and reiterated inflation should drop safely below its two-percent ceiling.
Bank of Canada Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Bank of Canada lowers key policy interest rate by 1/4 percentage point to 2 per cent, 15 January.
Voters 'will back euro' if economic tests passed
UK - Tony Blair would win a euro referendum just by saying that Britain had passed the five economic tests for joining, according to a poll published on Wednesday.
FSA acts to tighten assurers' solvency reports
UK - The Financial Services Authority plans to tighten rules that were used by Equitable Life, the troubled mutual life assurer, to bolster its reported financial strength.
US economists to free up Argentine bank system
ARGENTINA - Adam Lerrick and Allan Meltzer, two prominent US economists, have proposed a new scheme to allow Argentines to use the money locked up in the banking system without triggering a collapse of the banks - arguably the single largest problem…
How to find a president for the ECB
FRANCE - A short question and answer session about the European Central Bank presidency published in the London edition of the Financial Times, 24 January.
French firm sues over euro notes
FRANCE - Have euro notes design breached copyright? A French company claims a map of Europe printed on every euro bank note breaches a copyright it owns on the design. The ECB does not agree.
Greenspan: US economy is picking up
US - The US economy seems finally to be climbing out of recession, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said.
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Minutes
MINUTES - Minutes of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Meeting held on 9 and 10 January 2002. Release date 23 January 2002.