News
E-Signature law may see PSL reap rewards
POLAND - The Sejm has a new hot topic. The Electronic Signature Act was supposed to unleash the market for advanced online services, but may now become the source of large profits for a company said to have ties with the Peasants' Party (PSL).
Argentines flow cash back into banking system
ARGENTINA - Argentine depositors are returning money to the financial system, reassured by the recent decision of the International Monetary Fund to lend the country a further US$8-billion.
Latvia's central bank governor to resign
LATVIA - Einars Repse, the popular president of the Latvian central bank, said yesterday, Thursday 6 Sep, he intended to step down in order to lead a new political party, following accusations from the ruling party of a conflict of interest.
UK interest rates kept on hold
UK - The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 5% today, Thursday 6 Sep.
Fed's Ferguson - must monitor changes in payments
US - Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said on Tuesday 4 Sep the continued changes in the U.S. and world financial systems as well as the payment systems should continue to receive scrutiny from officials even though no problems are evident as…
Likelihood of recession very low - Fed's McDonough
UK - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William McDonough said on Thursday 6 Sep that the U.S. was unlikely to go into recession. "The likelihood of recession is very low," McDonough said.
No major CPI impact from Euro intro
GERMANY - Germany's Federal Statistics Office said 5 September that the first results of a survey of retail prices don't so far show any significant impact on consumer prices from the euro's introduction.
Shiokawa to discuss forex with O'Neill
JAPAN - Although the government wants a weaker yen to accompany the Bank of Japan's easy monetary stance, it is hard to intentionally drive currency rates, Japanese Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said today, 5 September.
Reserve Bank of Australia - Press release
PRESS RELEASE - Statement by the governor, Mr Ian MacFarlane - Monetary Policy 5 September.
LDP group to draw up BOJ law revision proposal
JAPAN - A group of lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will draw up a report recommending revisions to the Bank of Japan law in early October, a key member of the group said Wednesday 5 Sep.
IMF says making fewer conditions on its lending
US - The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday 4 Sep it has pared back the amount of conditions its attaches to its loans, but that more needs to be done on the policy, which aims to give borrowers more freedom in setting their own economic…
Noyer: New Rate Level In Line With Price Stability
FRANCE - European Central Bank Vice President Christian Noyer Thursday 6 Sep hailed the euro's strengthening trend over the past several weeks, while at the same time downplaying its fall back below $0.90 this week.
More low-value euro notes for German retailers
GERMANY - Germany may need to print more low-denomination euro banknotes sooner than expected in response to high demand from retailers, Ernst Welteke, the Bundesbank president, said yesterday, 3 September.
ECB Press Conference - Questions and answers
On the occasion of the unveiling of the euro banknotes and their security features, Frankfurt. Transcript of the questions asked and the answers given by Dr. Willem F. Duisenberg, President of the ECB, and Prof. Dr. Eugenio Domingo Solans, Member of the…
Australia lowers interest rates
AUSTRALIA - The Reserve Bank of Australia sliced interest rates by one-quarter percentage point on 5 September to offset weakening global economic activity and despite higher-than-forecast inflation.
Private Iran bank gains licence
IRAN - Iran's first private bank since the 1979 Islamic revolution has received a licence to begin operations as part of a wider package of economic reforms intended to restructure the state-controlled banking sector.
Taipei plans new assets law
TAIWAN - Taiwan's finance ministry has drawn up legislation on the securitisation of financial assets, a reform widely seen as essential to the success of efforts to put collateral held by banks burdened by bad loans back into circulation.
Asia-Pacific nations meet to battle global gloom
CHINA - Asia-Pacific finance ministers, grappling with a global slowdown and wide divisions over how to deal with it, gather this week in one of the few countries managing to thrive despite the slump - China.
Kazakh bank boss cuts beard as deposits top $1 bln
KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakh central bank boss Grigory Marchenko shaved off his beard on Wednesday, 5 September, - fulfilling a vow to sacrifice his whiskers once private deposits in Kazakh banks topped $1 billion, Reuters reports from Almaty.
Vajpayee plans economic boost for India
INDIA - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has unveiled a plan to revive his country's slowing economy with fresh reforms.
Top banker blasts Russian bank reform blueprint
RUSSIA - Central Bank head Viktor Gerashchenko criticised a blueprint for banking reform, saying in a letter to Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin that plans to divide banks into three tiers could damage the stability of the entire sector.
Oman enacts new law to combat money laundering
OMAN - Oman has enacted a new law was being enacted to combat money laundering, said a senior official.
Philippines C bank move to raise bank transparency
PHILIPPINES - The Philippine central bank will soon issue additional disclosure requirements to make banks more transparent, while encouraging more foreign participation in the local banking sector, said central bank deputy governor Alberto Reyes.
Indonesia's 2002 budget to be drained by debt
INDONESIA - Indonesia will unveil on 7 September a draft budget constrained by a mountain of debt that has left President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government with barren coffers and few options to prove it can fix the shattered economy.