News
Argentina's Cavallo criticizes central bank-media
ARGENTINA - Argentine Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo criticized the central bank on Apr 5 for keeping too tight a lid on bank deposits, arguing the lack of liquidity was partly responsible for high interest rates.
BOK appoints two new assistant governors
SOUTH KOREA - Choi Chang-ho, 54, director of the monetary policy department of the Bank of Korea, and Lee Jae-wook, 55, director of the international department, were promoted on Apr 4 to assistant governors of the central bank.
Alice Frisaufova is new spokesperson at CNB
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech National Bank board at its session on Apr 5 approved the appointment of Alice Frisaufova, communication manager and spokeswoman for Ahold, as a new spokeswoman for CNB and head of the bank's PR department.
FSA hosts major Basel conference-Apr 10-11
UNITED KINGDOM - The UK's Financial Services Authority is organising a two day conference in London on April 10-11 which will be a key milestone in the UK consultation on the revised Basel Capital Accord and the European Commission's proposals for…
Kenya central bank governor Cheserem replaced
KENYA - Kenya's widely respected central bank governor Micah Cheserem has stepped down and been replaced by pensions official Nahashon Ngige Nyagah, the government announced on Apr 4, 2001.
Spain's Caruana-eurozone inflationary risks remain
SPAIN - Bank of Spain Governor Jaime Caruana said Apr 4, 2001 that inflationary risks in the euro zone are easing but continue to exist.
Austrian cbank says it sold 30 tonnes of gold
AUSTRIA - The Austrian National Bank said on Apr 5, 2001 that it had recently sold 30 tonnes of gold, ending speculation about who was behind sales that came to light in European Central Bank figures on Apr 4.
Limited boost to euro from Lithuania litas repeg
LITHUANIA - The euro will only get psychological boost from Lithuania's move towards pegging its litas to the euro as the accompanying shift in foreign exchange reserves is not seen generating much demand for euros.
African Development Bank gets new treasury head
AFRICA - The African Development Bank said on Apr 5, 2001 that Arunma Oteh, currently the manager of its investment division, had been appointed treasurer with effect from April 2.
Sri Lankan cbank amends finance firm rules
SRI LANKA - Finance companies in Sri Lanka will now be allowed to accept deposits from the public for up to five years instead of three years, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in a statement on Apr 5, 2001.
Norway c.bank keeps interest rates on hold
NORWAY - Norway's central bank kept interest rates on hold on Apr 4, 2001 and reaffirmed a neutral outlook for rates, in line with analysts' forecasts, after four hikes in key rates in 2000.
MAS promotes four senior officials
SINGAPORE - Effective April 1, Tharman Shanmugaratnam took office as the Monetary Authority of Singapore's new managing director, and three other officials were promoted to key positions, the central bank said in a statement issued late on Apr 4, 2001.
Bank of England cuts interest rates by 0.25%
UNITED KINGDOM - The Bank of England cut interest rates by another quarter point on Apr 5, 2001, bowing to pressure from tumbling stock markets and weakening economic data.
China FX reserves rising to $200bn-BusinessWeek
CHINA - China's foreign reserves will rise steadily, enabling it to hold its yuan peg to the dollar in the face of the weakening yen, US-based BusinessWeek magazine on Apr 3, 2001 quoted central bank Governor Dai Xianglong as saying.
SNB profits boosted by gold revaluation
SWITZERLAND - In its 2000 annual report released on Apr 3, 2001, the Swiss National Bank said that net profit for 2000 had jumped to 28.2 billion Swiss francs ($16.3 billion), boosted by a one-off 27.7 billion franc revaluation of gold holdings.
India's SEBI chairman likely to be replaced-paper
INDIA - The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) D.R. Mehta is likely to be replaced as part of government changes after a recent stock market crisis, a financial daily said on April 3, 2001.
Malta cbank predicts steady growth-annual report
MALTA - The Maltese economy is expected to grow between four percent and 4.5 percent in 2001 after 3.8 percent in 2000, central bank governor Michael Bonello said on Apr 3, 2001.
Korea's KFTC-BoK assistant governor new president
SOUTH KOREA - The Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC) selected Yoon Gye-sub, the assistant governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), as its new director at a general meeting held on Apr 4, 2001.
Australia cuts interest rates by 0.5%
AUSTRALIA - Australia's central bank on Apr 4, 2001 cut interest rates by half percentage point to boost consumer confidence and limit the impact of a global slowdown. It was the third reduction at board meetings in a row.
Risk measurement and systemic risk conference
CENTRAL BANK CONFERENCE - On March 7-8, 2002, the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS), in co-operation with the Bank of Japan, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the European Central Bank, will host, under the auspices…
IMF Koehler urges ECB to cut interest rates
EUROPE - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler called on the European Central Bank on Apr 2, 2001 to cut interest rates in order to help a slowing euro-zone economy.
BIS to open office for the Americas in Mexico City
LATIN AMERICA - The Bank for International Settlements announced on Mar 30 that it is planning to establish a representative office for the Americas in Mexico City.
Hong Kong Exchange Fund results for the year 2000
HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced on Mar 30, 2001 the operating results of the Exchange Fund for the year 2000, with profits hit by a volatile investment environment.
BoC annouces monetary operations changes
CANADA - The Bank of Canada is changing two of its operational procedures relating to the Large Value Transfer System, effective Apr 2, 2001.