News
NPLs and cyber risks threaten Eastern Caribbean MU – IMF
Steps towards banking union should be put on hold until short-term priorities are addressed, says fund
Bank of Thailand grapples with baht appreciation
Central bank has relaxed forex regulations and cut rates as baht hits six-year high
Fed governors are losing influence, financial historian argues
Peter Conti-Brown examines the eroding influence of the democratically accountable members of the FOMC
Nigerian central bank tightens payments system supervision
Payments firms must set up boards to create proper risk management systems, central bank says
BoE prepares for regulatory data shake-up
Central bank keeping open mind on future of regulatory data collection; FCA plans to expand “advanced analytics” and automation
New CBSL governor targets transmission mechanism
Priorities for 2020 include tackling bottlenecks, boosting transparency and improving analytics
Proportion of women working in central banks dips
On average, women make up 45% of central bank workforce, but improvements have been made to senior management make-up
Lagarde awards Schnabel key policy role in renewed ECB board
Panetta leads market infrastructure and payments, banknotes and international relations
BoE paper: simple communication can backfire
Success of communication is not measured by number of people reached, paper states
Bernanke offers ideas for Fed’s policy framework review
Unconventional policies are “preferable” to raising inflation target and can still be enhanced, Bernanke argues
Rates have been falling for eight centuries – BoE research
Study casts doubt on major theories, including secular stagnation; author warns rates could “soon enter permanently negative territory”
Pension funds suffer in latest round of Eiopa stress-testing
Only 30% of funds have policies in place to mitigate ESG risk; low interest rates continue to pose a problem for funds across Europe
West Africa launches new currency in break with France
New ‘eco’ currency will still be pegged to the euro, but France will have less involvement in the affairs of the West African Economic and Monetary Union
Central Bank of Iceland completes merger with regulator
Governor Ásgeir Jónsson to retain overall responsibility; two new deputy positions created
ECB paper offers tiering solution to CBDC structural concerns
Separating CBDC functions between tiers could disincentivise use during crisis periods, but disintermediation of the banking sector still a risk, author warns
Risk weight tweak could fix IFRS 9 capital clash – research
Practitioner suggests way to cancel out double-counting of Basel credit loss provisions
Fed avoids year-end cash crunch
Repo market shows barely a ripple over New Year’s Eve after Fed injects a quarter of a trillion dollars
Eurochain: CBDC project seeks secure anonymity
Proof of concept blends anonymity with AML/CFT regulation
Bahamas rolls out first phase of CBDC pilot
Pilot will be rolled out to rest of country after June 2020, says governor Rolle, contingent on success of Exuma and Abaco case studies
Markets surge as PBoC cuts RRR
Cut designed to support the flagging economy; PBoC insists it is retaining “sound” policy
2019: The year in review
The past year was marked by a persistent weakening of the global economy, and some radical financial innovations
People: Ingves elected ESRB vice-chair
Appointments at ESRB and ECB; official resigns from the Central Bank of Colombia
Schnabel and Panetta appointed ECB executive board members
The final distribution of responsibilities in January will determine the new members’ portfolios
Andrew Bailey to be next BoE governor
FCA chief will return to central bank after turbulent term at sister regulator