News
Frob challenges ‘are not minor’ despite losing powers to SRM, says Restoy
Fernando Restoy outlines the latest activities at the Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring, ahead of European reform that will strip the institution of most of its powers
IMF urges BCEAO to ‘closely follow’ macro-prudential risks
The Central Bank of West African States has increased the provision of liquidity to commercial banks, which in turn are buying more government debt, increasing risks to financial stability
RBI gives website a makeover
Content on new site is divided according to the RBI’s different functions; search facilities and social media presence also updated
Singapore dollar ticks up as MAS holds fire
Monetary Authority of Singapore leaves exchange rate policy unchanged despite falling prices in January and February, cites tight labour market
Argentines ask central bank for higher-denomination banknotes
Argentine bankers’ associations urge the central bank to print higher-denomination banknotes, as ATMs filled with 100 peso notes struggle to meet public demand
Mozambican central bank balances food import pressures with domestic industry concerns
Bank of Mozambique holds interest rates as it comes under pressure over the value of its currency; accused of artificially propping up the value of the metical
Bank of Portugal governor calls for a European monetary fund
Costa believes such an institution is the only way to ‘guarantee stability’ in Europe; ESM head Regling says current model has created ‘successful status quo’
PBoC continues leadership reshuffle
Two assistant governors appointed at the People’s Bank of China; swap lines agreed with Australian and South African counterparts
Nigerian reserves head believes renminbi can ‘complement’ euro and dollar
Lamido Yuguda discusses the benefits of a multipolar system and how the Central Bank of Nigeria is managing its renminbi investments in a new book
People: New deputy in Pakistan; BoE’s Cornish leaves PRA
State Bank of Pakistan promotes chief economic adviser; founding board member of the Prudential Regulation Authority steps down; Uruguayan governor and deputy confirmed; and more
Portuguese parliament reshapes central bank governance
The next governor of the Bank of Portugal will face tougher parliamentary scrutiny on appointment in June; central bank board must now comprise at least 33% women
‘Abolish currency to eliminate lower bound’ argues Buiter
Former BoE MPC member and Citigroup chief economist says scrapping currency is one way to push interest rates deep into negative territory – although there may be more practical solutions
FX regulator probes AUD spike prior to policy announcement
Australia's authorities look into sudden moves in the Australian dollar's value ahead of RBA monetary policy announcements
Malaysia launches new payments system to boost online transactions
Malaysia’s central bank aims to simplify online payments with new ‘JomPAY’ platform, which has the goal of reaching 5,000 merchants by 2020 and reducing usage of cash and cheques
Varoufakis defends reshaped Greek reform agenda
Greek finance minister says extension bought time for a ‘serious conversation’ with creditors and outlines ways in which he wants reforms to differ from troika prescriptions
FOMC minutes: Fed cautious about June rate hike
Minutes highlight split in views of those who think rates should rise in June and those who would rather wait; Dudley and Powell give speeches urging care
Brazil’s inflation climbs to 8% despite rate hikes
Annual CPI inflation hit 8.13% in March, the highest since 2003, due to a double-digit hike in energy prices; central bank is expected to continue to raise interest rates
Korea’s record rates have further to fall, says economist
Rate cuts still look to be on the horizon despite the Bank of Korea holding steady at record lows today, says economist; government also likely to have to provide further stimulus
Bank Negara Malaysia and MIT Sloan to set up joint business school
The Asia School of Business will open next year on the central bank's premises; will host inaugural class of 25-35 students in a two-year MBA programme
Central Bank of Argentina publishes secret minutes from last dictatorship
Argentina’s central bank releases minutes from secret board meetings during the country’s last dictatorship, which will "shed some light on one of Argentina’s darkest periods", says governor
Russia’s Nabiullina dismisses QE possibility
Bank of Russia governor says quantitative easing is not on the table but further rate cuts are likely; sees signs that tough policy stance is working as ruble begins to recover
Former Bulgarian deputy charged with ‘abuse of office’
Rumen Simeonov accused by prosecutor of not taking action on failed Corporate Commercial Bank despite knowing the institution was in trouble
US has chance to maintain leadership despite China’s AIIB
London School of Economics’ Danny Quah tells Central Banking the US must not cling dogmatically to its view of the world if it is to remain influential – and sharing power need not be all bad
Balkanisation of bank lending has made recipient countries safer, says IMF
Analytical chapter from upcoming financial stability report highlights benefits of reduction in certain cross-border credit flows