News
Near-record inflation forces Oman to limit lending
The Central Bank of Oman upped banks' reserve requirement ratio on Sunday in a bid to curb rampant inflation.
RBNZ set to regulate insurance industry
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Monday became responsible for regulating all life, health and general insurance providers.
Hungary holds rates at 7.5%
The National Bank of Hungary's rate-setting council voted on Monday to keep its benchmark base rate at 7.5%.
Greenspan warns of stagflation risk
Alan Greenspan, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned on Sunday that the United States economy was exhibiting the first signs of stagflation.
UK's inflation expectations reach eight-year high
Britons' inflation expectations rose to the highest level for eight years in November, the Bank of England's Inflation Attitudes Survey has revealed.
Chile surprises with decision to hike rates to 6%
The Central Bank of Chile's rate-setting board voted to raise the monetary policy interest rate unexpectedly by 25 basis points to 6% on Thursday.
Numbers of central bankers continue to rise
The 2008 edition of Central Banking Publications's Central Bank Directory, the annual guide to the world of central banking, estimates the number of central bankers in the world at 348,865, a marginal 0.2% increase over last year. This maintains last…
Turkey slashes policy rate to 15.75%
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's rate-setting committee voted on Thursday to cut its benchmark overnight interest borrowing rate from 16.25% to 15.75%.
Kenya leaves rates at 8.75%
The Central Bank of Kenya's rate-setting committee voted on Thursday to hold the benchmark Central Bank Rate at 8.75%.
Officials praise central bankers' collaboration
Central bankers and politicians across the globe offered swift and unanimous approval for Wednesday's concerted effort to inject liquidity in a bid to counter dogged interbank tensions.
Joint effort failing to counter interbank tension
Interbank rates stayed high and markets plummeted on Thursday in spite of the collective action launched by five of the most powerful central banks on Wednesday.
Chinese monetary policy "influenced by US cuts"
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor the People's Bank of China, said that the recent rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, together with rising domestic consumer prices, would have "considerable influence" over Chinese monetary policy.
UAE governor wants to stay on
Reports that Sultan Nasser al-Suweidi, the governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, was planning to step down when his four-year term ends next week, to be replaced by Saeed Mubarak Rashid al-Hajeri, chairman of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, have been…
Russia to trade on stock exchanges
The Russian government has passed a law which will permit the Central Bank of Russia to trade securities on the over-the-counter market and on stock exchanges.
Central banks collaborate to ease interbank woe
In one of the most significant co-operative central banking efforts of modern times, five of the world's most powerful monetary authorities joined forces in a bid to restore order in the interbank markets.
Yngve Slyngstad new head of Norway's SWF
Yngve Slyngstad will take over from Knut Kjr as head of Norges Bank Investment Management, which looks after the Global Pension Fund, Norway's sovereign wealth fund.
Zhou parries calls for imbalances adjustment
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, said that the central bank would not allow for a faster appreciation of the renminbi to reduce global imbalances.
Norway raises rates by 25 basis points
The Central Bank of Norway's rate-setting executive board voted on Wednesday to increase its benchmark sight deposit rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.25%.
Riksbank appoints new financial stability deputy
Lars Frisell is set to become the new deputy head of the financial stability department at the Riksbank in mid-December.
US-style scheme could have stopped Rock run
A US-style deposit insurance scheme would have been a "real help" in halting the run on Northern Rock, Britain's chief regulator said on Tuesday.
Padoa-Schioppa urges haste on EU supervision
Europe must act decisively to enhance its supervisory structures, said Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Italy's economy and finance minister, on Tuesday.
SWFs would follow private equity guidelines
Sovereign wealth funds would be willing to enter into the voluntary code of conduct set out in the Walker Review, an influential report on private equity governance standards and transparency, the author says.
Chinese inflation surpasses previous peak
China's inflation accelerated further in November after matching the 11-year peak reached in August the previous month.
Fed opts for quarter-point cut
The Federal Reserve's rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted on Tuesday to cut rates by 25 basis points to 4.25%.