News
Bahrain OKs establishment of central bank
Bahrain's Shura Council has approved the setting up of the Bahrain Central Bank, which will replace the Bahrain Monetary Agency but with more powers, according to Mena Report.
Lebanon's Salameh says currency 'stable'
Lebanon's currency is stable and its banks' reserves remain liquid despite the ongoing Israeli bombing campaign, the central bank governor said in an interview with Britain's Financial Times newspaper published Monday 24 July.
China may tighten policy more - report
China will tighten policy more aggressively if measures already taken fail to cool the red-hot economy, a central bank official said in remarks published on Monday 24 July.
SNB's Hildebrand says Middle East a risk
Philipp Hildebrand, a member of the Swiss National Bank's (SNB) governing board said in an interview the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah constitutes a new risk factor.
Noyer concerned over oil, house prices
Bank of France governor Christian Noyer voiced concern in an interview with Le Figaro over the high level of oil prices and the recent strong rise in French house prices.
BOJ strengthens internal regulations
The Bank of Japan's board approved internal rules on Friday 21 July that ban its leadership from engaging in most types of transaction.
ACU calls for new members
The Asian Clearing Union (ACU) concluded its two-day technical committee meeting Wednesday 19 July calling for the admission of countries beyond the ESCAP Asia/Pacific region.
ECB sets Nov 2007 date for TARGET2
The European Central Bank on Friday 21 July confirmed the starting date for its payment system TARGET2 as 19 Nov 2007.
Muto says BOJ will take its time with rate rises
Bank of Japan deputy governor Toshiro Muto said Friday 21 July the central bank will take its time with future interest rate increases, and the current accommodative conditions are likely to stay for now.
Minutes show Fed unsure on future rate path
Federal Reserve officials were uncertain about future interest rate steps at their last meeting, minutes released Thursday 20 July showed.
Some BOJ members wanted 0.5% hike - report says
Jiji Press reported on Friday 21 July that three Bank of Japan Policy Board members sought a steeper increase in the official discount rate at the central bank's meeting last week.
Minutes show BOJ waited to monitor markets
Minutes released on Thursday 20 July showed the Bank of Japan put off raising interest rates from zero at a board meeting in June because it wanted to monitor factors such as global markets and the U.S. economy.
Juncker says ECB not only one concerned on rates
The exchange rate policy is not the exclusive domain of the European Central Bank, the head of the Eurogroup Jean-Claude Juncker said in a newspaper interview published Thursday 20 July.
Belgian central bank chief on ship to Cyprus
National Bank of Belgium governor Guy Quaden and his family were evacuated from Lebanon by a ship bound for Cyprus, a bank spokesman was quoted as saying on Wednesday 20 July.
Mishkin approved by Senate Banking panel
The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday 19 July approved the nomination of academic Frederic Mishkin to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board of governors.
MAS: Singapore can keep lid on inflation
Growth in the Singapore economy will continue to be supported by factors that underpinned the robust growth in 2005, the managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore told a press briefing on Thursday 20 July.
OECD urges caution on BOJ rate moves
The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Thursday 20 July that the Bank of Japan should not rush further interest rate increases while there is a risk of slipping back into deflation.
Bank of England voted 7-0 to hold rates
Minutes from the Bank of England's 5 and 6 July Monetary Policy Committee meeting, published Wednesday 19 July, showed policy makers voted unanimously to keep the benchmark interest rate at 4.5 percent this month.
Upset about death of Fed watching? Come to Asia
According to this article from Bloomberg, published Wednesday 19 July, the Federal Reserve has so comprehensively demystified what it does, that anyone can become a Fed watcher.
Former RBA official supports Stevens
Former Reserve Bank of Australia board member Dick Warburton was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying that he has a lot of faith in the central bank's deputy governor Glenn Stevens.
ADB says China must tighten monetary policy
A senior Asian Development Bank official told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday 18 July that China needs to tighten its monetary policy to tackle an overheated economy and cut inefficient investment.
Spain's Ordonez pledges to support ECB
Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez, the new governor of the Bank of Spain, said Tuesday 18 July his central bank will continue to strengthen the support it offers the European Central Bank.
Lithuania's new PM pencils in euro for 2009-2010
Lithuania's new Prime Minister, Gediminas Kirkilas, said the country is unlikely to join the euro zone before 2009, BNS reported citing the Delfi news portal.
ECB's Quaden awaits evacuation from Lebanon
Belgian national bank governor Guy Quaden, also a board member of the European Central Bank, is set to be evacuated from Lebanon by Belgian authorities, where he was on vacation, his spokeswoman was quoted by Dow Jones as saying Tuesday 18 July.