People: Tobias Adrian to replace Viñals at IMF

Washington, DC: Tobias Adrian is to replace José Viñals as financial counsellor and head of the monetary and capital markets department at the International Monetary Fund. He will take up the role on January 3.

Announcing the decision on November 28, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said Adrian was "internationally highly regarded for his insightful analytical work, and has published widely".

Adrian is currently senior vice president and associate director of research at the New York Fed. His recent research has focused on modelling the operation of capital markets, including procyclical leverage and financial frictions.

He previously held positions at the US's National Bureau of Economic Research and at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. He holds a PhD from MIT.

Viñals has held his role at the IMF since 2009, when he replaced Jaime Caruana, the current general manager of the Bank for International Settlements. Viñals revealed his intention to step down in July, saying he would return to Europe for "family reasons". He is due to take up a position as chairman of Standard Chartered.

Malaysia: Bank Negara Malaysia has appointed three new individuals to its seven-person financial stability executive committee.

On November 28 the central bank picked deputy governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour and external members Johan Idris and Yoong Sin Min, filling vacancies left by resignations and the expiry of members' terms.

The committee has the power to take certain actions related to financial stability, including liquidity assistance, capital provision, and the issuance of "specific measures" to be taken by financial institutions.

International: Lúcia Leitão, the head of the Bank of Portugal's banking conduct supervision department, has been chosen as vice-chair of FinCoNet, an international consumer protection organisation.

FinCoNet brings together financial supervisors from across the world in an effort to promote best practice in conduct regulation and consumer protection. It is recognised by the Financial Stability Board and G20, and receives secretarial support from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.