Official Record
Korea needs right kind of banking competition – quarterly bulletin
Competition can harm welfare if it is focused on gaining market share through a price war, authors say; Korean system may benefit from greater diversity
Low inflation and tighter credit gave room for cut, RBA minutes show
Inflation looks likely to remain low for some time, board members note, while tighter lending standards make adverse effects of a cut less likely
Malawian central bank sees legal risk to payments reform
Malawi payment infrastructure making ‘significant strides’, annual report says, but lack of legislation poses a risk
BoJ board members see hope in wages and oil prices – June minutes
Policy board members point to third year of wage rises and higher oil prices as hopeful indications of a turnaround in prices, though expectations are weak and consumer sentiment worsening
Chilean minutes show widespread support for holding policy
Board unanimously votes to hold rates; one member sees tightening cycle ending, while another says lowering rates is “beyond reason”
UK payments regulator finds ‘no effective competition’ for infrastructure
Market review says current provider of the UK’s three main payment systems faces limited competitive pressure, and suggests reforms
Bank of Namibia cuts growth forecast, but expects rebound
Namibia to grow 4.4% in 2016, central bank projects; improvements expected in 2017, alongside recovery in diamond mining sector
Jamaica’s monthly inflation turns positive
It increases to 0.2%, but annual inflation slides to 2.1%; Bank of Jamaica still confident that inflation will fall within the target range for 2016/17
Indian reserves climb to $360.2bn at end-March
Reserve Bank of India’s latest report on reserve management shows 2.8% increase over six months; two-thirds of foreign currency assets invested in securities
Monetary policy in Sweden needs to remain expansionary, Riksbank board says
Bank’s inflation forecasts are "sensitive" to international factors; executive board notes strengthening of economic activity
‘Still some flaws’ in transmission mechanism – Icelandic report
Monetary policy report says capital flow measures have not yet had as much of an impact as intended, with the yield curve stubbornly staying flat
NPLs down overall but progress is uneven – Kuwaiti report
Kuwaiti banks’ non-performing loans fell in aggregate in 2015 though they are on the rise in the household sector; banks well capitalised but asset growth slowing, financial stability report finds
Banks coping with tougher environment – Omani stress tests
Central bank’s latest financial stability report says banks are well placed to weather shocks, as it builds regulatory capabilities and early warning indicators
RBNZ bulletin shines light on policy-making process
Article reveals details of how central bank reaches monetary policy decisions over a nine-day period, from information-gathering and modelling to deliberation and communication
BoE part-way to meeting Carney’s strategic vision – annual report
Central bank is reshaping its operations to meet ‘One Bank’ plans and comply with its new obligations under the UK’s senior managers regime, annual report says
Korea reveals organisational changes in annual report
Financial markets department established in 2015, alongside divisions dedicated to capital markets, monetary policy research and financial system analysis
Eastern Caribbean ACH enters second phase of implementation
ECCB annual report sets outs progress so far; electronic payments and US dollar cheques to be processed through the Eastern Caribbean Automated Clearing House
BoJ aiming to make better use of upgraded settlement system
New version of BoJ-Net carries various advantages and has seen growing settlement volume, but the central bank wants to push this further
Sarb sets out five-year strategy in annual report
Central bank outlines objectives to be achieved by 2020, including around reserves, inflation and counterfeiting; while governor praises progress of financial stability bill
Basel Committee approves G-Sib frameworks
All five jurisdictions home to globally systemic banks have established frameworks in line with the Basel accord, first cross-jurisdictional study finds
Stronger Spanish banks still vulnerable to global risks – report
Spanish banks increase solvency over course of 2015, Bank of Spain report says, although decline continues in lending; main risk comes from global instability
Sarb bulletin charts divergence in survey expectations
For first time since 2014, average inflation expectations of analysts are higher than those of business people and trade unions; aggregate expectations for inflation to average 6.2% this year and next
‘Urgent’ measures needed to counteract household debt – Riksbank report
Finansinspektionen needs powers to implement effective macro-prudential policies in order to combat household indebtedness, latest financial stability report says
Turkish central bank staff numbers plateau
Annual report shows many years of growth in staff numbers came to an end in 2015, though many roles are vacant