Opinion
Capital decision
ARTICLE - The Financial Times, London, on 26 June commented on the postponement by the Basle committee of banking supervisors of the introduction of the new rules on the amount of capital banks must hold.
Understanding the new Basel Capital Accord
Centralbanknet.com's guide to the new capital accord.
Euro gives spur for updating
ARTICLE - The Financial Times, London on 21 June published an article on regulation by Vincent Boland. The article is subtitled 'IPO issuers face a range of standards and requirements in Europe. Meeting them is a costly and time-consuming exercise.
History shows multiple currencies breed corruption
ARGENTINA - History suggests that multiple currency regimes like Argentina's two-tiered foreign exchange system distort economic activity, invite corruption and in some cases can cause mass amounts of foreign reserves to vanish overnight.
Uganda central bank plans commercial bank sale
SWEDEN - Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile said in an interview on 20 June he expected to complete within two months a deal to privatise Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd (UCB).
The challenges of universal banking
ARTICLE - Realising benefits of a universal banking system, such as a level playing field and economic development, can only be possible when the challenges and strategies to contain them are identified.
Europe can learn from UK's decimal currency switch
UK - The conversion to a decimal currency in Britain in 1971 may have lessons for the introduction of euro notes and coins in January next year.
Countdown to the single currency
REPORT - CENTRALBANKNET'S SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND'S 'PRACTICAL ISSUES ARISING FROM THE EURO' REPORT, JUNE 2001.
Too much credit?
ARTICLE - Despite a plunge in US consumer confidence over the new year, it now seems that 2001 will see not a recession, but modest growth in the US. Nothing to worry about then? Well no.
THE BIS REPORT
ANNUAL REPORT - CENTRALBANKNET'S SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT'S 71st ANNUAL REPORT 2000/01.
Interview with Horst Kohler
INTERVIEW - Following a string of financial crises from Mexico through Asia to Argentina, the reputation of the International Monetary Fund has taken a severe beating. IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler admits the fund may have made mistakes in the past,…
Bank Indonesia Real Time Gross Settlement BI-RTGS
ARTICLE - Bank Indonesia began operating a Real Time Gross Settlement system in Bandung area on 5 June. With this system, inter-bank payments are settled in real time where the participant bank's accounts can be debited/credited several times per day.
Euro is a safeguard for UK
ARTICLE - Soon to depart Bank of England MPC member DeAnne Julius sees the euro as a safeguard for UK industry. Speaking recently she considers her own future, Britain's European prospects and the set-up at the ECB.
UK General Election - Conservative pledges
UK - The UK Conservative party have published their manifesto. In it they spell out what they would do if elected to government in the general election to be held on 7 June. Michael Portillo,the shadow chancellor of the exchequer, sets out their policies.
UK General Election - Labour pledges
UK - The UK Labour party published its election manifesto on 15 May. They review their changes made to the Bank of England and describe their policy on the single european currency, the euro.
Currency Crises: the Role of Banks
This IMF working paper, by Piti Disyatat examines the aftermath of recent currency crises. Why did the developed countries which devalued during the ERM crisis fare so much better than those developing countries caught up in the Asian crisis of 1997-8?.
Central Banking Journal May 2001 edition now out
Central Banking Vol. XI, No. 4 was published 8 May 2001. This edition includes exclusive interviews with Maurice O'Connell, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, Syahril Sabirin, Governor of Bank Indonesia and Hans Tietmeyer, former Bundesbank…
IMF Concludes Article IV with South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA - On 19 March 2001, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund concluded the Article IV consultation with South Africa.
US households more buoyant than generally believed
ARTICLE - The financial position of US households ranks high on the list of concerns about the economic and financial outlook. The fear is that a negative personal saving rate and record debt-to-income levels point to a potential sharp retrenchment in…
Gerashchenko gloomy on Russian banks
Interviewed in The Banker magazine (May 2001 edition) Viktor Gerashchenko, head of Russia's central bank painted a gloomy picture of the state of Russia's banking system.
Rate to be cut before inflation hits target
REPORT - A poll showed that the biggest group of economists still believes the ECB will cut its benchmark rate from 4.75 percent next month even though inflation is heading up, not down.
Making EMU Work: Some Lessons from the 1990s
ARTICLE - Jorg Bibow lectures at the University of Hamburg on central banking and European integration. This working paper investigates the lessons learned from Europe's convergence process of the 1990s.
Government and Innovation Policy in South Africa
ARTICLE - In this article Sunil Mani of the United Nations University, Institute for New Technologies analyses the South African Experience of Government and Innovation Policy since 1994.
Commission paper highlights euro challenges
A new publication by the European Commission surveys the first two years of the euro's existence and highlights some of the challenges ahead.