European Central Bank (ECB)
People: Macron nominates ex-chief of staff to take over at BdF
Plus: BoJ appoints new head of international affairs, and MNB deputy joins EBA board
Case for euro stablecoins ‘weaker than it appears’, says Lagarde
ECB president says settlement in tokenised markets must be anchored in central bank money
Rising global imbalances will be difficult to smooth out – panel
BoE’s Alan Taylor says imbalances bring financial stability risks
Politics and finance threaten independence – Schnabel
ECB board member says fiscal woes and deregulation may make central banks’ jobs impossible
ECB holds and faces dilemma of whether to hike in June
Lagarde says direction is ‘clear’ as Iran conflict worsens outlook for inflation and growth
Former MNB chief accuses central bank of historical ‘blackmail’
Simor says lender was threatened with closer supervision because of his position on its board
Lagarde calls for reform of IMF’s voting system
ECB president says multilateral institutions need to be ‘better aligned with what the world has become’
Lane says Blanchard’s Eurobond proposal is ‘feasible’
ECB’s chief economist calls for expanded supply of euro-denominated safe assets
Lagarde says fiscal response to energy shock must be targeted
Price caps and tax cuts must ‘preserve price signal’ or risk inflationary spiral, ECB president says
Growing global imbalances risk ‘disorderly unwinding’ – panel
Imbalances caused by unsustainable growth models and industry policy, experts say
EU needs integration, innovation and Eurobonds – panel
Schnabel, Blanchard, Spain’s finance minister and Citadel MD discuss bloc’s future
Policy-makers should learn to articulate uncertainty – panel
Central banks must be ready to communicate policy trade-offs, economists tell IMF Spring Meetings
Central banks should stick to what they know, say governors
Focusing on key existing objectives is preferable to taking on new ones, say panellists
Icelandic governor issues call to moderate wage demands
Central bank chief says country’s persistently high inflation can only be tackled through collective effort
Olli Rehn on demographics, geopolitics and ECB policy
The Bank of Finland governor speaks about immigration and productivity, private credit and stablecoin risks, the mood on the governing council and the impact of conflict in the Middle East
Crypto assets behave more like investments than money – study
Most owners are not using securities for payments and turn to cash in times of uncertainty
ECB study finds concentrated power in DeFi
Authors say all crypto services should fall under Micar, as full decentralisation does not exist
Current threats to central bank independence
Improved communications, advocacy for tech oversight and international co-operation will help to address challenges posed by populism, excessive debt and new forms of money, write Gavin Bingham, Paul Fisher and Andrew Large
Supply-side shock stuns central banks
The partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz raises fresh challenges for central bank policy-makers
Banknotes: January to March 2026
A round-up of news and salient issues that have affected central bankers in the past three months
Exporters to US paying only 5% of Trump’s tariffs – ECB research
Data shows stateside consumers bearing brunt of costs from levies on imports
People: Williams to continue leading BIS markets committee
Plus appointments in Baltics and departures at Bank of Canada
Norges Bank holds and signals future rate hikes
Job of tackling inflation ‘has not been fully completed’, says governor
Geopolitics becoming ‘key risk’ for central banks – panel
Experts at ECB conference say political upheaval now a greater concern than price growth