Africa
Third parties manage roughly one-sixth of reserves
Compensation for external asset managers takes different forms across jurisdictions
Foreign exchange interventions jump 71% year on year
One in four central banks uses derivatives for FX intervention
ADB offers $5bn to alleviate energy and fertiliser crisis
Institution says funds will be delivered on selective and demand-driven basis
Investment tranches account for half of reserves
Just one-fifth of central banks lack tranching mechanisms
Larger reserve holders operate longest portfolio duration
Duration among respondents holds steady at around two years, on average
Reserves exposure to non-SDR sovereign debt increases
US Treasuries and gold remain the most prominent asset classes
De-dollarisation no guarantee of EM policy autonomy – study
Sarb paper argues sound domestic fundamentals are more crucial than lowering dollar usage
Managers predict moderate AI impact on reserves
But many reserve managers see high future potential for AI
Staff strength and salary associated with size of reserves
Managers report greater satisfaction with non-staff resources than staffing levels
Counting the cost of central bank staff errors
Risk managers expose underlying causes and outline measures to curtail incidents
Mozambique’s ‘debt scandal’ casts shadow over governor appointment
Activist says president’s U-turn is likely to have been prompted by public outcry
Cameroon’s purchases of bank stakes raise concerns
State’s acquisition of former SocGen subsidiary raises questions about governance, say experts
Botswana keeps rates steady, Rwanda hikes by 50bp
Rising inflation drives east African nation to raise bank rate to highest level since 2009
Leonie Dunn on Namibia’s technological advances
Deputy governor reflects on instant payments launch and digital transformation at the central bank, against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop
Ghana’s gold board rejects responsibility for $1.7bn losses
Dispute follows claim by politician citing a report by IMF
Market reforms are about boosting policy transmission, says CBN
Changes brought in by Nigerian central bank enable individual investors to participate in OMOs
Geopolitics is fastest-rising research topic for economists
Research economists are most widely judged on their output of papers
Libyan governor sets out conditions for withdrawing resignation
Issa reportedly wants faster implementation of budget, trade reforms and halt to wage rises
Economists devote up to half of working hours to research
Higher-paid research economists tend to spend more time on own research
Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia and Uganda all hold rates
Expert says El Niño weather event likely to drive greater rate variability in 2027