Africa
South Africa’s new crypto framework: ‘neither hostile nor friendly’
Risk-based approach will bring crypto operations within South Africa’s regulatory perimeter
Most central banks communicate in at least two languages
Central banks must weigh challenge of translating sensitive messages against reach
Recipe for a chief (fin)tech officer
Private-sector experience, a knowledge of supervision and a zest for innovation are key ingredients for a chief fintech officer
Email top for internal central bank communications
In-house platforms, events and seminars also widely used
Somalia’s governor on rebuilding its central bank
Governor Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi discusses reviving Somalia’s war-damaged economy, re-creating a payments system, and dealing with remittances
South African Reserve Bank: the first 100 years
Central bankers and academics reflect on a tumultuous first century for Africa’s oldest central bank
Monitoring tools critical to measuring comms effectiveness
Facebook and YouTube remain most popular social media options, but some central banks are experimenting with others
Vast majority of central banks provide communications training
Social media, writing skills and public speaking emerged as key areas
Sarb celebrates centenary with virtual ceremony
Tributes were paid by former governors, regional central bank representatives and the heads of the IMF and BIS
Academics miss out on central bank background briefings
After journalists, private sector analysts are offered briefings most often
Fintech communication is most challenging for central banks
Central banks view fintech as greatest challenge, but rate monetary policy communication highly
Bank of Ghana launches local gold-buying programme
Central bank aims to double gold reserves over the next five years and support local mining industry
Uganda’s central bank cuts rates to historic lows
Uncertainty around the future path of Covid-19 weighs on growth prospects, governor says
Monetary policy must be climate-friendly, Bank of Ghana official says
It is ‘paramount’ for central banks to incorporate climate risks into monetary policy, official says
The winners of the 2021 FinTech RegTech Global Awards
Fourth annual tech awards recognise excellence among central banks and the firms they work with
Sarb paper questions assumption that government debt is low risk
Banks may need to reduce exposure to sovereign debt instruments as fiscal risk rises
Malawi picks G+D for currency processing contract
German-based firm already provides processing services to the Federal Reserve
Governance Benchmarks 2021 report – the frameworks that rule central banks
How are central banks governed? Benchmarking data offers insights on appointments, legal structures, powers, decision-making bodies, independence and more
Ghana’s central bank cuts interest rates to 13.5%
Inflationary pressures have all but disappeared, central bank says, but uncertainty around new variants could undermine recovery
The Belt and Road Initiative 2021 Survey – The impact of Covid‑19 on the BRI
The fourth annual Belt and Road Initiative survey reveals that the Covid‑19 pandemic has disrupted many projects despite China remaining committed to financing the initiative, which is expected to support future economic growth and environmental…
Greening the central banks
What are members of the NGFS doing to ‘green’ their own operations? Officials from the central banks of Belgium, Canada and Morocco highlight some of their initiatives
Emerging-market central banks lead on women’s empowerment
EME central banks have more women at staff level and in senior positions, but there are deep disparities worldwide, with childcare availability appearing to be a major cause
Payment innovation is top fintech research priority for central banks
CBDC ranked second as central banks explore wider implications of fintech for payments
IMF adjusts growth forecasts upward
Fund warns of uneven and unequal recovery, but is more optimistic than it was in October