Africa
Most governing boards operate under charters
Strategy-setting and budget approval are boards’ top responsibilities
Can central banks cut remittance fees to sustainable levels?
More action is needed to reach the UN’s 3% global average cost target. But central banks face limits on what they can do
Sudanese army takes control of central bank
Military says it has retaken key buildings from rebel group
One in three central banks operate supervision committee
Government officials’ membership on boards still rare
Governors serving limitless terms tend to earn lower salaries
But governors’ average salary remains over $200,000 a year
Most governors lack legal immunity against prosecution
One-fifth of removable central bank governors shielded from legal actions
Morocco cuts rates to 2.25%
Central bank expects inflation to be near 2% over next two years
Governors serve unlimited terms in half of central banks
While term length averages five years, majority of governors can be dismissed early
Smaller central banks more likely to manage government debts
Consumer protection widely overseen in larger institutions
Half of central banks must be consulted on law changes
Practice is slightly more common at banks with government officials on the board
Working group minutes: facing up to CBDC adoption challenges
Participants at Cape Town meeting saw drawbacks to digital currency versus other payment methods
Trump 2.0 piles pressure on reserve managers
Speakers at Central Banking Spring Meetings discuss positioning, interventions and impact of lost aid
Central banks buy more gold in January
Net accumulation follows dip seen in previous month
Conservatism in central banking ‘may not exist in 10 years’
Reserve managers at Spring Meetings 2025 share frustrations and discuss new strategies
Central banks split on whether CBDC will impact seigniorage
Some respondents see seigniorage depending on CBDC design choices
AML and inclusion go hand in hand – Eswatini deputy governor
Dlamini-Kunene says efforts to tackle crime did not have to result in exclusionary policies
Central banks widely exploring RTGSs’ interoperability with CBDCs
High income institutions more likely to research the issue than their middle income counterparts
African reserve managers shed light on post-Covid strategies
Volatile environment has led to more experimentation, speakers tell Central Banking Spring Meetings
Half of institutions have a central data collection centre
Respondents with data collection system more likely to automate regulatory filings
Flexibility and business continuity seen as key benefits of cloud services
But three in four fintech teams point at privacy as concern
Central banks more likely to use software-based cloud services
Cloud widely used for cyber security and other applications
AI spreads further among fintech teams
Centralised fintech teams more likely to apply AI/ML to sentiment analysis
Half of planned CBDCs designed to be programmable
Two-thirds of wholesale CBDCs likely to be programmable
Most central banks without CBDC mandate engaged in retail projects
Only one in three banks has a legal mandate for CBDC issuance, but many are still working on digital currency