The Americas
Median salary of central bank economists rises as inflation bites
Income remains less aligned with GDP per capita of participating countries
Economics department staff total just over 70 on average
Average number of research economists remains smaller than policy economists
US cash usage may have hit its floor, says Boston Fed
Consumers prefer credit cards, the top payment method in 2022, for online payments
CBDCs could challenge foundations of monetary economics, says Tombini
BIS Americas chief thinks digital currencies could co-exist with other rapid payment systems
Most central banks forecast currency demand over 1–3 years
Minority of institutions use big data for forecasting purposes
Fewer than 100 staff work in currency divisions on average
Duties including upholding Covid-19 countermeasures in some jurisdictions
Average value of counterfeit banknotes rises
UV ink the most common security tool used in battle against fake banknotes
Polymer adoption stalls in 2023
Only two benchmark respondents have concrete plans to change substrate
Central banks maintain average of four cash centres
Figure has remained stable for the last five years
Slightly more central banks have access-to-cash policies
Almost two-thirds of respondents have access policies and nearly half minimum service rules
Majority of central banks maintain currency denominations
Only a few countries removed denominations from active circulation in past five years
Visual aids nearly universal on banknotes
Majority of respondents use four or five features on their paper currency
Central banks report increase in value of banknotes in circulation
Average volume of notes declines by 2.9% year on year
Central banks report continued fall in cash usage
Share of cash payments remains high in upper-middle income jurisdictions, but falls marginally overall
Bond market turmoil could aid Fed policy, say FOMC members
Phillip Jefferson and Lorie Logan say financing points to strong economic momentum
Commercial real estate poses financial stability risks – research
Researchers say current strength of commercial real estate loans may not persist
Federal Reserve Board joins Instagram and Threads
Move to social media platforms follows those by regional Feds and other central banks
Bank of Canada researchers claim breakthrough in credentialisation
System’s creators use a Merkle tree to create “secret-free and quantum-safe” method
‘Buy now, pay later’ may target the financially fragile – NY Fed
Researchers warn sector may not be resilient
Wallstreet and others rank highest for reserves technology services
Ion’s Wallstreet treasury system tops the 2023 rankings
Reserve managers rank JP Morgan top for custody and banking
BlackRock preferred for knowledge transfer and capacity building
Reserve managers vote BlackRock as overall best asset manager
Goldman Sachs and “other” asset management firms also score highly
Policy-makers should shun ‘black box AIs’, Fed’s Cook warns
AI could displace jobs while raising productivity, Federal Reserve governor says
High income countries less likely to tranche reserves
Overall, 72.4% of central banks divide their portfolios into liquidity and investment sections