The Americas
Budget and RTGS operating expenses rise year on year
Share of central banks charging both fixed and varied fees for RTGS access grows
Most central banks operate RTGS seven to 12 hours daily
Respondents processed over $6 trillion via system in 2024
Number of non-banks with RTGS access rises year on year
Middle income central banks account for largest number of connections
Half of retail payment sectors saw diversification last year
Changes include regulations, technology and rate of participation
Two-fifths of central banks leave payment fees unregulated
Middle income institutions more likely to regulate prices than other respondents
Larger teams more likely to oversee payments networks
Most central banks have general mandate to safeguard all payment systems
Quarter of payments departments report resourcing issues
Average number of FTE employees increases year on year to 40
Trends in reserve management 2025: survey results
Insights on strategies in anticipation of tariffs, interest rate divergence and geopolitical risk, FX diversification and de-dollarisation, as well as bitcoin in reserves, FX interventions and gold
Fed official: SLR tweaks likely unbundled from Basel III
Complexity of endgame proposals means any leverage ratio changes will probably be proposed separately
Over half of central banks employ strategic progress monitoring tools
Just a quarter of jurisdictions evaluate success with external means
Central banks rate strategic plan visibility and authority highest
Resourcing tends to be somewhat more challenging across jurisdictions
Third of central banks link staff remuneration to strategic plan
Strategic planners are paid $40,000 on average per year
Strategic plans widely integrated into staff annual reviews
Staffing averages just under five persons in strategic planning units
Governing boards approve majority of strategic plans
Departmental heads widely assigned implementation duties
Three in four central banks use dedicated strategic units
Units typically have a direct reporting line to the governor
Events are top channel for strategic plan communication
But over half of plans lack a framework for communication
Digital transformation and payments are major strategic goals
But few respondents prioritise AI or mandate changes
Strategic planning is ad hoc in 10% of central banks
Strategic plan-setting frequency averages 3.8 years across institutions
Most central banks fund strategic plan delivery with standard budgets
Only two-fifths of jurisdictions have dedicated budget for strategic objectives
Current and former Fed officials lambast Trump tariffs
Bloom Raskin says central bank is now “last bulwark” against measures’ inflationary impact
OCC withdraws climate risk principles for largest banks
Acting comptroller calls principles overly burdensome and duplicative
US monetary policy affects income inequality – Fed research
Surprise rate hikes affect lowest paid, authors find
Salary still poses greatest challenge for recruitment
Staff morale constitutes lowest constraint but is a concern for some central banks
Two-thirds of central banks regularly audit policy processes
Internal and external audit functions are combined in most jurisdictions