Asia-Pacific
Pakistan holds rates, citing uncertainty from Iran war
Central bank expects inflation to remain above its 5–7% target
Iran conflict could drive global inflation higher – IMF chief
Georgieva urges policy-makers to think ‘the unthinkable and prepare for it’
Bangladesh Bank faces fresh questions over independence
Experts question governor’s affiliations after activists petition Supreme Court to have him removed
Asian central banks prepare for conflict-induced energy shock
IMF’s Georgieva says Iran war creates energy and confidence risks for most of region
Asian central banks monitoring FX volatility amid oil shocks
Indonesia, Singapore and India look to manage inflationary pressures from war in Middle East
China acts to slow yuan gains by scrapping FX forward hedge cost
PBoC to remove 20% reserve ratio as it aims for ‘reasonable and balanced’ renminbi
Less than half of central banks engaged in tokenisation work
Respondents widely consider bonds for tokenisation, among other asset class
Central banks divided over stablecoin impact on US debt demand
Respondents offer different views on adoption paths and market dynamics
Hong Kong taps reserves to fund infrastructure spending
Government to draw from HKMA’s investment income for first time in more than 40 years
Two-thirds of central banks predict CBDC adoption in 5–10 years
Stablecoin launches seen as more likely by authorities without CBDC mandate
Most circulating stablecoins pegged to the greenback
Jurisdictions with stablecoins in use are largely high and upper-middle income countries
Financial stability seen as top risk from private digital money
Concerns differ somewhat by region
Majority of CBDCs designed to be domestic only
But a fifth of central banks are working on multi-currency CBDCs
Bank Indonesia holds rates again to defend currency
Weak rupiah to delay rate cuts as ratings downgrade weighs on investor appetite, analyst says
Central banks report 28 operational bitcoin ATMs on average
Jurisdictions with larger institutions have the most machines
Emerging economies likely to lag advanced in AI-led growth – study
BIS report highlights divergence in technology’s impact on jobs and countries’ ability to adapt
CBDCs politicised in one in five jurisdictions
Public and private sectors mostly concerned about privacy of digital currencies
Fintech licences issued yearly remain below 10 on average
Number of fintechs in operation averages just over 60
Renminbi options volumes plummet as vol grinds lower
USD/CNH volumes fell 84% in 2025 as PBoC currency management took hold
MAS and HKMA aim to green red envelopes over Lunar New Year
Monetary authorities encourage the giving of used notes or electronic cash gifts to cut waste