Europe
Three-fifths of central banks use strategic progress monitoring tools
Respondents with wider set of objectives report highest usage of tools
Prolonged Iran conflict poses stability risks – Barr and Woods
Fed governor and UK’s PRA chief also make renewed case for central bank independence
Central banks increasingly use KPIs for strategic planning
Practice more widespread in jurisdictions that link annual reviews to all staff
Trends in reserve management 2026: survey results
101 central banks, responsible for $9.5trn+ reserves, reveal exclusive data on FX interventions, if the US dollar is still seen as a safe-haven currency and approaches to investing in 20+ currencies
Romania spends €2.1bn to stabilise leu as government falls
Central bank’s reserves went from €67bn in March to €64.9bn in April
Strategic control processes often data driven
Processing is implemented quarterly or bi-annually across jurisdictions
Parliamentary committee hails success of BoE’s RTGS renewal
Programme holds lessons for wider government digital transformation, committee says
Annual reviews usually linked to strategic plans for some staff only
Remuneration commonly not linked with progress on strategic goals
ECB holds and faces dilemma of whether to hike in June
Lagarde says direction is ‘clear’ as Iran conflict worsens outlook for inflation and growth
Team leaders increasingly involved in strategic plan implementation
Respondents commonly review plans and re-align objectives after strategic cycles
Cash needed for resilience, say eurozone central banks
Institutions from Austria, Germany and Spain outline why hard currency remains key
Number of dedicated strategic planning units rises
Larger central banks more likely to have dedicated units
Instant payments gaining volumes from RTGS – BoE study
Move may be driven by demand for rapidly available funds and lower payment fees, say authors
NBFI oversight ‘no longer adequate’, say BdF economists
Researchers call for stronger supervision of non-bank sector ‘before risks actually materialise’
Former MNB chief accuses central bank of historical ‘blackmail’
Simor says lender was threatened with closer supervision because of his position on its board
Few central banks involve third parties in strategic plan development
Standard operational budgets remain leading source of funding
Barry Eichengreen on the evolution of the global monetary order
The US monetary expert speaks to Thomas Chow about similarities between the dollar and 18th century Dutch money and why Washington has bet on the ‘wrong horse’ with private stablecoins
Disclosure and supervision are top ESG strategy objectives
Emissions monitoring broadly in focus for central banks with narrower plans
Former MNB governor issues statement defending his legacy
Matolcsy says investments and headquarters renovation delivered long-term value
Strategic planning frameworks widely draw on Swot analysis
European central banks’ strategies tend to favour Pestel analysis
Lane says Blanchard’s Eurobond proposal is ‘feasible’
ECB’s chief economist calls for expanded supply of euro-denominated safe assets
Narrower strategic planners use more pillars than broader planners
Secondary objectives average 15 in central banks’ strategic plans
Lagarde says fiscal response to energy shock must be targeted
Price caps and tax cuts must ‘preserve price signal’ or risk inflationary spiral, ECB president says
People: Bank of Greece approves new term for governor
Plus: change at the top in Vietnam, new general counsel at Netherlands Bank