Europe
BIS stats highlight extent of capital flight
Data posted from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on Wednesday provided fresh evidence for the doom-mongers on central and eastern Europe, and went some way to explaining recent movements in exchange rates.
De Grauwe labels Maastricht rules political tools
The Maastricht criteria for euro adoption are political instruments, not economically-vital measures, a respected economist has said.
Data on home-host banking activity inadequate
Data on international banking activity remain largely inadequate for surveillance and policymaking purposes, new research from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) posits.
ECB's Papademos calls for macroprudential schema
The establishment of a framework for macroprudential supervision is urgently needed, said Lucas Papademos, the vice president of the European Central Bank.
European banks to drop interchange fees by 2012
The European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) have told European banks to get rid of interchange fees on direct debit transactions by 31 October 2012 under EU antitrust rules.
Inflation in new EU10 driven by common factors
A major part of inflation in the ten new European Union (EU) member countries is driven by common factors, a new paper from the International Monetary Funds reveals.
Nordic crunch's key lesson: avoid party politics
The Nordic credit crisis in the 1990s revealed that a united stance by politicians is crucial in averting a financial meltdown, the head of the Bank of Finland's research department has said.
CEE regulators condemn stability "misperceptions"
Six central and eastern European regulators on Wednesday jointly attacked the recent coverage of their economies, labelling it misleading, oversimplified and potentially harmful.
Media inaccurate in portrayal of CEE's plight
Miroslav Singer, a vice governor at the Czech National Bank, tells CentralBankNews.com why the media's recent treatment of the problems in central and eastern Europe bears scant resemblance to the reality in some countries in the region.
Development banks pledge €24.5bn to east Europe
The World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Investment Bank on Friday agreed to lend up to €24.5 billion ($31 billion) to support banks in central and eastern Europe hit by the crisis.
EU group: extend regulation, burst bubbles
The much-awaited de Larosiere report on financial regulation in the European Union (EU) has urged central bankers to burst asset-price bubbles with monetary policy and monitor all systemically-important financial institutions.
Fears for zloty outweigh calls for cuts
The National Bank of Poland opted for a smaller-than-expected cut on Wednesday in a bid to maintain the value of the zloty. The move reflects the mounting concern among central and eastern European countries that marked currency depreciations could…
Eastern Europe counters currency attacks
Four eastern European central banks have made a coordinated effort to bolster their currencies, saying recent sharp depreciations fail to reflect economic fundamentals.
EU backs pledge to fill IMF coffers to $500bn
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) needs to bolster its lending capacity to $500 billion, leaders of Europe's biggest economies have said. The move comes amid concern that the Fund will be unable to avert the collapse of some central and eastern…
Of currencies, crises and completions
The crisis presents an opportunity to complete Europe’s journey towards a true monetary union, argues John Nugée
Papademos on macroprudential supervision
The European Central Bank and the Eurosystem are well placed to assume the tasks of macroprudential supervision, said Lucas Papademos, the vice president of the ECB.
ECB official praises Slovakia's euro entry
The changeover from Slovak koruna to euro, which took place in January, was very smooth, said Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo, a member of the European Central Bank's Executive Board.
Sepa implementation: an overview
A new publication from the Bank of Italy gives an up-to-date overview of the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) implementation process.
ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo on CBs and supervisors
A very close and smooth interplay between central banking and the supervisory communities is crucial, said Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
We should have warned Europe more: IMF's Belka
The head of the International Monetary Fund's European department has acknowledged the Fund failed to adequately warn European states of the risks from the fallout of the financial crisis.
Academics advocate discretionary ECB supervision
European Union member states should be allowed to choose whether or not they want to be regulated by the European Central Bank (ECB), academics say.
Economists call for European stabilisation fund
The absence of a single European debt market is holding the euro back as a reserve currency in a time of extreme risk aversion, argue Daniel Gros and Stefano Micossi.
Supervisory colleges to take lead - ECB's Trichet
Colleges of supervisors should become the main supervisory interface for banking groups in Europe, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank.
How to unblock the credit markets
Cutting interest rates is increasingly ineffective. Central banks need to create market-making windows, argues Ronald McKinnon