Middle East
Ireland no longer approving Israel bond prospectuses in EU
Luxembourg takes over following campaign by Irish civil society groups
Egypt’s president renews term of central bank chief
Acting governor Hassan Abdalla begins fourth year in post amid economy recovery
Obituary: Süreyya Serdengeçti, 1952–2025
Governor of Turkey’s central bank whose policies brought inflation down from 75% to single-digit figures
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
Central banking amid uncertainty and Trump 2.0
Deglobalisation set to challenge the central banking orthodoxy of the past 40 years
GCC central banks follow Fed by reducing rates
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain opt for 25bp cuts, while Qatar loosens by 30bp
IMF lowers growth projection for Middle East and North Africa
Fund says conflict and cuts in oil production are main factors behind its revised forecast
Policy-makers report progress in CBDC exploration
Central banks generally see promise in digital currencies, though one is halting research
Trends in reserve management 2024: survey results
Insights on geopolitical risk, AI, asset diversification, risk management and ESG adoption
Reserve managers brace for war
Geopolitical escalation could trigger inflationary and energy shocks, RMT survey finds
Policy-making amid war in Gaza
Bank of Israel has implemented a textbook crisis response, but uncertainty remains
Pakistan launches sovereign wealth fund
Struggling country transfers $8 billion of shares in seven state companies to new SWF
Russian legislators approve Islamic banking pilot
Two-year programme may attract foreign capital or appease restive minorities
IMF approves $3 billion short-term loan for Pakistan
Saudi Arabia and UAE provide $3 billion more as country tries to overcome crisis
Central Bank of Oman launches 24/7 RTGS
Oman will be connected to payment systems across the Arab world via AFAQ and Buna systems
The allure of private markets
SWFs have piled into the asset class while reserve managers remain wary, writes Blake Evans-Pritchard
Currency round-up: Ukraine issues war anniversary note
Caymans redesigning banknotes; Travelex expands wholesale business; and more
Rates round-up: Zimbabwe cuts policy rate to 150%
Azerbaijan raises rates 25bp; Qatar bucks Gulf trend; and more
Sanctions fear drives surge in central bank gold purchases
China, Turkey and India are largest declared buyers, while Russia probably bought big quantities
Morocco’s Jouahri on inflation, forex reform, digitalisation and sustainability
The Central Bank of Morocco governor speaks with Christopher Jeffery about Covid-19 policies, Fed tightening, BIS membership, regional co-operation and financial inclusion
Gulf central banks increase rates in line with Fed
Five banks raise rates 75bp, while Kuwait orders 25bp increase due to different currency peg
Communications Benchmarks 2022 – executive summary
Key findings of the 2022 report, including the ongoing shift to social media and the impact of Covid-19
Global markets: HSBC
The bank’s long-term commitment to clients and its wide range of expertise shone in 2021 as central banks navigated the aftermath of the Covid-19 shock
Saudi Arabia gives $3 billion to Egyptian central bank
Donation is pandemic aid, and follows similar deposit with Pakistan central bank