Regulation
RBA supervises credit card payment systems
AUSTRALA - The Reserve Bank of Australia took supervisory control of Australian credit card service fees on Apr 12, putting under threat A$600 million in fees the banks earn from Bankcard, MasterCard and VISA schemes.
Malaysia Citibank's Noorazman to head LOFSA
MALAYSIA - Citibank's vice-president Noorazman Abdul Aziz has been appointed the new director-general of Labuan Offshore Financial Service Authority, or LOFSA, replacing Mohd Razif Abdul Kadir.
Eichel sets out vision for financial regulation
GERMANY - The German finance ministry unveiled on Apr 11 draft legislation to shake up the structure of the country's central bank and supervisory agencies in response to the arrival of the euro and changes in financial markets.
Parliament re-elects BNB vice governor
BULGARIA - The Bulgarian parliament reelected Emilia Milanova as vice governor of the central bank in charge of banking supervision.
Clementi-Basel Accord must avoid pro-cyclicality
UNITED KINGDOM - The world's banks and the financial system as a whole should make sure risk-sensitive capital requirements set out in the new Basel Accord don't aggravate cyclical economic downturns, Bank of England deputy governor David Clementi said…
Ex-central bank official to lead Ito-Yokado bank
JAPAN - Ito-Yokado Co Ltd, Japan's biggest retail group, said on Apr 10 it would appoint central bank veteran Takashi Anzai, 59, as president of its new IY Bank.
Best practice-monitoring financial stability risks
CENTRAL BANK RESEARCH - The Bank for International Settlements has published a new book "Marrying the macro- and microprudential dimensions of financial stability" which is contributed to by senior central bankers from all round the world and looks at…
BIS Stability Forum's 'to do list'
ARTICLE - The Financial Stability Fourm (FSF), following its meeting on 22/23 March in Washington DC, has released a paper revealing the progress of dozens of initiatives now underway to bolster financial system soundness.
HK to fully deregulate interest rates in July 2001
HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said Apr 9, 2001 the territory's interest rates will be fully liberalized when the deregulation that covers Hong Kong dollar savings and current accounts goes ahead as scheduled July 3.
Financial education should begin early-Greenspan
UNITED STATES - Consumers should become familiar with the basics of personal finance at a relatively young age, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Apr 6 in remarks that did not touch on the U.S. economy or monetary policy.
Low inflation: Implications for the FSA
RESEARCH - Ed Harley and Stephen Davies from the UK's Financial Services Authority have written a paper which considers the risks to the FSA's objectives arising from the move to the current low inflation environment in the UK. The authors conclude that…
Euro-area banking at the crossroads-IMF paper
RESEARCH - This IMF working paper by the European I department looks at the institutional arrangements for euro-area banking supervision. The authors endorse stronger cross-border coordination among supervisory authorities but notes that more formal…
Ecuador appoints Davila as top bank supervisor
ECUADOR - Ecuador's Congress ended a nearly five-month search for a banking superintendent on Apr 5, appointing former central bank head Miguel Davila to the post after rejecting several other candidates.
Slovakia approves central bank law amendment
SLOVAKIA - The Slovak parliament said on Apr 6 it had approved an amendment to the law on the central bank, aimed at harmonising the act with the European Union legislation.
FSA hosts major Basel conference-Apr 10-11
UNITED KINGDOM - The UK's Financial Services Authority is organising a two day conference in London on April 10-11 which will be a key milestone in the UK consultation on the revised Basel Capital Accord and the European Commission's proposals for…
Role of research in the policy process-Gramlich
SPEECH - US Federal Reserve governor Edward Gramlich gave a speech on Apr 5, 2001, about the usefulness of private sector research into financial services for helping the Fed measure up and assess how well its laws and regulations are achieving their…
Sri Lankan cbank amends finance firm rules
SRI LANKA - Finance companies in Sri Lanka will now be allowed to accept deposits from the public for up to five years instead of three years, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in a statement on Apr 5, 2001.
India's SEBI chairman likely to be replaced-paper
INDIA - The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) D.R. Mehta is likely to be replaced as part of government changes after a recent stock market crisis, a financial daily said on April 3, 2001.
IMF articles on reform and restructuring in Asia
ARTICLES - The International Monetary Fund has published the March issue of its quarterly magazine Finance and Development. There are six articles on reform and restructuring in Asia. Other articles on the role of capital in development, the effect of…
Canadian regulator fakes website to warn investors
The Ontario Securities Commission, regulator of Canada's largest stock market, has established a fake website (www.NoRiskWealth.ca) as a cautionary demonstration to gulable online investors
Is the crisis problem growing more severe?
ARTICLE - In the latest issue of journal Economic Policy, economist Barry Eichengreen et al ask whether financial crises are becoming more frequent and more disruptive. Looking back over 120 years of financial history, the authors find that there is …
IMF is 'well equipped to tackle crises'
ARTICLE - In a letter to the editor of The Straits Times, the IMF's director of external relations, Thomas Dawson, hits back at the newspaper's suggestions that the IMF's policies in Asia, Russia and now Turkey have been failures.
New bill strengthens NBS supervisory powers
SLOVAKIA - The new bill on banks, which was approved by the Slovak government on Mar 28, 2001, should boost the powers of the National Bank of Slovakia to carry out banking supervision.
Oman central bank to host supervision seminar
OMAN - The Central Bank of Oman will host a regional seminar on banking supervision organised by Switzerland's Financial Stability Institute of the Bank for International settlements.