Regulation
CBK to get increased regulatory powers
Under proposed changes, the Central Bank of Kenya will have additional powers to monitor and regulate the banking industry. The ministry of finance will transfer banking licensing, regulation and disciplinary authority to the CBK, the East African…
Report says Basel II will cost banks 20-30bn euros
Applying capital requirements under a new accord drafted by the Basel committee should cost European banks 20-30 billion euros between 2002 and 2006, a study prepared for the European Commission has estimated.
Philippines may stay on FATF list
The Philippines may have to wait another year before it can be removed from the list of so-called "uncooperative" countries by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF,) Governor Rafael Buenaventura of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Monday 31 May.
Geithner: Perspectives on the US financial system
In a speech on 'Perspectives on the U.S. Financial System' given on 27 May, Timothy Geithner of the New York Fed said banking supervisors are engaged in a never-ending "arms race" with the increasingly complex financial system they are supposed to…
Exchanging views on central banking issues
At the opening on Tuesday 25 May of the Joint Eurosystem, Bank of Russia Seminar in Helsinki the participants were welcomed by Matti Louekoski, Acting Governor of the Bank of Finland. He stressed that the Russian Federation has been enjoying rapid…
Beijing forum on banking and finance opens
four hundred bankers from China and overseas, financial institution representatives and banking supervisors gathered in Beijing on Wednesday 19 May to discuss China's banking and financing issues at a high-profile forum.
Fed's Bies on corporate governance
In a speech on 'Corporate Governance: Where Do We Go From Here?' given on 19 May, Susan Schmidt Bies of the Federal Reserve repeated on Wednesday that banks involved in setting up structured finance deals need to ensure they are undertaken for proper…
China's PBOC considers new plan on NPLs
The People's Bank of China is considering adopting an aggressive new strategy to offload another 200 bln yuan in non-performing loans (NPLs) from the Bank of China and China Construction Bank, as the government steps up its efforts to clean up the nation…
SARB Financial Stability Review, March 2004
The South African Reserve Bank has published the first edition of its Financial Stability Review for March 2004. This explains some of the approaches used in both a quantitative analysis of the various financial-stability indicators and a qualitative…
IMF urges better bank monitoring in NZ
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's monitoring of banks may not give enough information "at the onset of a sudden crisis", according to the International Monetary Fund.
Trichet on the current state of EU banking sector
In a speech on 'The current state of the EU banking sector' given on 5 May, Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said a number of challenges remain both for banks and authorities, in particular, in the structural domain. Several EU countries are still faced…
Basel II talks over by end June - Caruana
Financial regulators expect to end talks to redraft global banking regulations, known as Basel II, by the end of June, Jaime Caruana, head of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, was quoted as saying on Tuesday 27 April.
Sweden's Heikensten on European banking
In a speech on 'The Integration of European Banking: Some Regulatory Challenges' given on 21 April, Lars Heikensten of the Sveriges Riksbank said in order to gain the full benefits of financial integration, we must build a regulatory framework which…
Malaysia to adopt 2-phase Basel II approach
Malaysia will adopt a 2-phase approach towards the Basel II banking accord, said Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
Basel supervisors urge more work on terror funds
Top banking supervisors on Wednesday called for more action to deprive terrorists of funding by sharing information and cracking down on informal money transfer networks.
Abu Dhabi to host hawala conference in April
The United Arab Emirates central bank will hold the Second International Conference on hawala in Abu Dhabi on 3rd & 4th April, 2004.
Viyuygin to take up post at Russian regulator
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Wednesday (24 March) appointed Oleg Vyugin, deputy chairman of the Russian central bank, as chairman of the national securities market regulator, the government said.
Bank of England told to freeze HAMAS assets
The Bank of England, as agent for Her Majesty's Treasury, on Wednesday 24 March directed financial institutions that any funds which they hold for or on behalf of the individuals named below must be frozen.
Court hears Eddie George was misled over BCCI
The court case into the collapse of the BCCI in London heard this week that former Bank of England governor Eddie George was misled by a senior official at the Bank.
Park on Korea's bank supervisory arrangements
In a speech on 'Korea's experience in the choice of bank supervisory arrangements' given on 12 February, Dr Seung Park of the Bank of Korea said he thinks it is crucial that the supervisory agency be required to consult with the central bank before the…
Basel regulators press US over accord, say sources
Reports on Monday 8 March said that European regulators have given the US a deadline of 1 April for proposals required to finish the Basel II agreement, with concern from top central bankers that the accord be completed on time.
China plans central bank inspection
China plans to launch an extensive inspection of the central bank as well as three policy banks and five commercial banks, in an effort to strengthen state supervision over China's ailing banking sector, the official news agency said.
FATF strengthens global anti-money laundering
The Financial Action Task Force announced on Friday 27 February at its Plenary meeting that, due to substantial reforms by the Ukraine and Egypt, it has removed the two countries from its list of Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories (NCCTs).
Finland central bank bill withdrawn
A controversial bill that would have given the Finnish government the right to grab central bank funds has been withdrawn.