Regulation
RBNZ mulls ANZ takeover
ANZ Banking Group has until Christmas to convince New Zealand's reserve bank about its plans for taking over the National Bank. Following the passage of a new Reserve Bank Act in August, the RBNZ must approve large-bank mergers in New Zealand.
Limit foreign takeovers, says Korean central bank
The Bank of Korea expressed its concern over growth in foreign ownership in the country's financial system on 21 December and called on the government to delay the privatisation of banks so that domestic buyers could be found.
Iran's money laundering bill in final stages
Training workshops for professionals could eliminate money laundering from Iran's financial system, according to deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Akbar Komeijani. "Events of September 11, 2001 in the US have sped up the process of passing…
Norway's Bergo on Crisis Resolution
In a speech on 'Crisis Resolution and Financial Stability in Norway' given on 10 December, Jarle Bergo of Norges Bank said banking crises have occurred at irregular intervals as long as banks have existed. And it could happen again. We need to be…
Spain's Caruana on int. market discipline
In a keynote speech at the Conference "Market Discipline: The Evidence across Countries and Industries" given on 1 November, Jaime Caruana of the Bank of Spain said that although banks and supervisors have much to do in the years ahead, we are confident…
Nyberg on financial stability surveillance
In a speech on 'Financial stability surveillance, Some Swedish experience' given on 10 December, Lars Nyberg of the Sveriges Riksbank said central banks need to acquire a better understanding of how the banks manage their liquidity, how they select their…
Caruana on the New Basel Capital Accord
In a speech to the Fifth Meeting of the Asian Program of the Institute of International Finance given on 17 November, Jaime Caruana, Chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, said three words have guided our work on the New Accord, namely…
Kazakhstan to create financial market regulator
Kazakhstan National Bank Chairman, Grigory Marchenko, has said the central bank has decided to establish a special agency to regulate the Kazakhstan financial market, subordinate to the President, in January 2004, according to a report by the Times of…
Offshore centres complain to WTO re FATF
A group of offshore centres have lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about the imposition of international money laundering rules by the FATF, Basel committee and OECD.
Former Boston Fed boss to head Freddie Mac
Richard Syron, president of the Boston Fed from 1989-94 and in charge during the bailout of New England's largest bank, was appointed chief executive and chairman of Freddie Mac on Sunday 7 December.
BIS Quarterly Review - Dec 2003
The latest quarterly offering from the BIS includes updates on the world economy, international banking, debt and derivative markets as well as special features on the credit spread puzzle; common factors in emerging market spreads; sovereign credit…
Should BOT be a watchdog?
This article published in The Nation, Thailand, asks whether a country's central bank should be involved with banking supervision. It looks at the moves to separate the supervision function from the central bank in countries such as Canada and…
New Chairman of the Joint Forum
Gay Huey Evans, Director of Markets at the UK Financial Services Authority, will succeed Jose Maria Roldan as Chairman of the Joint Forum, a group of experts working under the umbrella of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in January 2004. She…
Hardest working man in central banking
The title undoubtedly goes to Jaime Caruana, governor of the Bank of Spain, chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, and a member of the governing board of the European Central Bank. The frequent flyer miles are piling up as Mr Caruana…
BSP and SEC will jointly oversee money changers
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Securities and Exchange Commission have agreed jointly to monitor operations of money changers and non-bank remittance centers. The central bank will regulate these firms while the SEC will supervise them, BSP governor…
Euro Parliament: More emphasis on growth for Pact
Press release on the Stability and Growth Pact by the Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament, Christa Randzio-Plath MEP, 27 November. "A constructive debate on Stability and Growth Pact is needed: a political…
Dutch start negotiations on staff reduction
Central bankers throughout the euro area have their eyes anxiously fixed on the Netherlands. For it is there that the first really big job cuts in an national central bank (NCB) since the introduction of the euro are due to take place. The Netherlands…
Russian Duma adopts new law on currency controls
The Russian State Duma adopted a draft law "On currency regulation and currency control" on 21 November, according to ITAR-TASS. Under the law precious metals and stones will no longer be treated as currency assets and Russian citizens will be allowed to…
RBI forms finance advisory panel
The Reserve Bank of India has appointed an advisory committee on financial regulation which will be lead by deputy governor K. J. Udeshi, according to a report by PTI. The committee will meet once every two months to review the current regulatory regime…
ECB sees improvement in European banking sector
Bundesbank director and head of the ECB's banking supervisory committee Edgar Meister said, according to an AFP report, "Generally speaking, we do not consider that EU banking sector stability is at risk. Indeed, we perceive several signs that conditions…
Fed's Ferguson on regulatory capital
In a speech on 'The Proposed U.S. Approach to Regulatory Capital: An Update' given on 13 November, Roger Ferguson of the Federal Reserve said he considers the recent decisions reached by the Basel Committee to be a very good example of how supportable…
BoE's Large on financial stability
In a speech on 'Financial Stability: Maintaining Confidence in a Complex World' given on 17 November, Andrew Large of the Bank of England said he echoed the views expressed recently by Callum McCarthy, in his speech to the European Policy Forum. The FSAP…
IAIS launch improved website
The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) has launched its new improved website at www.iaisweb.org. The website includes an extensively improved navigation and information layout, an elegant new design, information on forthcoming…
US bank regulators assess impact of Basel accord
Speaking on Thursday 13 November, Fed Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson said U.S. regulators are gathering data on whether the complex new Basel II rules will disadvantage institutions that lend to small businesses, home buyers or consumers according to a…