Regulation
Sanctions threat to 'opaque' tax haven
UK - The government is considering imposing sanctions on Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, if it fails to comply with international action to force tax havens to improve financial transparency.
UK to encourage Islamic mortgages
UK - Moves by the UK Treasury and the Bank of England to encourage Islamic mortgages, investments and current accounts in Britain may be under way.
India frees up bank investment rules
INDIA - Shares in India's leading banks have jumped by as much as 20%, after the government relaxed its rules on foreign investment.
Latvian parliament approves bank's vice president
LATVIA - The Latvian parliament Thursday almost unanimously approved as central bank vice-president Andris Ruselis, recommended for the office by Bank of Latvia president.
Barclays chief hits out at watchdogs
UK - The head of banking giant Barclays has warned City watchdogs against imposing overzealous regulation, or risk seeing financial services business lost abroad.
Some EU countries already vying for No. 2 ECB spot
EUROPE - Just days after Wim Duisenberg announced he would resign next year as president of the European Central Bank, some countries began suggesting they would like one of their own in the central bank's No. 2 seat, which opens up at the end of May…
Speech by William Poole of the St. Louis Fed Bank
SPEECH - In the speech titled 'The Role of Anecdotal Information in Fed Policymaking' Poole said that with formal data giving an incomplete and often delayed picture of the economy, including in the key areas of growth and inflation, anecdotal…
Succession scramble at ECB
FEATURE - For those few who enjoy the subtleties of central banking politics, a glacial but important semantic change has occurred over the past couple of years.
New US stock market rules unveiled
US - The US stock market regulator has proposed new rules for faster corporate disclosures, in the first reform taken in the wake of the Enron scandal.
Havel to re-appoint Niedermayer to CNB Bank Board
CZECH REPUBLIC - President Vaclav Havel will re-appoint central bank CNB vice-governor Ludek Niedermayer, whose six-year mandate would expire on 27 February, to the Bank Board for another term on Friday, presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek told CTK…
Polish govt strategy breeds more caution
POLAND - Two weeks after Poland's left-wing government issued an ambitious five-year strategy to kick-start slumping economic growth, the National Bank of Poland has maintained a stony silence.
Latvian parl't approves Ruselis c.bank deputy head
LATVIA - A Latvian parliament spokeswoman said on Thursday lawmakers approved financier Andris Ruselis as the central bank deputy president, whose tasks will include preparing the country for eventual adoption of the euro.
Poll dares to ask: Who will succeed Greenspan?
FEATURE - A panel of prominent economists this week pondered a question that many Wall Street investors find unthinkable: Who will take the helm of the world's most powerful central bank when Alan Greenspan leaves?
Speech by Dr Y.V. Reddy of Reserve Bank of India
SPEECH - In the speech Reddy says the complexities relating to the global financial system in the context of strong national interests continuing to dominate public policy viewed in the light of Indian experience warrant, more than a legal basis,…
Chavez appoints new head of state oil company
VENEZUELA - President Hugo Chavez on Saturday appointed a leftist central banker as head of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), a move that observers said sets the stage for foreign exchange controls and which will financially damage Latin…
Greek media touts Papademos to replace ECB's Noyer
GREECE - Greek media has begun touting Bank of Greece Governor Lucas Papademos as a leading candidate to take over as vice president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
Havel probably breached law with c bank account
CZECH REPUBLIC - President Vaclav Havel has probably been violating the law for many years, the tabloid Super writes today.
Israeli regulators warn banks
ISRAEL - Israeli regulators warned commercial banks they looked to be inadequately covered against a surge in foreign-currency lending last year and urged them to tighten standards.
Laundering Bill will tighten rules, Jalan tells US
INDIA - The US has asked India to "redouble efforts against hawala" as part of the proposed measure to combat terrorist financing, Kenneth Dam, deputy secretary, US treasury department, told the media on Monday.
China to concentrate on supervision in 2002
CHINA - The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China's central bank, will focus its attention on reinforcing financial supervision in the year 2002, said Dai Xianglong, governor of the PBOC.
Tobin tax, regulation may win favour-Swede cbanker
SWEDEN - Capital market regulation and the idea of a levy on speculative foreign exchange transactions, a "Tobin tax", may gain favour among politicians after a decade of currency crises, Sweden's central bank said on Monday.
Treasury's Taylor favoured as Greenspan heir
US - US Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor is the top pick to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve among an influential group of economists.
Pakistan central bank chief suffers heart attack
PAKISTAN - Dr Ishrat Hussain, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, suffered a heart attack last Wednesday.
Beijing toughens bank rules
CHINA - After a call by China's top leadership to strengthen supervision of the country's troubled financial system, the central bank on Friday unveiled a program for tighter inspection of bank finances.