Central Banking Journal
Global custodian of the year: Northern Trust
A clear and committed focus on servicing assets on behalf of sovereign clients – both big and small – combined with a robust technology platform made Northern Trust stand out last year
Asset manager of the year: BlackRock
Improved customer service and impressive investment capabilities in all types of strategies across a wide range of asset classes around the world made BlackRock the stand-out asset manager in 2013
Payments and clearing technology provider of the year: VocaLink
VocaLink has excelled by building the infrastructure for a new accounts switching service in the UK and exporting its pioneering Faster Payments platform overseas
Website of the year: Bank of Spain
The Spanish central bank demonstrated formidable attention to detail in the design of its website, producing an end-product that is both well-designed and simple-to-use for all end-users
Risk management technology provider of the year: OpenLink
Its versatility of infrastructure has allowed OpenLink to thrive in a changing technological environment to meet new central banking demands
Transparency award: Sveriges Riksbank
Sveriges Riksbank, the Swedish central bank, plays a pioneering role in central bank openness and clear communications
Has the global financial crisis dented central bank independence?
Grace Koshie looks at the post-crisis role of central banks, examining issues of fiscal dominance and weaker policy freedom in an increasingly inter-connected world demanding ever-greater transparency
Central bankers face tough monetary policy dilemmas
Central bankers around the world need to rethink their approaches to monetary policy
OECD’s William White fears global economic system is still highly unstable
William White tells Christopher Jeffery he is wary of placing too much reliance on the ‘science’ of monetary or regulatory policy. He also believes the world economic system is still out of balance
Monetary policy is the incorrect tool to curb asset bubbles
There is no evidence the use of monetary policy in Sweden to keep household debt in check actually works. Such a policy only undermines employment and results in the Riksbank breaching its mandate
Kazakhstan’s integration of alternative assets into its reserves management
Resource-rich Kazakhstan has embraced alternatives through the creation of a new fund to drive returns and improve diversification of its foreign reserves. Yeszhan Birtanov reports
Developing countries focused on financial inclusion are reshaping central banking
Efforts in developing and emerging economies to promote financial inclusion for the world’s 2.5 billion unbanked population offer lessons to their developed world peers
New central bank mandates raise operational challenges
Central bankers face a raft of policy and operational challenges as their institutions take on new mandates and expanded responsibilities. By Martina Horáková, Tristan Carlyle and Arvid Ahlund
ECB to relax CCBM collateral deposit rules from May 2014
Benoît Cœuré says the rule change will pave the way for support of cross-border, tri-party collateral management services from September next year; warns Sepa deadline looks tight for many
Turning forward guidance into 20:20 vision
The Bank of England’s vision of forward guidance is incomplete and could shake confidence in the central bank’s policy framework.
A turning point for Greece and the euro
The seeds of Greece’s financial crisis are also present in many other modern democracies, writes Herbert Grubel. Currency union offers a politically expedient way to prevent such crises
Reserve accumulation enhances welfare if coupled with capital controls
Foreign reserve accumulation is part and parcel of a growth strategy based on strong capital investment in a financially constrained economy, according to a Banque de France research paper
Rajan faces daunting challenges as he takes over as RBI governor
Raghuram Rajan faces a raft of monetary policy, governance and financial stability challenges when he takes over as governor of the Reserve Bank of India next week, writes Hugh Sandeman
Getting to grips with monetary policy?
Global co-operation on monetary policy remains out of reach
Europe could learn from Germany’s macro-prudential approach
Germany’s approach to macro-prudential oversight could offer insights into how to democratise ‘hard’ policy tools and enshrine independence at a time when more power is being transferred to the ECB