Central Banking
Netherlands Bank blasts EU financial transaction tax proposals
Netherlands Bank warns of large financial and economic costs associated with the adoption of a financial transaction tax in Europe; says hard evidence of stability benefits are 'lacking'
EBA rejects claims of problems with banks’ recapitalisation plans
European Banking Authority slams reports 'purporting to contain factual information'; says majority of banks’ plans appear to be in line with EBA recommendations
FSA chief hails new twin peaks approach to regulation
Financial Services Authority head Hector Sants says approach to supervision of banks in the UK will be more proactive and judgement-based; warns of 'tick box' approach to regulation in Europe
Ndung’u discusses enhancing the supervisory framework in Kenya
Central Bank of Kenya governor Njuguna Ndung’u says issuance of new AML/CFT guidelines and payments systems oversight will improve integrity of Kenyan financial system
IMF paper finds inflexible exchange rate regimes most exposed to hot money
Fund study says relatively inflexible exchange rate regimes need to be counteracted by carefully designed macroprudential policies
High borrowing costs discourage Eastern European firms from tapping banks, says ECB paper
European Central Bank study says many firms in Eastern Europe are put off by the high interest rates charged by foreign banks for a loan
Inflation-targeting central banks should be dissuaded from dual mandate, says St Louis Fed paper
St Louis Federal Reserve study says how Federal Reserve should respond to aggregate supply shocks is unclear if it is to pursue inflation targeting under a dual mandate
Estonian central bank finds public retaining kroons as memento
Bank of Estonia study finds 81% of respondents are holding on to some kroon cash; not using it for savings shows confidence in the euro, says head of cash and security department
Sub-Saharan Africa regional FSB group discusses challenges faced
FSB regional group discusses 'particular' challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa; growing complexity of banking systems and cross-border spillover effects are causing concern
Dominican Republic confident in new inflation target; holds rates
Central Bank of the Dominican Republic leaves rates unchanged at first meeting since introducing a new inflation targeting framework; says it will meet 5.5% inflation target by the end of 2012
Italian banks may need state aid to hit 9% core capital, says Saccomanni
Bank of Italy director-general says country’s banks may require government assistance to meet stricter 9% core Tier I capital ratio; new deputy director Salvatore Rossi optimistic growth outlook
Czech central bank concerned over Esma's power
National supervisors should be responsible for their domestic institutions, says Czech National Bank
ECB paper captures effect of eurozone sovereign risk on bond spreads
European Central Bank study says both country-specific and contagion risk contributed to widening of sovereign bond spreads against the German Bund during the financial crisis
Central Bank of Iceland paper highlights limitations of inflation indexed bonds
Central Bank of Iceland study shows inflation index-linked bonds in US, UK and Iceland are unreliable measures of the real interest rate
Bernanke fears serious economic consequences from burgeoning deficit
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned that if the US budget was not brought under control soon, policymakers may not be able to respond to future economic shocks
IMF’s Shinohara urges emerging markets to rethink fiscal approach
Fund deputy managing director Naoyuki Shinohara says advanced economies must walk narrow path to address fiscal imbalances; emerging and developing nations should reconsider pace of adjustment
Fischer calls Israeli economy a ‘miracle’
Bank of Israel governor says peace deal is needed to achieve the growth and prosperity the country deserves; refuses to set timeline for returning interest rates to 'normal level'
Malaysian and Thai central banks agree deeper cooperation
Bank Negara Malaysia and the Bank of Thailand sign agreement to facilitate a cross-border collateral arrangement for eligible financial institutions in the countries
Hong Kong to launch new microfinance pilot scheme
Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation says it plans to issue up to HK$100 million worth of loans as part of three-year long trial
BoE's Posen continues crusade for SME credit
Posen laments decline of political interest in plans for credit easing for SMEs in the UK; reaffirms his drive to improve the provision of finance for smaller non-financial corporations
RBI's Subbarao highlights new ‘trilemma' facing central banks
Reserve Bank of India governor Duvvuri Subbarao says policy contribution of central banks to sustainable sovereign debt policies must be clarified to maintain independence
ECB paper finds evidence in support of exchange rate scapegoat theory
European Central Bank study shows expectations of frequent changes to structural parameters explains instability in the relationship between exchange rates and fundamentals
BoJ’s Yamaguchi warns of ‘vicious cycle’ from de-leveraging of European banks
Bank of Japan deputy governor Hirohide Yamaguchi says Japan should exercise vigilance over potential knock-on effects from introduction of higher capital ratios in Europe
Bargaining power in Swiss repo market more pronounced during crisis, says SNB paper
Swiss National Bank study shows the central bank was able to negotiate a significantly higher price with banks for repurchase agreements during the financial turmoil