Central Banking
PMA's Alwazir: reform agenda continues
The recent escalation of the conflict with Israel wreaked havoc on Gaza's banking sector. But the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) has ploughed on with its reform efforts
Bernanke moots Fed for systemic-risk role
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, on Tuesday called for the Fed to be involved in "some capacity" in monitoring system-wide threats to financial markets. His comments came as part of a raft of proposals to overhaul regulation in America…
BoJ may need to buy shares: ex-deputy Muto
Toshiro Muto, a former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan who was in the running to succeed Toshihiko Fukui as head of the central bank, has admitted that the central bank may need to bolster the country's leading stock index.
Fed's Hoenig criticises Tarp
Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve, has criticised the Troubled Assets Relief Programme (Tarp) for its lack of a clear set of principles and said that its implementation appears ad hoc and opaque in dealing with banks judged…
Report offers praise for derivatives players
A report from a group of central banks and financial regulators finds that financial-services firms, dealers, buy-side companies and service providers managed their credit derivatives in an orderly manner with no major operational disruptions or…
One-sector inflation model insufficient
One-sector models for determining the optimal rate of inflation are insufficient, finds a new paper from the Richmond Federal Reserve.
Bundesbank makes biggest profit since 2001
The Bundesbank posted €6.3 billion ($8 billion) profit last year, it emerged on Tuesday.
MNB responds to forint sell-off
The Hungarian National Bank said it is prepared to use all the policy tools available to defend the forint, which came under pressure on foreign exchange markets last week.
SEC to revamp whistleblower procedures
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US stock-market regulator, has announced a sweeping review of the way it handles whistleblower complaints and tip-offs.
Tory report backs greater BoE role
A report commissioned by the opposition Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has suggested that the tripartite system for financial stability, involving the Bank of England, the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has failed and…
De Grauwe fears beggar-thy-neighbour policies
A lack of coordination between the world's leading central banks in the current crisis raises concerns over a return to beggar-thy-neighbour policies, a leading European economist has argued.
RBI's Gopinath on CRAs
Capital requirements that are based solely on credit ratings will need to be replaced by a more granular and nuanced approach, said Shyamala Gopinath, a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
NY Fed's Dudley: deleveraging not over
The deleveraging process in the global financial system is still far from complete, said William Dudley, the president of the New York Federal Reserve.
Kenya needs an FSA - Nyangito
Kenya's policymakers should begin thinking about the establishment of a single financial regulator along the lines of Britain's Financial Services Authority, said Hezron Nyangito, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.
House price spillovers low in eurozone
Spillovers between countries from shocks to house prices across eurozone are of a relatively low magnitude, a new paper from the European Central Bank finds.
Failure to see big picture fuelled boom: IMF
An inability by officials to see the "big picture threat" of a growing asset-price boom was a key cause of the current crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday.
Russia bans SWFs from holding US agency debt
Moscow has banned its sovereign wealth funds from holding US agency debt, declaring the paper too illiquid.
Nordic crunch's key lesson: avoid party politics
The Nordic credit crisis in the 1990s revealed that a united stance by politicians is crucial in averting a financial meltdown, the head of the Bank of Finland's research department has said.
Poland not seeking IMF support: Skrzypek
Slawomir Skrzypek, the governor of the National Bank of Poland, has confirmed that the country will not require International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing.
China's Zhou promises rapid action if needed
Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the People's Bank of China, has pledged to act speedily and forcefully to prevent a slump in confidence during the financial crisis.
ECB's Bini Smaghi: go easy with easing
It is unsound to ease monetary policy too much too soon, even when insuring against the worst-case deflationary scenario, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
Inter-sectoral dependence key for stress tests
Bank stress tests should take into account inter-sectoral dependencies, finds a new paper from the Bundesbank.
Japanese companies with strong ties lose out
Japanese firms with strong bank ties are less profitable, finds a new paper from the Bank for International Settlements.
National Bank of Kazakhstan - Annual Report 2007
In 2007, the National Bank of Kazakhstan gave priority to financial rather than price stability, says the central bank in its latest Annual Report.