Central Banking
FSA's Sants heralds "supervisory revolution"
Limitations of a purely principles-based regulatory regime have to be recognised, Hector Sants, the chief executive of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the British industry regulator, has conceded.
Canada's Longworth faults VaR
Methodologies based on Value at Risk (VaR) that are too dependent on short historical samples cause procyclicality, said David Longworth, a deputy governor of the Bank of Canada.
BoE's Barker confident on quantitative easing
Increasing the money supply is a significant move that will prop up the economy, said Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.
Buba on savings banks and liquid assets
Savings banks hold a higher amount of liquid assets for each unit of sight deposits than regulation requires, posits a new paper from the Bundesbank.
Basel Committee to raise capital ratios
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has said that it will raise capital requirements next year in order to ward off future episodes of economic and financial stress.
Switzerland to intervene to halt franc's gain
The Swiss National Bank pledged to curb the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro on Thursday and said that there was a risk of deflation over the next three years.
Emerging markets need higher inflation targets
Countries subject to higher levels of macroeconomic volatility may find it desirable to target a higher level of inflation, a new paper from the International Monetary Fund posits.
NZ's Bollard sees recovery soon
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut its key rate to a fresh record low on Thursday, but Alan Bollard, the governor of the Reserve Bank, signalled an economic recovery is not far off.
Estonia to be among first to recover: deputy
The risks to the Estonian economy have receded substantially and it may be one of the first country's to recover from the financial crisis, a deputy governor at the country's central bank has said.
Fed's Braunstein urges caution on lending rules
Any new laws on lending practices need to carefully target abuses without unduly restraining responsible credit, said Sandra Braunstein, the director of the division of consumer and community affairs of the Federal Reserve.
ECB Monthly Bulletin: March 09
The outlook for euro-area demand remains gloomy, says the latest Monthly Bulletin from the European Central Bank.
Central Bank of Belize - Annual Report 2007
In 2007, Belize experienced an economic downturn with GDP growth falling from 5.3% to 1.6%, notes the latest Annual Report from the country's central bank.
Brazil cuts to record low to boost sluggish growth
The Central Bank of Brazil cut its core interest rate, Selic, by 150 basis points on Wednesday after data out Tuesday indicated Brazil was much more vulnerable to the global economic crisis than previously assumed.
Norway SWF's share strategy prompts record loss
Norway's Government Pension Fund - Global booked its steepest yearly loss in its ten-year history on Wednesday after its strategy to invest a higher proportion of its wealth in equities backfired
Old Lady begins quantitative easing
The Bank of England began its first round of gilt purchases on Wednesday, buying £2 billion ($2.8 billion) of the instruments outright in an attempt to boost the money supply.
AIG cutting costs, Bernanke assures senator
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has moved to soothe Congressional anger over the bailout of American International Group (AIG), saying that the beleaguered insurer had been forced to adhere to strict cost-cutting measures, according to…
NY Fed names new senior VP for cash and custody
James Narron is the new senior vice president responsible for the cash and custody function at the New York Federal Reserve.
Recovery a long way off: Wellink
Despite strong interventions, recovery of the banking system seems a long way off, said Nout Wellink, the president of the Netherlands Bank and chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
Japan must take active role in regulatory revamp
Japan should be prepared to play an active part in the discussions over a new international system of financial regulation, said Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy Council.
Sacking preferable to lower pay for firms
Firms prefer to sack workers rather than cut their pay, a new paper from the National Bank of Belgium reveals.
Barbados' Williams: watch conglomerates
There is further room for improvement in conglomerate supervision, said Marion Williams, the governor of the Central Bank of Barbados.
Zambia asks IMF for help to boost reserves
Zambia is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loans of about $200m to help bolster its foreign-currency stockpile.
Taking Santiago forward: a 12-point plan
Sven Behrendt, an associate scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, presents a blueprint for a 12-point action plan on how the International Working Group of Sovereign Wealth Funds could move forward with the industry code of conduct…
IMF sees global economy shrinking in 2009
The world economy is set to shrink in 2009, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said on Tuesday.