Central Banking
Hackers sabotage Bank of Israel website
Computer hackers forced the temporary closure of the Bank of Israel's website late last week.
Probe into rumour-mongering widens
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Britain is teaming up with other financial services watchdogs as part of an expanding investigation into allegations of market abuses surrounding sudden drops in the share prices of financial institutions.
FSA appoints new senior adviser after Rock fiasco
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Britain has appointed Naguib Kheraj as senior adviser to the newly created Supervisory Enhancement Programme (SEP).
Interest rate gap too large, says France
Christine Lagarde, the French minister of finance, has issued a guarded warning to the European Central Bank (ECB) not to raise rates.
Weber defends mark to market
Axel Weber, the president of the Deutsche Bundesbank, says it is crucial to stick to fair value accounting, especially under adverse market conditions.
San Francisco's Rudebusch on future of regulation
In this Fed Review, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Glenn Rudebusch, a senior vice president at the central bank, discusses recent initiatives by the Fed to promote liquidity and tackle ongoing problem in credit markets.
Denmark values euro's stabilising powers
The existence of the euro has been an advantage to the Danish economy during the current financial crisis, said Nils Bernstein, the governor of the National Bank of Denmark.
Reserve accumulation and price commitment
A new paper published by the International Monetary Fund finds that foreign-exchange interventions and a rapid accumulation of reserves can damage the anti-inflationary credibility of the monetary authority.
Philippines keep rates on hold
After implementing five cuts in the benchmark interest rate since July last year, the central bank of the Philippines kept interest rates unchanged at 5% on 24 April.
Russian central bank hints at broad tightening
Alexei Ulyukayev, the first deputy chairman of Russia's central bank, suggested on 22 April that monetary conditions may be tightened in the near future using a range of policy tools.
Big rate hike in Serbia
The National Bank of Serbia has raised its key policy rate to 15.25% from 14.5%. Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the central bank, said the move came in response to rising inflation, caused by growing salaries, record oil prices and political crisis.
Swiss join calls for bank pay reform
Jean-Pierre Roth, chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank, has urged a complete rethink of commercial banks' corporate governance and pay schedules in the wake of the credit crisis and recent trading scandals.
Rustamov explains Azerbaijani rate move
An increase in interest rates from 13% to 14% on 10 April will not have a direct impact on banks' rates, according Elman Rustamov, the chairman of the National Bank of Azerbaijan.
Sentance: pound matters for monetary policy
The weakening pound is adding to the upward pressures on costs and prices from global markets, said Andrew Sentance, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry.
Poland monetary policy cautious about hot money
The National Bank of Poland decided to raise the key interest rates by 25 basis points after resisting a 50 basis points rise, the minutes of the March monetary policy council meeting show.
A firm-wide view of risk exposure crucial
Risk concentrations at most financial conglomerates are still mainly identified, measured and managed within separate risk categories and business lines, notes the Joint Forum of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in a new review.
Canada's economic outlook
The deterioration in economic and financial conditions in the United States will have direct consequences for the Canadian economy, said Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada, at a press conference following the release of April's monetary…
New Zealand softens stance
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept rates on hold for the eighth-straight month on Thursday but signalled it may cut in the second half of 2008.
PPI measure adds to SARB's woe
South African producer price inflation (PPI) soared by 2% in February, leaving the year-on-year measure at 11.8%, data published on Thursday showed.
Lehman creates new role to woo SWFs
Lehman Brothers, an investment bank, has appointed Makram Azar, formerly the head of its media, consumer and retail investment banking businesses in Europe and the Middle East, to the new position of global head of sovereign wealth funds.
Norway raises rates to 5.5%
The Bank of Norway raised rates for the first time this year on Thursday on fears that inflation was set to breach its 2.5% target.
SARB - Financial Stability Review March 2008
Despite strong economic growth, Africa still faces a number of downside risks that could impact negatively on financial stability, the South African Reserve Bank states in its latest Financial Stability Review, published on Thursday.
Fed would examine SWF bank takeovers
The Federal Reserve would investigate any sovereign wealth fund taking a controlling interest in a US bank, Scott Alvarez, the general counsel at the central bank, said.
BoE's Jenkinson on liquidity risk
Developments in financial markets have increased the importance and complexity of liquidity risk management over the past decade, said Nigel Jenkinson, the executive director responsible for financial stability at the Bank of England.