Central Banking
UK opposition party call for more power for Bank
David Cameron and George Osborne, two senior politicians from Britain's main opposition party, the Conservatives, are pressing for the Bank of England to take on more responsibility for financial regulation.
Top European politicians attack SWFs
Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, on Saturday criticised the hypocrisy of sovereign wealth funds which are keen to buy foreign firms but disallow outside ownership in their own economies. His comments followed those of Charlie McCreevy, an EU…
Saudi must diversify investments, says top bank
The National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia's largest state bank, has called on the government to set up a sovereign wealth fund to cut the country's exposure to the greenback. The central bank should also look at de-pegging the riyal from the dollar.
ECB should discuss inflation disparities
The divergence between actual eurozone inflation and that perceived by the public in a number of euro area countries represents a communication challenge for the European Central Bank, says Lucas Papademos, the vice-president.
Stability not gradualism has influenced UK MPC
The relative paucity of rate changes at the Bank of England since the institution became independent in 1997 is down to the increased stability of inflation and output growth, rather than a rise in the degree of gradualism, research published by the Bank…
National Bank of Cambodia - Annual Report 2006
The Cambodian economy expanded by an impressive 10.4% in 2006, buoyed by structural reform aimed at enhancing economic competitiveness and reducing poverty.
China's Liu on problems plaguing property market
Excessively rapid price growth in certain cities, an irrational supply and demand structure and the inability of low income families to afford housing in the domestic real estate market are worrying officials at the People's Bank of China, says Liu Shiyu…
Injections were vital: Deutsche Bank's Ackermann
Central banks' liquidity injections were crucial in averting the collapse of financial institutions, said Josef Ackermann, the chairman of Deutsche Bank.
Rock repays Bank debt with JPMorgan sale
Northern Rock, the beleaguered British mortgage lender, is to pay back some of its Bank of England debt through the sale of a mortgage portfolio worth £2.2 billion to JPMorgan, the- American investment bank.
Tanzania's Ballali fired over central bank fraud
Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania's president, has sacked Daudi Ballali, the governor of the Bank of Tanzania, after external auditors found massive fraud at the central bank.
Turkish central bank set for Istanbul move
The Central Bank of Turkey will relocate to Istanbul in spite of objections from the institution's staff, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister said on Thursday.
Chile raises rates
The Central Bank of Chile voted on Thursday to hike rates by 25 basis points to 6.25%.
Peruvian rates hit 5.25% on inflation fears
The Central Bank of Peru's rate-setting board raised rates to 5.25%.
Complex rules pose a threat to stability
Opaque regulations not only deepen financial instability but also raise the likelihood of banking crises, research published by the Bank of Korea finds.
Japanese business prepares for e-money surge
The number of payment devices for processing e-money transactions in Japan is set to almost double by 2010 as the payment method gains popularity with consumers.
France's Noyer: new rules for ratings agencies
Christian Noyer, the governor of the Banque de France, highlighted three areas in which the regulation of rating agencies needs to improve in the wake of the credit crunch.
Bank of Guatemala - Annual Report 2006
The Bank of Guatemala's monetary policy decisions in 2006 considered the volatility of global oil prices and the dynamism of the international economy, the annual report for that year revealed.
Rock action set for wider ambit
The scope of the regulatory response to Northern Rock will be much broader than originally anticipated, Alistair Darling, the British chancellor of the exchequer, said on Thursday.
Fed ready to act on worsening outlook: Bernanke
The Federal Reserve looks set to cut rates further after its chairman, Ben Bernanke, said central bank policy would look to counter the increasing risk of an economic slowdown.
UK rates held at 5.5%
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) on Thursday voted to keep the benchmark bank rate at 5.5%.
ECB holds rates, warns of inflation risk
The European Central Bank kept rates on hold at 4% on Thursday, with its president, Jean-Claude Trichet, reiterating that upside risks to price stability were "fully confirmed".
Czech governor misquoted on currency comments
Comments attributed to Zdenik Tuma, the governor of the Czech National Bank, which led to exchange rate fluctuations, have misquoted him, the Czech National Bank has said.
IMF growth forecasts fall on purchasing power data
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its growth estimate for 2007 by half a percentage point after reviewing research published by the International Comparison Program, a global statistical initiative involving over 100 countries.
Muto lists criteria for Bank of Japan decisions
The Bank of Japan should assess three phenomena when deciding on monetary policy, says Toshiro Muto, a deputy governor.