Central Banking
Financial-stability stress testing at BoE
Nigel Jenkinson, an executive director at the Bank of England, set out plans for a suite of models to map the effects of financial system stress.
ECB - annual report 2006
Presented by Jean-Claude Trichet to Parliament on Friday, the ECB's 250-page report surveys economic developments in the eurozone and looks at changes in central bank operations over 2006.
Canada's monetary policy update
Two days after raising rates, the Bank of Canada published its update on monetary policy. "Some modest further increase in the policy rate may be required," it says.
Inflation surprise lifts New Zealand dollar
New Zealand's benchmark interest rate is widely expected to be raised by a quarter of a percentage point to a record level of 8.25% next week, after a report published today revealed that inflation has risen faster than the Reserve Bank anticipated. The…
Choose Fund head on merit - Colombia's Uribe
Jose Dario Uribe, the governor of the central bank of Colombia, says it is still too early to select a candidate to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to succeed Rodrigo de Rato, who will leave the Fund in October.
Tanzanian governor "will not resign"
The governor of the Bank of Tanzania, Daudi Ballali, called a special press conference at the end of last week in which he denounced mounting allegations against him as "malicious lies and fabrications" and said he had no intention of resigning.
Sarkozy tones down ECB rhetoric
French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, appears to have relented to pressure from other European leaders over his repeated criticism of the European Central Bank (ECB). The newly-elected leader said on 16 July that he supported the central bank's independence.
New regulator for Qatar
Qatar is to follow the international trend towards an integrated approach to the regulation of various financial products, services and institutions. Work is under way to create a fully-integrated regulatory and legal environment for financial services.
Dutch finance minister keen on Islamic banking
The Dutch finance minister, Wouter Bos, is calling for an investigation into the possibility of developing Islamic banking in the Netherlands.
Su heads Chinese central bank's Shanghai office
Su Ning, a deputy governor of the People's Bank of China is to be chief of its Shanghai office. Su succeeds Xiang Junbo, who has been appointed as the president of the Agricultural Bank of China.
Monetary integration in Southern Africa
This IMF working paper finds that the current Common Monetary Area (CMA) agreements between South African, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia, although not a full monetary union, have delivered many benefits of a full monetary union.
US plays catch up on Basel II
The Federal Reserve's Randall Kroszner noted that while many countries are implementing Basel II, US regulators are still finalising the rules.
MAS chief on financial risk and innovation
Ten years on from the Asian financial crisis, Heng Swee Keat, managing director, of Monetary Authority of Singapore, opened the first annual Risk Management Institute Research Conference.
ECB paper on Fed and ECB response to shocks
This ECB working paper employs a medium-scale dynamic general equilibrium model with financial frictions to contrast the policy responses of the ECB and the Federal Reserve to economic shocks since 2001.
Mohohlo slams Fund and Bank governance deficit
In a speech to the executive directors of the IMF, Linah Mohohlo, the governor of the Bank of Botswana blasts America and Europe for what she describes as a sense of entitlement in the appointment of the heads of the World Bank and the Fund.
Sants named as new FSA chief executive
Hector Sants has been appointed chief executive of Britain's Financial Services Authority (FSA). He will take up the post on 20 July 2007, succeeding John Tiner who steps down at the Annual Public Meeting on 19 July.
Zimbabwe to jettison release of inflation data
Recent media reports have highlighted the state of chaos in the management of the Zimbabwean economy, with central bank governor, Gideon Gono, seen as fighting a losing battle again the country's president, Robert Mugabe.
New foreign exchange strategy in New Zealand
Allan Bollard, the governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, announced on 13 July that the central bank will move away from its current practice of matching its foreign assets to its foreign liabilities.
Croatian governor turns away German bank
eljko Rohatinski, the governor of the Croatian National Bank, refused to allow a German bank to return to the country after its role in a crisis five years ago.
Chile announces first rate rise in a year
The Central Bank of Chile raised interest rates for the first time in a year and hinted that there was more to come. In a widely anticipated move, the central bank's five-strong board raised rates 25 basis points to 5.25%.
US watchdogs mull hedge fund regulation
After hearing testimonies on developments in the hedge fund industry, the Financial Services Committee of the American House of Representatives has suggested that tighter regulation of the industry may be required.
Lawmakers turn-up heat on Georgian governor
Speculation that the governor of the National Bank of Georgia, Roman Gotsiridze, may resign intensified after parliament passed a resolution calling for changes at the central bank.
Latvia leaves rates on hold
The Bank of Latvia's Council voted to leave its refinancing rate unchanged at 6% noting that its anti-inflation plan was starting to take effect and there were the first signs of a stabilisation in the real estate market.
Lack of experience costs the Bank
Alex Brummer, a veteran economic commentator, criticised the Bank of England's monetary policy makers, their appointment process and their performance.