Central Banking
Weber on monetary policy and communication
Communication is an important element in fostering the effectiveness of monetary policy, explained Axel Weber, the president of Germany's Bundesbank.
Bank of Lithuania - Annual Report 2006
Lithuania's chance of joining the euro will be after 2010, the governor of the central bank candidly admits in the annual report for 2006.
Basel II and risk management in the Philippines
As the Philippines gears up for Basel II, Amando Tetangco, Jr, the central bank's governor set out areas where the central bank could work with the banking system to improve risk management processes.
BIS Quarterly Review, June 2007
Published on June 11, the Bank of International Settlements' Quarterly Review features articles on the bond market term premium, statistics on payments, recent episodes of credit card distress in Asia, and liquidity in the Brazilian government bond…
Three new directors for the Bank of Canada
Jim Flaherty, Canada's minister of finance, named three new directors for the central bank's board.
Iraqi central banker dies in ambush
A senior official from Iraq's central bank died after his car was ambushed by gunmen in Mosul on Monday.
PBoC issues rules to combat terrorist financing
China's central bank has set out new rules for the finance industry designed to combat the movement of money suspected of being used for terrorist purposes.
Trichet's verdict on euro hopefuls
Speaking at a press conference after the ECB's rate rise last week, Jean-Claude Trichet, gave his assessment of countries striving to join the euro.
NZ dollar falls after central bank sales
New Zealand's dollar fell against the US dollar and yen as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand intervened to sell the kiwi.
SARB raises rates as inflation soars
The South African Reserve Bank raised the key repo interest rate by 50 basis points to 9.5% on 7 June, after inflation surged through the upper band of the central bank's 3% to 6% target range in April.
Dealing with globalisation - Iceland's Oddsson
Opening a conference in Iceland the governor of the central bank, David Oddsson, set out what he sees as the main challenges for small open economies with independent currencies in dealing with globalisation.
Chicago Fed paper on mobile payments
Will mobile payments go the way of the stalled smart-card revolution of the 1990s? This Chicago Fed letter looks at these new payments fit into the larger payment system.
German parliament approves Bundesbank board cuts
The upper house of the German parliament has approved legislation to allow two seats to be cut from the board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the country's central bank.
No policy shift for currency, says UAE governor
Investors expecting the dollar-pegged dirhan to appreciate received a strong message yesterday from the governor of the United Arab Emirates central bank, Sultan Nasser Al Suwedi, who said "We rule out any change for the forseeable future".
South Korea keeps key rate unchanged at 4.5%
The central bank of South Korea today decided to keep its key interest rate steady for the tenth month in succession, in an effort to boost economic recovery.
Reforming the IMF
The latest meeting of the IMF's executive board discussed key elements of the Fund's reform agenda: modernising its surveillance or economic oversight, bringing members' voting shares in line with their economic weight, developing a sustainable income…
Latvia: Annual Report
While Latvia enjoyed rapid economic growth in 2006 - the highest in EU - this was tempered by signs of macroeconomic imbalance, the governor noted in the central bank's annual report.
Peru's rates steady as inflation remains subdued
Peru's central bank yesterday held the overnight lending rate unchanged for the thirteenth consecutive month at its five-year high of 4.5%. Infaltion remains low and stable, despite rapid economic growth.
South Africa's reserves surge in one month
New data from the South African Reserve Bank has revealed that net gold and foreign exchange reserves rose to $25.48bn in May from $24.59bn the previous month. Gross reserves were also up to $27.85bn from $27,02bn.
NZ interest rate up to record 8%
The markets were taken by surprise on 7 June when the New Zealand central bank raised its key interest rate to a record 8% from 7.75%, in efforts to stem inflation.
Indonesia cuts for twelfth time since May 2006
As widely expected, Bank Indonesia reduced its policy interest rate - used as a reference for bill sales - by a quarter point to 8.5% today, taking advantage of the lowest inflation rate in six months. It was the twelfth rate cut since May 2006.
Brazil cuts lending rate to record low of 12%
Following the recovery of the Brazilian currency, which has held inflation at an eight-year low, the central bank lowered the benchmark lending rate by half a percentage point to a record low of 12%.
World Bank issues Russian inflation warning
The World Bank has warned that a massive influx of capital into Russia in the wake of major bank loans and share offerings by Russian companies could result in a loss of control over inflation.
Bank of England maintains bank rate at 5.5%
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to maintain the official bank rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 5.5%.