Central Banking
Skrzypek named head of Poland's central bank
Poland's new central bank governor, Slawomir Skrzypek, a close ally of president Lech Kaczynski, was confirmed by parliament Wednesday 11 January. At a parliamentary hearing Skrzypek had earlier confused the deceased Wim Duisenberg with Jean-Claude…
A reassuring Reserve
According to this article from the Financial Times, published Thursday 11 January, the Federal Reserve's decision to halt its series of interest rate rises in June last year now looks to have been correct.
Germany's Steinbrueck defends ECB independence
Germany said Thursday 11 January it would not put up with any change in the independence of the European Central Bank.
ECB chief defends central bank independence
Speaking at the press conference following a meeting of the ECB's governing council, ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said that it was up to all European Union states to ensure independence of their central banks.
BoE surprises markets with rate rise
The Bank of England unexpectedly raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Thursday 11 January, the third increase since August, saying inflation may accelerate.
Gulf Arabs reviewing dollar pegs - report
Gulf Arab oil producers are reviewing currency pegs to the US dollar and could decide as early as March whether to keep or change their exchange rate regime, the United Arab Emirates central bank chief told Reuters Thursday 11 January.
Bank of Canada, Business Outlook Survey, Winter 07
The Bank of Canada published its Winter 2007 Business Outlook Survey on 8 January, on balance, businesses expect their sales over the next 12 months to increase at a rate slightly above that posted during the preceding 12 months.
Albania's Fullani on prospective ERM II members
In the speech 'Concerns of the prospective ERM II members' given on 15 December Ardian Fullani of the Bank of Albania said as a pre-accession country, Albania will be facing ERM II problems in the medium term.
Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency - Annual Report 2005
According to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency's Annual Report 2005, the Saudi economy continued to record growth in all its sectors during 2005.
Kansas Fed's update to ATM and debit card guide
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City published the 2006 update to "A Guide to the ATM and Debit Card Industry" on 8 January. The three years since the original book was published have been a very dynamic time in the industry with a number of important…
Zambia's Fundanga: Corporate social responsibility
In the speech 'Corporate social responsibility in Zambia' given on 23 December Caleb Fundanga of the Bank of Zambia said corporate social responsibility has become an integral part of conducting business in most internationally acclaimed and world class…
BoJ's Hayakawa says economy still expanding
The Japanese economy is expanding moderately and inventory adjustment in the information technology sector appears to be temporary, a senior official of the Bank of Japan said Wednesday 10 January.
IMF says HK peg can withstand strong yuan
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday 9 January gave its backing to the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the U.S. dollar, saying recent reforms meant the exchange rate could withstand Chinese yuan strength.
PBOC chief wants more data before decision
Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Wednesday 10 January in comments to Reuters he was waiting to see more economic data before making any decision to change interest rates.
Bank of Italy rules to facilitate mergers - report
New Bank of Italy regulations allowing banks to make greater use of hybrid instruments for capital reserve requirements could facilitate mergers in the banking sector, Il Sole 24 Ore said Wednesday 10 January.
Bank of Sudan's Hassan sees 2007 growth up
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday 10 January, Sudan's central bank governor Sabir Mohamed Hassan said the currency's appreciation against the dollar was worrying and the central bank was considering taking measures to address it.
Bank Negara voted best central bank
Bank Negara Malaysia has been voted as the Best Central Bank in the Islamic Finance news 2006 Best Islamic Banks Poll.
Balcerowicz exits NBP, legacy at risk
According to this article from Bloomberg, published Wednesday 10 January, as Leszek Balcerowicz steps down as governor of the National Bank of Poland at midnight Wednesday, government attempts to reduce its independence may tarnish his legacy.
Central Bank of Swaziland - Annual Report 05-06
According to the Central Bank of Swaziland's Annual Report 2005-2006, the expansion of economic activity slowed down in 2005 after growth of 2.1 percent in 2004.
IMF paper on benefits of inflation targeting
The IMF Working Paper 'Testing the transparency benefits of inflation targeting: Evidence from private sector forecasts' tests whether inflation targeting (IT) enhances transparency using inflation forecast data for 11 IT adoption countries.
Fundanga on Bank of Zambia retirees
In the speech 'Bank of Zambia retirees' given on 12 December Caleb M Fundanga of the Bank of Zambia said retirement should not be viewed as an end but rather as a beginning of a new life.
Yilmaz on Turkey's monetary & exchange rate policy
In the speech 'Turkey's monetary and exchange rate policy for 2007' given on 13 December Durmus Yilmaz of the Central Bank of Turkey said the central bank deems the stability and development of financial markets as a supporting objective for the…
Fed's Kohn on the economic outlook
In the speech 'The economic outlook' given on 8 January Donald Kohn of the Federal Reserve said the US economy is expected to continue to grow at a moderate pace and prices should rise at a slower rate in the coming year.
Oman to keep 80% dollar reserves
Oman favours keeping most of its $5 billion of central bank reserves in dollars rather than euros because the US currency pays higher interest, the central bank governor was quoted by Reuters as saying.