Central Banking
Spanish cen bank launches early retirement scheme
SPAIN - Banco de Espana, Spain's central bank, is to offer an early retirement scheme to employees of 50 years of age or older who work at the 30 branches across Spain to be closed down.
Russian PM says central bank to continue float
RUSSIA - The central bank and the government of Russia will ensure the stability of the rouble rate in 2003, but the rouble rate should correspond with economic development, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said at a government session on Wednesday.
Uruguay's central bank to begin deposit return
URUGUAY - Uruguay's government will begin returning deposits on Wednesday to clients of suspended banks Banco Montevideo, Caja Obrera, Comercial and de Credito, the central bank said in a statement.
Iran's economy minister threatens to resign
IRAN - Iran's Minister of Economy and Financial Affairs Tahmasb Mazaheri has threatened that he would resign if the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mohsen Nurbakhsh is not removed from office, press reported Wednesday.
Iraq's central bank governor details new bank note
ARTICLE - Iraq's central bank Governor Dr Isam Rashid Huwaysh has explained the bank's decision to issue a 10,000-dinar banknote, in an interview with the Al-Rafidayn web site.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand News Release
NEWS RELEASE - Reserve Bank pauses, OCR held at 5.75 per cent, 14 August.
South African banks move to restore trust
SOUTH AFRICA - A review of governance of South Africa's five major banking groups will be undertaken, Registrar of Banks Christo Wiese said on Wednesday.
Profiles of Bank of Japan Policy Board members
ARTICLE - The Bank of Japan's Policy Board discussed side effects of its huge fund injection to the money market at its 26 June meeting but concluded that the struggling economy needed the easy monetary policy, minutes showed on Wednesday.
'Cloud' prompts N.Z. to leave rates on hold
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand left its official cash rate unchanged at 5.75 percent Wednesday, citing the global economy's "increasingly clouded" prospects.
US bank gives away money at ATM
US - Road construction is such a pain at one of Nebraska's busiest intersections that a bank is giving away money for nothing as a special surprise to some customers.
MPC voted unanimously to hold UK rates
UK - The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee discussed the case for a cut in interest rates at its August meeting, according to the minutes of its meeting published on Wednesday.
Rates held steady by Fed but easing hints given
US - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday left its key short-term interest rate unchanged but signalled concern about turbulent financial markets and hinted at a possible future easing of monetary policy.
IMF Working Paper Series
RESEARCH - Internal Models-Based Capital Regulation and Bank Risk-Taking Incentives by Paul H Kupiec, Monetary and Exchange Affairs Department, IMF, July 2002.
Economic and Financial Policy Review, Vol 1, No 2
PUBLICATION - 'Banks Venture into New Territory' by Kenneth J. Robinson, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Volume 1, Number 2, 2002.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, August 2002
REPORT - The Bank of Japan published its Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, August 2002, on 13 August. In its report the Bank of Japan said the outlook for exports had become more uncertain due to unstable global stock markets…
MAS Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - MAS Seeks Public Comment on Guidelines for Retail Hedge Funds, 13 August.
Brazil's central bank to aid troubled companies
BRAZIL - Brazil's central bank chief on Monday pledged to lend money to embattled Brazilian companies as concern grew about the success of the International Monetary Fund's $30bn (£19bn) loan package.
Don't blame Brazil
ARTICLE - In an article in the Financial Times on Tuesday, George Soros suggests that the market's reaction to the IMF's $30bn rescue package in Brazil shows that a new approach is needed.
The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank
RESEARCH - 'The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank in the European System of Central Banks' by Hermann Remsperger, Deutsche Bundesbank, Accepted 1 February 2002.
Stagnation warning from Poland's central bank
POLAND - GDP increases and the business climate will remain low in the third quarter of the year while economic growth will be buoyed by exports, the Polish National Bank said in a business climate research report released on Tuesday.
NZ business leaders happy with inflation policy
NEW ZEALAND - Most of the country's top business people see no need to alter the way the Reserve Bank administers monetary policy.
Check-truncation talks today
US - Senate House Financial Services Committee staff are scheduled to meet today with bank and consumer groups to seek common ground on check-truncation legislation.
India's central bank may face terrorist threat
INDIA - Amid threats from Pakistan-based militant outfits, the toughest-ever security arrangements are being put in place to ensure a trouble-free Independence Day in India.
China's central bank defends ATM fees
CHINA - The central bank has defended a decision by commercial banks to charge customers for taking money out of automatic telling machines (ATMs) belonging to outlets that are not of the card issuers.