Central Banking
South African bank's accounts frozen
SOUTH AFRICA - Deposits have been frozen at the eighth largest bank in Africa after bankruptcy fears spurred savers to withdraw more than 1bn rand (£61m; $87m) last week.
Japan acts to end recession
JAPAN - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has asked his government minister to hammer out a series of economic reforms aimed at lifting Japan out of recession.
New anti-fraud cards on the way
UK - New measures to counter credit and debit card fraud have been unveiled by the UK's banking industry.
Fears grow for Venezuelan currency
VENEZUELA - Venezuela's currency has renewed its slide, after support measures failed to stop investors, citizens and businesses converting cash into US dollars.
Punt passes away quietly
IRELAND - The Irish pound ceased to be legal tender from midnight on Saturday as Ireland became the second country within the eurozone - after the Netherlands - to ditch its old notes and coins.
Treasury's Taylor favoured as Greenspan heir
US - US Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor is the top pick to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve among an influential group of economists.
Pakistan central bank chief suffers heart attack
PAKISTAN - Dr Ishrat Hussain, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, suffered a heart attack last Wednesday.
Bank may put printing pounds in private hands
UK - Private sector operators may be given the chance to print money under proposals by the Bank of England to jettison its banknote operations.
Wim's way with words
FEATURE - Duisenberg's volubility has earned him many enemies and even a few admirers. He has certainly become known as a rather unconventional central banker.
Beijing toughens bank rules
CHINA - After a call by China's top leadership to strengthen supervision of the country's troubled financial system, the central bank on Friday unveiled a program for tighter inspection of bank finances.
Argentina to resume IMF talks
ARGENTINA - In a bid to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resume economic assistance to Argentina, economy minister, Jorge Remes Lenicov will on Tuesday visit Washington to present his package of economic measures.
Speech by Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson
SPEECH - "The Fed does not attempt to predict market changes, but I hope the process put in place by the Congress will allow financial institutions to adjust to market changes within certain notable bounds," Fed Governor Mark Olson said in a speech on…
Speech by Federal Reserve Governor Mark Olson
SPEECH - There are no widespread problems with banks' use of so-called special purpose vehicles - accounting moves aimed at taking risks off their balance sheets that have come under scrutiny recently, Federal Reserve governor Olson said on Thursday in a…
Bank of Japan - Monetary Policy Meetings
NEWS RELEASE - Monetary Policy announcement from the Bank of Japan, 8 February.
How Much Should Central Banks Talk? A New Argument
FEATURE - The appropriate level of disclosure of central bank information is a subject that has attracted much debate. Although there is still disagreement on the matter, some sort of consensus does appear to have been reached.
G7 to discuss world recovery
CANADA - Efforts to end the world economic downturn and measures to lift the weak Japanese yen will be on the agenda when finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven industrial nations meet in Ottawa, Canada.
New ECB chief 'must be French'
EUROPE - The German government has said it is up to France to choose the successor to Wim Duisenberg as president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
ECB Press Conference - Questions and answers
PRESS CONFERENCE - A transcript of the questions and answers from Thursday's ECB press conference.
Greenspan's maths skills honed on baseball
FEATURE - Even as a boy, the world's most powerful central banker avidly combed through statistics -- baseball statistics, that is.
Speech by Andrew Crockett, General Manager, BIS
SPEECH - The chief of the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements warned on Monday of growing divergence between what accountants and bank supervisors think is good practice, saying clashes were likely. The speech was titled 'Reflections on the…
Andersen hires Volcker to restore confidence
US - Accounting giant Arthur Andersen, under attack for its auditing of Enron's finances, said Sunday it has tapped former Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker to help overhaul its business procedures.
Meyer exits, search for Fed candidates gains pace
FEATURE - The departure of prize-winning economist Laurence Meyer from the Federal Reserve has given added urgency to the need to fill two empty seats on the board at a key juncture in the U.S. economy.
IMF News Brief
NEWS BRIEF - IMF's Kohler Welcomes Remes Visit, says IMF Working Closely with Argentina, 8 February.
IMF's Krueger interviewed on the Argentina crisis
FEATURE - A Commentary by Anne Krueger, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, El Pais, 18 January.