Central Banking
Pakistan’s central bank asks government to rethink Afghan scheme
Channelling donations to Afghanistan might violate international regulations, central bank warns
ECB criticises Polish law on cash use
Frank Elderson says law “may not be in public interest” and says government failed to consult ECB
Visa and ConsenSys launch plan to bridge CBDCs and traditional payments
Payments giant and fintech firm to develop “on-ramp” to link up existing and new systems
Central banks essential to preserve trust in money – Carstens
Companies may fragment monetary system through competing stablecoins, warns BIS chief
Bank of Canada pilot explores transitional risks of climate change
Six financial institutions joined the central bank and financial regulator in auditing their assets
Norges Bank appointment process stirs debate on independence
Nato chief and former prime minister Jens Stoltenberg is proving a controversial governor candidate
First deputy governor to leave Russian central bank
Bank of Russia appoints new officials in first major change to senior leadership in three years
UK inflation hits 30-year high
Figure is now highest since CPI series began, driven by energy and food prices
Ecuador brings in anti-theft dyes
Latin American country faces increasing crime rates including attacks on ATMs
No ‘convincing case’ for UK retail CBDC, say legislators
Report warns of potential “significant challenges” for financial stability and privacy posed by CBDC
Experts urge OCC to include climate risk in bank exams
Regulator’s proposed principles are step in the right direction, but still behind Europe
BoJ sees emerging signs of inflation in Japan
Central bank says inflationary risks are now “generally balanced”
Japan launches Oceania CBDC study
Fintech firm Soramitsu will examine outlook for digital currencies in four Pacific island states
PBoC cuts rates as Xi warns against ‘rapid tightening’
Quarterly GDP growth hits lowest rate in 18 months as Xi calls for international policy co-operation
ECCB digital currency suffers outage
Eastern Caribbean’s DCash disrupted by unspecified “technical issue”
Brazilian banks use market power to raise cost of credit – BIS paper
Research explores role of market power and informational switching in banking competition
Frequency of price changes strongly correlated to inflation, says Riksbank
The size of price increases remained stable in Sweden from 2010–18
Fed chair makes case for renomination
Powell needs 50 votes and may need at least three Republicans to side with his reappointment
People: BIS names chair; IMF appoints chief economist
De Galhau to chair BIS top governance body; international macroeconomist to lead IMF research; Bank Negara Malaysia appoints MPC member
Biden nominates three to Fed board
Republican senator signals likely opposition to president’s pick for top supervisor
Sweden inflation hits highest level in 28 years
Rise likely to boost hawkish positions at next Riksbank policy meeting on February 10
Croatian central bank denies allegations against governor
Financial supervisor is investigating media claims of insider dealing by central bank staff
BIS paper calls for action on big tech dominance
“Digital platforms” can boost inclusion but may undermine other central bank objectives, authors say
Bitcoin’s carbon footprint rises with prices – DNB research
Total carbon emissions produced by crypto assets rose by 25% in 2020, study finds