Central Banking
ECB clarifies national supervisory discretions
European Central Bank publishes a guide and regulation aimed at harmonising supervision of major banks within the eurozone
BoE toughens 2016 stress tests
GDP growth to hit a trough at -1.9%, unemployment to rise 4.5 percentage points and the level of GDP to fall by 4.3% in latest BoE stress tests; higher capital hurdles also mandated
Reformed IMF could strengthen global safety net – paper
Improving the International Monetary Fund may require revised toolkit; global financial safety net is failing in many regards, and needs reform, IMF policy paper says
Mauritius has gone ‘terribly wrong’ with respect to human capital, central bank governor says
Quality of human capital does not met the standard required to meet the disruptive challenges now facing Mauritius, governor Roi stresses
Rajan and Mishra lay down rules of the monetary game
Authors warn current models may display the policy biases of those who built them, calling for better dialogue and analysis of monetary policy spillovers
PBoC sets up renminbi internationalisation research centre in Singapore
The new Centre for Renminbi Internationalisation Studies (CRIS), launched today in Beijing, is a prestige victory for Singapore as it aims to position itself as a leading international RMB hub
Turkish central bank narrows rate corridor with cut
Central bank begins process of narrowing rate corridor in last meeting of Erdem Başçı’s term, though it keeps the policy rate on hold
Some analysts see stress tests losing effectiveness – Stournaras
Greek central bank governor raises questions over perception of stress tests; regulators’ models need to take more account of national differences, he argues
Basel Committee restricts bank options for internal modelling
Banks will no longer be able to use the internal ratings-based approach for certain portfolios, and will face restrictions in other areas, under proposed rules
RBNZ proposes new powers over FMIs in times of crisis
Final crisis management plan proposal details two-tiered framework for FMIs; RBNZ and FMA would act if contingency plans not up to scratch
European Central Bank outlines three models underpinning macro-prudential analysis
First biannual macro-prudential bulletin lays out details of three key models, dealing with capital requirements, household finances and bank vulnerabilities
Singapore official points to benefits big data offers insurers
Insurers can gain a competitive edge by harnessing insights from big data when designing products, the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Chua Kim Leng says
SNB made investment ‘innovations’ in 2015, report says
Central bank made first investments in new assets and began to wield voting rights to influence corporate governance in 2015, annual report shows
Solomon Islands urged to include renminbi in exchange rate basket by IMF staff
IMF staff suggest changes to exchange rate regime; Solomon Island authorities will consider expanding basket, but reject suggestion of using cash reserve ratio to mop up excess liquidity
AFI’s Hannig sees central banks bolstering resources to drive inclusion
Alfred Hannig expects central banks gradually to increase resources devoted to inclusion as they take more responsibility for the area; Alliance for Financial Inclusion announces independence
Weidmann says latest ECB package went ‘too far’
Bundesbank president says the council was agreed on the need to act in the wake of weaker economic projections, but the eventual measures, including an expansion of QE, were too much
Governor sees Chile progressing with macro-prudential framework
Working paper outlines importance of macro-prudential policy in maintaining financial stability; Vergara and Raddatz identify counter-cyclical capital buffer as a possible tool for the future
BoE’s Breeden plots route to ‘third phase’ of global banking regulation
Regulators have moved from fragmentation to “balkanisation”, and now must work to establish full co-operation, executive director says
Economists still scrambling to adapt models to lower bound
Many traditional economic models perform poorly now major economies are near the effective lower bound, but economists at the RES annual conference offer a range of solutions
Philadelphia Fed president warns of ‘mismatch’ between education and business
Patrick Harker says there is a disparity between the education offered and practical skills needed by businesses in the US, which has likely contributed to slow recovery following crisis
IMF urges Mauritius to form macro-prudential authority
Central bank would have “prominent” role in new authority; as a first step, IMF staff recommend establishing a technical group featuring representatives from multiple stakeholders
Monetary policy takes time to influence inflation, Tombini tells senate
Brazil governor says central bank will not “shy away” from acting to lower inflation; target of 4.5% to be reached by the end of 2017
Negative rates one of many pressures on bank business models, Lautenschläger says
ECB supervisory board vice-chair says business models must cope with a range of challenges, of which low rates are just one; Nouy and Lautenschläger field questions following annual report
Villeroy de Galhau calls for eurozone finance minister
Banque de France governor calls for single eurozone finance minister to co-ordinate fiscal and structural policy; warns of dangers of “overburdening monetary policy”