Central Banking
Research maps Norwegian challenges if oil prices stay low
Economic commentary considers how the increase in oil prices over the past decade has affected Norway in a bid to understand how the recent price drop could play out
BoE reveals new £20 note will be polymer
Next series of £20 banknotes will feature polymer substrate, in line with £5 and £10 notes; as yet unnamed visual artist will be included in design
BIS paper studies impact of Swiss CCB on quality of credit
Working paper finds activation of countercyclical capital buffer affected the composition of mortgage lenders in two key ways
Israel’s bank supervisor looks to split credit card companies from banks
Hedva Ber has revealed plans to boost competition in financial sector, including forcing two of the largest Israeli banks to sell their credit card companies and creating a credit database
BoJ deputy urges thorough analysis of risk weight revisions
Hiroshi Nakaso calls for a cost-benefit analysis of proposed revisions to ‘standardised approach for credit risk’ that some market participants fear could restrict financing for development
UK payments regulator approves of code of conduct
Big UK banks have published a voluntary code of conduct for those providing indirect access to payment systems, in a bid to improve standards
Australian SWF heads see returns dipping as central banks normalise policy
The chair of the Australian Government Future Fund says easy monetary policy ‘cannot be sustained indefinitely’ and returns are likely to drop in coming years
UK payments have room for improvement, report finds
Report identifies priorities for better payments among consumers, businesses and government, finding desire for faster, more flexible payments with less room for error
BIS’s Borio says current account obsession obscures important results
Focus on current account imbalances obscures many important – and often counterintuitive – results about global financial flows
RBI designates two banks ‘systemically important’
Reserve Bank of India lists State Bank of India and ICICI Bank as ‘domestic systemically important banks’ and details additional capital requirements
Carney says BoE can stay independent in face of globalisation
BoE governor says global factors ‘influence but do not dictate’ policy in speech at Jackson Hole; other economists argue central banks should do more to set policy with global dynamics in mind
Fischer upbeat on US inflation outlook at Jackson Hole
Fed vice-chair Stanley Fischer says there is ‘good reason’ to believe inflation will move higher as impact of rise in dollar and fall in oil prices dissipates
Argentine reserves spared as US court overturns ruling
Central bank will not have to pay creditors out of its reserves, US appeals court rules, although the decision is not meant to allow Argentina to ‘continue shirking’ its debts
Case for higher inflation targets takes a knock at Jackson Hole
Thomas Jordan warns higher inflation ‘likely to be associated with considerable costs’ in longer run; academics see little benefit in the Federal Reserve targeting 4%
New Zealand's colour-changing banknote feature hailed as world's first
A colour-shifting bird within a holographic window is main new security feature of the country's first banknote series in 16 years
Economics needs a ‘replication journal’, paper argues
Natural and life scientists spend considerable time attempting to replicate the results of earlier research; economics could benefit from a similar approach, St Louis Fed paper argues
EAC officials highlight exchange rate pass-through concerns
Both central banks wary of potential for domestic inflation to increase in face of depreciating currencies; concerns over impact of external environment raised in EAC member statement
Fischer watched for rate views as Jackson Hole concludes
Symposium at Kansas City Fed closes with panel discussion featuring Carney, Constâncio, Fischer and Rajan on Saturday; one early session considers ‘international price system’
Ukraine central bank awaits wider regulatory powers
Ukraine’s central bank has achieved significant reforms of the banking sector, but needs a draft law to pass to gain the power necessary to regulate the non-bank sector, World Bank analyst says
Finnish deputy: international competition will change mortgage lending
Bank of Finland deputy argues conditions for international competition in mortgage lending are ‘improving’ and there is the potential for a ‘substantial impact’ in the eurozone
Indian central bank targets stronger rate transmission
Reserve Bank of India sees improvements in transmission of policy to money markets, but looks to strengthen credit channel as it transitions to inflation targeting framework
Household debt had modest impact on US consumption, research finds
Household debt in the US accounted only slightly for the decline in household consumption nationally in the 2000s, research published by ECB finds
RBNZ cuts number of interest rate decisions
Starting next July the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will take three-month summer break from monetary policy announcements; ‘clear rule' to replace ‘long-running pattern' for release dates
BIS paper finds emerging market corporations exploiting carry trade
Study of emerging market foreign currency-denominated bond issuance by Bruno and Shin finds corporations appear to be issuing bonds as part of a carry trade, rather than financing investment