Central Banking
IMF urges ‘comprehensive approach’ to growth that reduces reliance on monetary policy
International Monetary Fund calls for coordinated policy response ahead of G20 meetings; policy-makers ‘must act now’ to implement strategies
Irish insurance firms face more scrutiny, supervisor says
Irish central bank’s director of insurance supervision outlines new regime; firms will have to provide more evidence to back up their claims
Hong Kong activity should weather higher rates – paper
Research published by IMF argues consumption and investment will “remain robust”, despite increase in interest rates in tandem with the US
Peter Pang retires as HKMA deputy
Pang, one of three deputy chief executives, retires after more than 10 years in the role; he will be succeeded by Howard Lee, but responsibility for research passes to Eddie Yue
Riksbank minutes reveal knife-edge decision to cut
Cecilia Skingsley says decision was hardest since her appointment to the board; strong economy, weak inflation and unconventional policy make for tricky task
Lenders should reward low-risk customers – Kenyan governor
Banks should praise those performing well regarding credit management, and offer low-risk customers better terms as a result, governor says
EBA unveils 2016 stress test methodology
European Banking Authority presents the methodology for 2016 stress tests; no single capital adequacy level, but results will inform regulators’ assessments under SREP
Bank of Canada picks ‘renowned and prolific’ new deputy
Sylvain Leduc chosen as new deputy governor, bringing a lengthy list of publications and a ‘deep understanding’ of the international monetary system; deputy duties also reshuffled
Small and medium eurozone banks must assess business models, Lautenschläger says
Smaller financial institutions need to examine their business models in detail, eurozone regulator says; SSM wants harmonised treatment of institutional protection schemes
Bank of Mauritius seeks more clarity in payments law
Draft bill provides “comprehensive legislation” regarding the payment system in Mauritius, central bank says; outlines the bank’s authority on the regulation of the system
FSB looks to gauge risks around collateral reuse
Reusing collateral brings various benefits, but could also pose stability risks, report says; FSB outlines options for measures that could give supervisors a clearer picture of reuse patterns
RBA’s Richards sees possibility for digital Australian dollar
New card regulation to be ready by May, says Richards; digital currency a possibility in the ‘more distant future’, but RBA not ‘actively considering’ it
Zeti marks construction of new ‘central bank school’ campus
Retiring governor will continue to serve as co-chair of institution set up in 2015 that 'represents central bank's commitment to education'
IMF staff want better co-ordination between Kyrgyz government and central bank
Reforms are needed to strengthen the legal basis of the central bank and improve monetary policy traction in the country, staff say; better co-ordination is needed on government deposits
Tanzania launches financial education plan
More than 27% of people remain excluded from financial services in Tanzania; improved financial numeracy and risk management among issues to be addressed
NY Fed’s Potter ‘extremely pleased’ with rate control
The Fed’s framework for controlling money market rates has proven ‘effective’ in the wake of December’s lift-off, according to executive vice-president Simon Potter
Eurozone banks are taking more risks, Nouy says
Falling profitability of banks in the eurozone is pushing institutions into ‘into riskier territory’ and driving risk premia to historic lows, Nouy says; warns against ‘inappropriate cost-cutting’
ECB’s liquidity provision had ‘highly uneven effects’ on interbank markets, paper argues
ECB emergency liquidity provision had very different effects on stressed and non-stressed interbank lending markets; paper reconstructs interbank lending from Target2 database
RBA deputy sets out potential changes to interest rate benchmark
Debelle emphasises importance of the bank bill swap rate, outlines possible reforms including lengthening the window in which transactions are used to calculate rate
BoE officials grilled on weakening sterling
Members of the MPC ask whether the depreciation of the currency will cause the Bank of England to hike; Treasury Committee raises questions over EU referendum
Senate committee chair urged to clear backlog of nominees
Nominees to Federal Reserve board of governors among those waiting to learn fate; delay reportedly stems from disagreement over another key Fed post
Lagarde reappointed as IMF managing director
Christine Lagarde is formally reappointed to lead the International Monetary Fund; early tasks facing her include Greek debt agreement
National Bank of Belgium sees deposit guarantee scheme as ‘missing component’
Central bank says a joint scheme is the ‘missing component’ of banking union, but argues risk-sharing must be accompanied by better risk control
Kenya sees a reduction in use of bank services
Mobile payments preferred, with 47.8% of the population using mobile services on a daily basis; banks now mainly used for salary payments