Central Banking
Mobile money accounts trump number of adults in Kenya, IMF data show
African bank depositors increased five-fold between 2004 and 2013, IMF's fifth annual Financial Access Survey shows; includes data on mobile money for first time
IMF paper: Colombia needs to lower collateral constraints to boost growth
Measures to increase financial inclusion in Colombia should be ‘monitored closely’, since some of them ‘may imply trade-offs’; collateral constraints viewed as impediment to growth
FSB estimates of Chinese shadow banking fall short of target, IMF representatives suggest
FSB's ‘filtering out' of parts of the non-bank financial system in China paints incomplete picture, IMF Asia division chief and HK representative say
‘Flower power’ drives new Dominican Republic banknote series
The Dominican Republic is issuing upgraded banknotes to include the country’s new national flower; Israel and eurozone also introducing new notes in the market
Mersch: T2S may prompt ‘more global network for mobilisation of collateral assets'
ECB board member says Target2 offers 'possibilities for linkages' between T2S central securities depositories with those 'from other geographical areas'
Canada governor says ‘manipulating markets not in our game plan'
Stephen Poloz says attempts to influence exchange rate, including via ‘verbal guidance', would ‘do more harm than good'
Bank of Russia to complete shift to inflation targeting regime by 2015
Geopolitical tensions, increased food costs and financial market turmoil will not deter central bank from pursuing 4% inflation target that is to be phased in next year
Prosecutors drop investigation into controversial comments by National Bank of Poland governor
Marek Belka did not break the law when calling for finance minister's removal in leaked recording
Banks must ‘rediscover' relationships with companies, Italian deputy says
Salvatore Rossi says better understanding of companies by banks would complement capital market intermediation as ‘only banks can acquire direct knowledge of firms'
Liikanen: 'Unanimous' ECB will expand arsenal if necessary
Bank of Finland governor says a wider range of monetary policy instruments makes open decision-making increasingly important
PBoC designates renminbi clearing banks for France and Luxembourg
Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to serve countries' offshore RMB markets
Perceptions of monetary policy determine long-term bond yields, IMF paper finds
Rise in yields following Federal Reserve ‘taper talk' in 2013 is due to monetary policy shock; communications should place less focus on explaining adjustment triggers
Palestine Monetary Authority launches new clearing system
Automated clearing system developed in Palestime with technical assistance from the World Bank and Bank of Italy; part of PMA’s wider plans to upgrade retail payment infrastructure
Robert Pringle’s Viewpoint: A qualified case for Scottish independence
If the Scots vote for independence they will run many risks including a perilous path to create a Scottish currency; but they have the human resources to make a go of it
Shift towards 'commercial' and 'political' central bank communication set to continue
Central banks to continue mimicking commercial and political entities in their communications despite reputational costs; more resources will be dedicated to social media use, says Niels Bünemann
Bank of Portugal appoints new CEO to Novo Banco
Bank of Portugal appoints Lloyds director Eduardo Stock da Cunha as the new CEO of Novo Banco, the good bank that resulted from the intervention in BES
Bank of England QE led institutional investors into corporate debt
Portfolio rebalancing into riskier assets triggered by monetary easing did not extend to equities, BoE paper finds
Central Bank of Libya governor reportedly deposed
Saddek Elkaber is replaced in 94–8 parliamentary 'vote' amid ‘controversy over financial transfers', reports state news agency; deputy Ali Elhebri assumes governorship on temporary basis
BIS warns of risks related to dollar-denominated corporate debt in EMs
Hyun Shin says cross-border bank lending has seen first ‘substantial increase for some time', while Claudio Borio cautions against ‘exceptionally low' volatility in financial markets
Brazilian MPC says inflation will converge to target within two years
Annual inflation in August was 6.5%, but the central bank believes it will reach the target of 4.5% in the ‘early quarters of 2016'
IMF paper says long-term debt creates ‘incentive to default’
Research examines relationship between maturity structure of sovereign debt portfolios and the probability of default; considers impact of uncertainty around future fundamentals
Bulgarian governor fires back over resolution of failed bank
Ivan Iskrov defends himself against accusations of hasty and contradictory statements in wake of CCB failure; highlights politicians’ failure to agree a resolution plan
China could learn from Australia's financial reform, RBA paper finds
Discussion paper published by the Reserve Bank of Australia examines the country’s capital account liberalisation in the 19070s and 1908s, and considers its relevance for China
ECB comprehensive assessment could stem ‘secular stagnation' in eurozone, bank staffers argue
Economists from the ECB and the Bank of Spain make the case in new book on ‘secular stagnation' that also includes contributions from Larry Summers and Paul Krugman