Central Banking
UK FSA finalises Libor regulations
Financial Services Authority produces final rules for regulating benchmarks, days before it will cease to exist; regulated firms will undergo compliance review by new watchdog in coming year
Blanchard and Summers warn on central banks' democratic deficit
Axel Weber opposes supervisory role for central banks, as Olivier Blanchard and Larry Summers warn expanded mandates cause questions over democratic accountability
BoE Financial Policy Committee gets three new members
Former LSE head Clara Furse among the new external members named to Bank of England’s FPC; Donald Kohn re-appointed to his post
Bernanke denies QE represents competitive devaluation
Fed chairman plays down effect of asset purchases on exchange rates and emerging markets; Axel Weber says countries can lean against QE if necessary, but highlights more serious flaws
BoE survey sees signs of easing in UK financial markets
Funding costs fall and investor demand rises ‘significantly’, although total volumes remain roughly flat, Bank of England liabilities survey finds
Fed working paper measures FOMC comms effect against theory of UIP
Paper finds 'little evidence' for a changed relationship between FOMC announcements and US interest rates since the 'onset of the zero lower bound'
Kuroda uncompromising on deflation
New Bank of Japan governor says the central bank will need to expand its asset purchase programme and firmly communicate its commitment to raising inflation
ECB paper finds initial response to financial crisis was not good enough
Working paper suggests policy up to end of 2011 was insufficient to reduce credit availability problems for small businesses, underlining the importance of more recent innovations
Cyprus strikes last minute bail-out deal
Eurosystem agrees to €10 billion bail-out package after Cyprus vows to honour deposit insurance and resolve failing banks; questions remain over capital flight when banks re-open
Vietnam slashes rates in bid to kick-start economy
Central bank cites stable macro environment as it cuts policy rates by 100bp in an attempt to stimulate productive activity
Jwala Rambarran looks to exploit ‘Southern Silk Road’
Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago governor looks to exploit trade relationships with emerging markets; identifies Bollywood potential
BIS report ‘takes stock' of central bank collateral policy developments
Central bank collateral policy has responded to financial market shocks in different ways, though common principles underpin new frameworks
IMF paper contrasts European countries’ capital accounts
Finds capital accounts rebalanced faster in emerging European countries than in the periphery; attributes difference to faster wage and public sector adjustment
BoE urges banks to use payments systems directly
Bank of England identifies need to clamp down on banks accessing high-value payment systems through other banks as it creates credit and liquidity risks
Bank Indonesia candidate grilled by parliamentary commission
Governor nominee Agus Martowardojo faces difficult questions on scandals while at finance ministry; former Bank Indonesia governor warns of threat to the central bank’s independence
BoJ researchers find Japanese banks hold too many stocks and too few bonds
Working paper analyses optimal ratio of stocks to bonds for banks to hold; finds most Japanese financial institutions are overweight equities
Sanusi will not seek second term at Nigerian central bank
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, will step down in June 2014; close to securing last in a string of controversial banking reforms
US banks and regulators both failed on Basel II parallel runs, says Fed official
Failure to exit Basel II parallel runs represents a 'black eye' for US financial sector, says Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond unit head
US agencies clamp down on leveraged lending
Fed, FDIC and OCC issue updated standards for leveraged lenders amid concerns standards are again slipping and many institutions have ‘proven less than satisfactory’ in risk management practices
Depositors will trust EU guarantee despite Cyprus, says Banque de France official
Policy-makers have incentive to accelerate deposit guarantee plans, says Sylvie Matherat of the Banque de France
Bangladesh Bank governor says micro-finance regulation must tread fine line
Atiur Rahman says supervisors must strike a difficult balance between encouraging over-indebtedness and damaging financial inclusion when regulating micro-finance
HKMA report tells investors to brace for volatile financial cycle
Financial stability report says risks from property market volatility have continued to mount; central bank says macro-prudential policy is doing its job but there could be a sudden price reversal
Icelandic finance minister backs euro switch
Katrín Júlíusdóttir says adopting euro could help to restrain inflation and boost investment; Central Bank of Iceland publishes annual report
Kazakh banks should go beyond Basel III, says central bank
Financial stability report calls for banks to boost capital levels above Basel III requirements; encourages largest banks to clean up balance sheets and lend more