Central Banking
New deputy governor takes office at RBI
Indian government appoints Urjit Patel to replace Subir Gokarn on the Reserve Bank of India’s governing board; management roles reallocated again
BoE unveils action plan for macroprudential powers
UK Government proposals will enable the Bank of England’s financial policy committee to impose ‘sectoral capital requirements’ to tackle systemic threats early
Bank of Israel paper advocates inflation sacrifice when wages are rigid
Research says controlling inflation requires a greater sacrifice of economic output and employment when there are frictions in the labour market
IMF paper explores currency value at times of risk aversion
Research published by the International Monetary Fund says currency movements in periods of risk aversion are increasingly reliant on yield
MAS sets out FMI supervisory framework
Monograph gives details of Monetary Authority’s approach to regulating financial market infrastructures in line with CPSS-Iosco principles
Mauritian deputy governor outlines tighter corporate governance plans
Yandraduth Googoolye sets out recent efforts by the Bank of Mauritius to tackle corporate governance failures that emerged during the financial crisis
Asia needs bigger voice in international financial rule-making, say regulators
Regulators from Malaysia, Dubai and Australia call for more countries in the region to take a stronger role in shaping the global agenda
Ukraine replaces central bank head with deputy
Igor Sorkin to take over from Serhiy Arbuzov at National Bank of Ukraine – says he will prioritise currency stability and cut interest rates
Bank of Canada front-runner discusses interest rate rise
Tiff Macklem, tipped to be the next Canadian governor, reveals concern over household imbalances despite ‘signs of stabilisation’ and points to potential interest rate rise
RBI seeks to draw retail investors into government securities
Deputy governor Harun Khan says tailoring government securities to retail investors will help cushion volatility created by institutional and international investors
Disparities emerge in euro counterfeit figures
Figures for euro counterfeits seized in 2012 show wide differences between countries, though not all central banks report totals; ECB unveils security features on new €5 note
Egypt appoints new central bank governor
Egyptian central bank governor resigns, replaced by former deputy; negotiations ongoing with the IMF
Yemen central bank staff prepare to strike over pay
Staff at the Central Bank of Yemen plan strike if management does not agree to demands for improved compensation packages
Fed presidents clash over monetary policy
Presidents of the Federal Reserve banks of Kansas City and Minneapolis offer conflicting critiques of FOMC policy stance
Pakistan’s Anwar presents plan for financial system growth
Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan gives 10-point plan for growth in the financial system to boost the economy and improve the ‘potency’ of monetary policy
Bank of Korea foresees long road to recovery
Economic outlook report predicts sluggish narrowing of Korea’s negative output gap; central bank keeps rates on hold
Brazilian governor expects inflation drop
Alexandre Tombini says inflation spiked in last six months because of agricultural shocks, but it will resume a downward trend in 2013
Kenyan interest rate continues to plummet
Benchmark interest rate nearly halved since September; latest cut intended to increase uptake of expanding private sector credit
BoJ formally asked to double inflation target
Japanese government pressures Bank of Japan to increase short-run inflation target to 2%; no action likely before next monetary policy meeting on January 21–22
Central Bank of Cyprus defends re-hirings
Central bank employs three members of staff who had previously taken early retirement; defends decision as beneficial in ‘special circumstances’
Singapore authority seeks to cut banknote waste in new year celebrations
Monetary Authority of Singapore urges public to consider using good-as-new banknotes for traditional hong bao new year's gifts to prevent the unnecessary printing of 50 million notes
Draghi denies calls for rate cut as ECB holds again
European Central Bank's governing council holds rate, as inflation and growth remain steady; Mario Draghi optimistic about growing financial market confidence
Banks told they will not benefit from LCR delay
National supervisors tell banks not to lower liquidity buffers, with market forces also pushing banks towards 100% compliance with measure
UK statistics office to keep 'unsuitable' inflation measure
The UK Office for National Statistics will not change how it calculates RPI inflation – but will initiate an alternative index in parallel