Banks
China's central bank defends ATM fees
CHINA - The central bank has defended a decision by commercial banks to charge customers for taking money out of automatic telling machines (ATMs) belonging to outlets that are not of the card issuers.
Kuwait reports use of bank notes decreasing
ARTICLE - Over the past few years the demand for charge cards provided by Kuwaiti banks has increased, and has coincided with an enhancement of knowledge surrounding " plastic money", in an attempt to convert Kuwait into a society that depends largely on…
US regulators extend comment period for card rules
US - Regulators have extended the comment period on their draft guidance aimed at improving banks' credit card lending policies to 23 September and said they will soon issue further statements on the guidance.
Central bank relaxes bank suspensions - Uruguay
URUGUAY - Uruguay's central bank has authorized suspended banks to partially resume operations, Uruguayan daily El Pais reported.
Norges Bank keeps interest rates unchanged
PRESS RELEASE - Interest rates were left unchanged at Norges Bank's Executive Board meeting on 7 August 2002.
Nigerian c bank tighten licensing law of new banks
NIGERIA - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may have soft-pedalled on the licensing of new banks which was put on hold almost three months ago.
Egypt central bank reports fall in bank liquidity
EGYPT - The central bank has revealed a continued downturn in commercial banks' performance over the past period. Rates of capital efficiency and of net profits and incomes have gone down. Also, the banks' liquidity crunch has worsened due to a decline…
Brazil's interbank clearinghouse to bring benefits
BRAZIL - Brazil's new interbank payment clearinghouse is expected to stimulate online transactions between banks once it becomes operational, Brazilian financial daily Valor Economico reported.
Banks urged to expand risk management techniques
US - A top Treasury Department official said this week that regulators need to push banks to back up advanced risk management techniques with old-fashioned, case-by-case credit analysis.
Uruguay calls bank shutdown amid economic crisis
URUGUAY - Uruguay ordered its banks closed Tuesday in an attempt to stem the outward flow of capital in the midst of a growing financial crisis.
O'Connell swaps central bank for sporting role
FEATURE - Central banks aren't the only ones to hold gold. The Brazilian World Cup football team will tell you that, and they've got plenty in reserves over the years. But CentralBankNet learns that the, oh so, unlucky Irish team are set to receive help,…
BOK to focus monetary policy on stock market
SOUTH KOREA - Korea's central bank will conduct its monetary policy with the goal of stabilizing local stock markets, the banks chief has said.
New Basle norms favour SME lending - Brazil
BRAZIL - New Basle norms that will be applied in Brazil and other developing countries in 2006 will loosen reserve requirements for banks lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Brazilian daily Panorama Brasil reported on Tuesday.
Central Banker, Summer 2002
REPORT - The Summer 2002 edition of the St. Louis Fed's Central Banker magazine has been published. This edition includes articles on why the St. Louis Fed was chosen as the No. 1 Treasury check-processing site and asks What can banks do to better manage…
Thai central bank keep rates unchanged
THAILAND - The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee yesterday kept short-term interest rates unchanged, noting that recent data pointed to steady recovery in manufacturing and consumption.
Indian banks to fortify risk management systems
INDIA - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the commercial banks in the country not to depend entirely on the certificates issued by the chartered accountants on the financial health of corporate borrowers.
UAE central bank profits fall
UAE - A steep decline in interest rates slashed the net profits of the UAE central bank by nearly a third in 2001, reports Gulf News, but its deposits with other banks almost doubled, its balance sheet showed.
RBI - Efforts needed to safeguard information
INDIA - The provision of adequate security has assumed urgency in banks and continuous and concerted efforts have to be made to safeguard information and information systems, the Reserve Bank of India's Deputy Governor, Vepa Kamesan, said Saturday.
Postal body gets BOJ online clearance
JAPAN - The public corporation that will replace the state-run postal services next April in Japan will be able to settle accounts with private banks in real time, officials said over the weekend. By gaining access to the Bank of Japan's transaction…
Ecuador's banks adopt electronic interbank system
ECUADOR - Ecuadorian banks have 60 days as of 27 June to adapt their systems to the central bank's electronic interbank payment system, Ecuadorian financial daily El Comercio reported.
Argentine c banks Pignanelli denies conflict
ARGENTINA - The central bank's new chairman, Aldo Pignanelli, denied that the central bank is at loggerheads with Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna.
An analysis of the BIS annual report
SWITZERLAND - The Bank for International Settlement's annual report, released today at the bank's annual general meeting in Basle, worked hard to put an optimistic interpretation on global economic prospects. However, amid the positive notes the report…
Answering tough online questions in 11 languages
ARTICLE - The change-over to the euro at the start of this year posed numerous challenges not only for banks and businesses across much of Europe but, as the Financial Times investigated on Wednesday, it also posed problems for the team of writers,…
Japan's experience should warn central banks
LETTER - Letter published in the London Financial Times on 27 June from William Smyth.