Banks
BIS promotes solid bank audits in wake of scandals
SWITZERLAND - Accounting scandals that have plagued the U.S. corporate scene have highlighted the need for banks to have rigorous internal audit functions, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) said on Wednesday in a report.
Russian c bank adopts looser rules for for ex sale
RUSSIA - At its session on Friday, the Russian Central Bank's board of directors agreed to liberalise the obligatory sale of foreign currency revenues by exporters, the bank's PR department reported.
Bank Italia to out source some activities
ITALY - Italian central bank Bank Italia has decided to authorise the outsourcing of over-the-counter banking activities. Banks may use their own branches or call in outside firms specialising in call centre management.
New Bank of England £5 notes reissued
UK - The Bank of England is to restart distribution of the new £5 notes. The notes have already been delivered to banks and post offices, and from Wednesday morning are being made available to the public.
Philippines central bank tightens rules on credit
PHILIPPINES - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is set to issue this week a circular restraining banks and credit card companies from issuing pre-approved "plastic money" and requiring them to adopt a stricter system of screening credit card applications.
Brazil banks to gain with new central bank rule
BRAZIL - A new regulation that requires banks to increase their deposit reserves with the central bank is expected to cause a gain of nearly 900mn reals (US$291mn) a year for the financial system as a whole, Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo reported.
Pakistan State Bank directs banks to set up ATM's
PAKISTAN - State Bank of Pakistan has directed all the domestic banks either to establish at least two auto-cash telling machine (ATMs) or join the existing Switch Network to ensure payment of salaries to government employees through ATM system.
Financial Stability Review, 2002, from the NBB
ANNUAL REVIEW - Financial Stability Review, 2002 Issue 1, from the National Bank of Belgium. The review says that the diversity of topics covered in this first FSR illustrates that financial stability issues have to be studied from a wide variety of…
Asia central banks could be gold buyers
SINGAPORE - Asia's reserve-rich central banks are potential buyers of gold to diversify their reserve assets, even as European central banks cut their holdings, a senior official of the World Gold Council said on Monday.
Uruguay's central bank to begin deposit return
URUGUAY - Uruguay's government will begin returning deposits on Wednesday to clients of suspended banks Banco Montevideo, Caja Obrera, Comercial and de Credito, the central bank said in a statement.
South African banks move to restore trust
SOUTH AFRICA - A review of governance of South Africa's five major banking groups will be undertaken, Registrar of Banks Christo Wiese said on Wednesday.
Economic and Financial Policy Review, Vol 1, No 2
PUBLICATION - 'Banks Venture into New Territory' by Kenneth J. Robinson, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Volume 1, Number 2, 2002.
The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank
RESEARCH - 'The role of the Deutsche Bundesbank in the European System of Central Banks' by Hermann Remsperger, Deutsche Bundesbank, Accepted 1 February 2002.
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,…