Banks
Flattening yield curve increased retail banks’ profits – Chicago Fed
The results reflect a change in banks’ business models after the financial crisis, researchers say
The Brexit conundrum
The Bank of England has only limited room to respond to a hard Brexit
The answers to the 2018 Central Banking Christmas quiz
We reveal the answers to the Christmas quiz, and the winner
Weak EU banks more likely to prop up ‘zombie firms’, ECB paper says
EU needs insolvency reform to reduce proportion of uncompetitive firms, researchers argue
African countries leveraging data for regtech
IMF paper shows countries are looking at how to use tech to streamline supervision processes
Big tech companies poised to disrupt financial services – FSB
New report claims fintech hasn’t affected competition in financial sector, but big tech firms could pose stability risk
Arab countries must improve funding of small businesses – IMF’s Lagarde
SMEs make up 96% of Arab world’s businesses but get only 7% of bank loans – IMF chief
Zhou Xiaochuan wins 2019 lifetime achievement award
The former PBoC governor served for a record 15 years, implementing sweeping reforms that have reshaped the Chinese economy
Lifetime achievement: Zhou Xiaochuan
The former People’s Bank of China governor stands out for his high levels of integrity, intellectual rigour and bold reforms that have served the public interest in China and elsewhere
CBDC is mixed bag for financial stability – Bank of Korea
Central bank paper highlights stability concerns but says there are instances within which a CBDC could strengthen stability
Interview: Jussi Kangas on the future of cash
Bank of Finland adviser says it’s challenging to keep the cash cycle efficient as usage falls
Russian authorities start criminal investigation of failed bank owner
Private lender Otkritie was nationalised by central bank in 2017
Romanian central bank holds talks with government over tax dispute
National Bank of Romania rejects calls to abolish interbank rate
Lack of diversity signals risks, Irish regulator says
Diversity matters to performance, Rowland says, adding the issue is not restricted to gender
Irish central bank makes lenders pay €647 million over mortgage scandal
Regulator moves on to enforcement actions after securing compensation for 40,000 customers
A dual-currency system would make negative rates work – IMF research
Proposal would free monetary policy from lower zero bound when dealing with a recession
Data overhaul needed to enhance insolvency frameworks – IMF
Paper highlights the importance of data in analysing efficiency of current resolution policies
Governor of the year: Karnit Flug
The Bank of Israel’s first female governor delivered some hard-fought reforms during her time in office, and also stood up to the government and safeguarded macroeconomic stability
Improved political environment lends support to Lebanese pound
As new government is formed, investors become more willing to sell dollars and buy pound
Non-banks continue rise as banks lose market share
Non-bank financial firms hit a record high, at nearly half of global financial assets, FSB finds; leveraged lending increasingly an area of focus
Capital requirements impact collateral demands – BoE paper
Higher capital requirements can make banks demand more collateral, authors find
IMF endorses Hong Kong’s tight macro-prudential measures
But risks to the outlook appear to be building, the fund says
European Commission accuses eight banks of bond market collusion
EC can fine banks 10% of their turnover if it finds “sufficient evidence” of market rigging
Bank of Ghana slashes further 100bp from policy rate
Action follows similar move in 2018, as inflation declines into the target range