Benchmarking
Is the central bank gold rush over?
Has gold become too expensive to offer value as a diversification asset amid geopolitical turbulence?
Two-fifths of central banks leave payment fees unregulated
Middle income institutions more likely to regulate prices than other respondents
Larger teams more likely to oversee payments networks
Most central banks have general mandate to safeguard all payment systems
Quarter of payments departments report resourcing issues
Average number of FTE employees increases year on year to 40
Strategic Planning Benchmarks 2025 – model banks analysis
Data breakdowns reveal differences in strategic goals, department structure and salaries
Strategic Planning Benchmarks 2025 – executive summary
The first strategic planning benchmark reveals strategic priorities, frameworks and KPIs
Strategic Planning Benchmarks 2025 report – charting a path
The first strategic planning benchmark sheds light on department structure, control methods and KPIs
Over half of central banks employ strategic progress monitoring tools
Just a quarter of jurisdictions evaluate success with external means
Most central banks gauge strategic plans with KPIs
Respondents reveal KPI use cases in operations and compliance with mandate
Central banks rate strategic plan visibility and authority highest
Resourcing tends to be somewhat more challenging across jurisdictions
Third of central banks link staff remuneration to strategic plan
Strategic planners are paid $40,000 on average per year
Strategic plans widely integrated into staff annual reviews
Staffing averages just under five persons in strategic planning units
Strategic control often operates on quarterly cycle
Banks with centralised strategic planning also tend to centralise strategic control
Working group minutes: refining forecast models
Central bank economists discuss challenges of tackling errors and integrating new model features
Governing boards approve majority of strategic plans
Departmental heads widely assigned implementation duties
Three in four central banks use dedicated strategic units
Units typically have a direct reporting line to the governor
Events are top channel for strategic plan communication
But over half of plans lack a framework for communication
Digital transformation and payments are major strategic goals
But few respondents prioritise AI or mandate changes
Strategic planning is ad hoc in 10% of central banks
Strategic plan-setting frequency averages 3.8 years across institutions
Strategic plans tend to be built around six key pillars
Central banks split on whether planning is broad or narrow
Most central banks fund strategic plan delivery with standard budgets
Only two-fifths of jurisdictions have dedicated budget for strategic objectives
Governance Benchmarks 2025 – model banks analysis
Data breakdown highlights independence pressures, capital frameworks and staffing challenges
Governance Benchmarks 2025 – executive summary
Data shows strong independence with threats in some areas, and sheds light on staffing, mandates and more
Do central banks need more tools to regulate the financial system?
Policy-makers from Armenia, Thailand and New Zealand share perspectives on how to keep up with the ever-changing industry