CB Opinion
Stability versus solvency
There is still far too much regulatory forbearance on troubled bank debt. More on-site inspections and genuine writedowns are needed to fix the banking system
Bulgaria: long live the currency board
Bulgaria should reject the euro and extend its currency board to cover bank deposits
Macroeconomics is not broken
The discipline has moved beyond the neoclassical synthesis. Critics should too
Yngve Slyngstad: contrarian person, brilliant investor
Knut Kjær reflects on the character of the man that has led Norway’s $1.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund and contemplates the complex governance challenges ahead
Negative rates demonstrate shortcomings of currency
Many central banks have rates in negative territory. The distortionary effects of these policies raise broader questions on the design of money itself, writes Barry Topf
In search of a better definition of digital money
Dave Birch tries to cut through the noise on cryptocurrencies, blockchains and everything in between
Facing up to the tech challenge
Central banks get a wake-up call from libra
What is behind China’s digital currency aspirations?
The PBoC sees CBDC as a means of riding the wave of digitisation, and potentially challenging the US dollar’s dominance, writes Hui Feng
Demand for cash remains solid in many parts of the world
Sayuri Shirai re-examines the decline of cash use worldwide
The future of cash: an update
Antti Heinonen looks at the latest trends in cash use, including a surprising turnaround for the Swedish krona
Central bankers without clothes and clout
The focus on the latest actions by central banks is disproportional to their impact on the economy. Without normalisation, central bankers may be revealed to have no clout, writes Jesper Berg
Regulators should embrace digital ID
The lack of a single ID in financial services is causing unnecessary friction, argues Dave Birch
30 years of central banking
Central banks face credibility tests on a number of fronts
The Fed’s trade policy dilemma
FOMC should loosen, but members must speak out more forcefully against tariffs, writes Barry Eichengreen
An inside story on the central bank gold agreement
Robert Pringle reveals details of Mbeki’s appeal to central bankers
PBoC is navigating into uncharted waters on RMB
Beijing and its central bank need to think carefully and act responsibly as the renminbi is steered into uncharted waters
Five reasons why Mark Carney should head the IMF
The outgoing Bank of England governor has all the requisite skills
Are central bank digital currencies inevitable?
Launching a CBDC could protect the pre-eminence of public money, a new report argues
Purists lament as most cheer Lagarde as next ECB chief
Lagarde expected to adopt similar philosophy to Draghi at ECB, making the central bank the ‘only game in town’ – at least for a while
The twilight of banking supervision
Supervision of banks in Europe has deteriorated, rather than improved, since the advent of the eurozone crisis
Doves vs hawks: IMF advice on unconventional monetary policy
Funds’ advice on innovative measures has not always “stood the test of time”, writes Philip Turner
Putting modern monetary theory to the test
Sayuri Shirai asks whether MMT might hold the solution to Japan’s stagnation
National Bank of Romania resists the populists – for now
Veteran governor Mugur Isărescu has run a largely successful campaign to defend the central bank’s independence during a turbulent year
A climate of change
Central banks are striving to take practical steps to tackle climate change risks. Can they succeed?