Euro
Monetary unions in the making in Africa
EAC, Ecowas and SADC can adopt practical steps learned from EMU to prepare for their own currency unions
BoE says banks can cope with Brexit and pandemic
But central bank warns EU actions are risking some disruption as transition period ends
ECB is caught in a ‘communications trap’ – Issing
Monetary policy architect says ‘close to’ 2% inflation target was never part of original plan; urges ECB to reject Fed-like average inflation targeting
Otmar Issing on the art of central bank communications
EMU architect speaks about Draghi’s “whatever it takes” intervention, forward guidance failures, the Fed’s average inflation target ‘miscommunication’, and why the ECB may be overreaching in its strategy review
How can central banks secure the future of money?
Central banks should start tackling the accounting, legal and policy challenges related to CBDC. This work will shape the future of money, as could be witnessed in Albania
Powell, Lagarde and Bailey express caution on CBDCs
Jay Powell says Fed must get any future CBDC right, rather than “being the first”
EBA wants Basel to revisit prudential rules on software
Banking regulator set to soften capital impact of IT assets, but proposals are still out of line with US
Currency Benchmarks 2020 report – the data behind the cash cycle
Perspectives on staffing, circulation, forecasting, fraud, substrate choice, outsourcing and climate risk
Maggiori, Neiman and Schreger on capital flows and Covid-19
The Global Capital Allocation Project sheds light on where vulnerabilities may lie
Georgia’s Gvenetadze on implementing an aggressive reform agenda
The National Bank of Georgia governor speaks about efforts to improve monetary policy, financial infrastructure, financial literacy, transparency and ESG
Lagarde and Weidmann clash over EU recovery fund
ECB president wants it to become a permanent fiscal tool, Bundesbank president thinks it should remain a one-off
Frank Smets on the ECB’s strategy review
The ECB’s DG of economics explains how expectations, communication, fiscal dominance, climate change and the Fed’s actions will be factored into the ECB’s delayed strategy review
Reserve Benchmarks 2020 report – charting new data frontiers
Perspectives on staffing and salaries, reserve coverage, portfolio construction, benchmarking, use of external parties and risk management
An end to the loveless marriage with the US dollar?
Covid-19 represents an unexpected shock that could cause further US dollar decoupling, which could show up in next week’s Cofer data release, writes Gary Smith
Lower-income countries generate highest reserves growth
Most reserves portfolios appear to have weathered the Covid-19 crisis well
Euro failing to challenge US dollar in global reserves – CBI Benchmarks data
Among non-European central banks euro sovereign debt accounts for just 4.1% of reserves; negative rates act as a major barrier, say reserve managers
The eurozone’s eastern conundrum
Bulgaria and Croatia expect a net positive effect as they take final steps to join the euro, while the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland remain reluctant
James Bullard on the Fed’s policy review, FSOC and forecasting jobs data
St Louis Fed president discusses his support for average inflation targeting, his concerns about US Treasuries market function, non-bank regulatory weakness and negative rates, as well as the unexpected success in using Homebase data to predict highly…
CLS proposes second-tier FX settlement system
Stripped-back system for EM currencies mooted to tackle rising settlement risk
IMF research highlights limits of exchange rate flexibility
New dataset sheds light on role of dominant-currency invoicing for exchange rate dynamics
ECB expands euro repo network
Albania and Serbia join Covid-19 liquidity backstop
The evolving role of central bank money in payments
The line between commercial and central bank money continues to blur, but the multiple-issuer/one-currency paradigm underpinning the current monetary system is set to remain in a CBDC world, write Ulrich Bindseil and Ignacio Terol
What makes for good financial supervision?
The Wirecard debacle has led to calls for more effective oversight in Europe. Andreas Dombret identifies four essential elements
Croatia and Bulgaria join ECB’s exchange rate mechanism
Both countries move closer to eurozone membership as largest Croatian banks come under SSM