Euro
ECB issues Sepa "expectations"
The European Central Bank (ECB) published a list of expectations on Friday for how it would like to see stakeholders act to implement the Single Euro Payments Area or Sepa, amid concerns that the initiative will be swept aside by the financial crisis.
European banks to drop interchange fees by 2012
The European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) have told European banks to get rid of interchange fees on direct debit transactions by 31 October 2012 under EU antitrust rules.
Estonia to meet Maastricht criteria in 2009
Andres Lipstok, the governor of the Bank of Estonia, has said that the country will meet all the Maastricht criteria for euro entry later this year, reports say.
Buba's Weber: no surprise states keen on euro
It is no wonder that many of those in small boats are seeking to dock in the large ship European economic and monetary union (EMU), said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank.
Switzerland to intervene to halt franc's gain
The Swiss National Bank pledged to curb the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro on Thursday and said that there was a risk of deflation over the next three years.
MNB responds to forint sell-off
The Hungarian National Bank said it is prepared to use all the policy tools available to defend the forint, which came under pressure on foreign exchange markets last week.
Ex-Buba's Pohl sees euro threat
Karl Otto Pohl, a former president of the Bundesbank, has said that he believes countries are considering quitting the eurozone and that German politicians are concerned that they will end up shelling out for any member's debt defaults.
Romania wants to accelerate euro adoption
Bucharest is looking in to adopting the euro before the current target of 2014 in order to more closely link Romania's economy with other members of the European Union.
Of currencies, crises and completions
The crisis presents an opportunity to complete Europe’s journey towards a true monetary union, argues John Nugée
Papademos on macroprudential supervision
The European Central Bank and the Eurosystem are well placed to assume the tasks of macroprudential supervision, said Lucas Papademos, the vice president of the ECB.
A setback for European payments
Terry Dirienzo, product and marketing director for Experian Payments, a consultancy, bemoans a French suspension of work on the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa).
Demand for eurozone loans shrinks
Demand for loans from both businesses and households across the euro area fell sharply in the fourth quarter, the European Central Bank's (ECB) latest credit conditions survey indicated.
Sepa implementation: an overview
A new publication from the Bank of Italy gives an up-to-date overview of the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) implementation process.
Harare abandons Zim dollar for foreign currencies
The Zimbabwean government has said that it will allow businesses to accept multiple currencies alongside the effectively worthless Zimbabwean dollar.
Eurozone, Japanese inflation sink
Eurozone annual inflation fell to its lowest level since 1999 in January as data revealed price growth in Japan came to a near standstill in 2008.
US liquidity impacts eurozone inflation
Excessive liquidity in the United States weakens the effectiveness of monetary policy in the euro area, a new paper from the International Monetary Fund posits.
Trichet: euro is not dollar's competitor
The euro was not created to compete with the dollar, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell: crisis impacting economy
The eurozone is experiencing a severe financial crisis that has begun to impact the real economy, said Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
Labour markets matter for ECB policy
Disturbances in the wage-bargaining process are a significant contributor to inflation and output fluctuations in euro-area, a paper from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve finds.
ECB's warns against dangers of fiscal excess
The latest European Central Bank Monthly Bulletin calls for governments to spend cautiously.
Denmark's Bernstein on the benefits of the euro
Nils Bernstein, the governor of the National Bank of Denmark, has outlined a number of reasons why Denmark should join the eurozone.
Danes less keen on euro
The popularity of the euro among Danes has waned since November 2008, a poll commissioned by one of the country's leading banks has found.
ECB cuts, Trichet signals more could come
The European Central Bank (ECB) has chopped a half point off its key rate and indicated rates could reach a fresh low in the months to come. The news followed confirmation that eurozone inflation sank below the central bank's target in December.
Ireland's Hurley to stay on after term ends
The governor of Ireland's central bank, John Hurley, has agreed to stay on beyond the official end of his first seven-year term in March.