Eurozone
Asset purchase programmes prevalent among advanced economies
But just 17% of emerging market economies said they operate a purchase programme
ECB council divided on forward guidance, minutes show
Some senior officials argued new formulation risks inflation overshooting
An assessment of the ECB’s strategy review
A number of aspects of the new framework raise challenges for implementation and credibility, while the inclusion of climate change may politicise the institution, writes euro architect Otmar Issing
Three ways to bolster flawed AML/CFT in the EU
The EU needs to significantly improve the structure and resourcing of its AML/CFT oversight if it really wants to combat illicit money flows, write Panicos Demetriades and Radosveta Vassileva
Benoît Cœuré on CBDCs, stablecoins and central bank fintech co-operation
BIS Innovation Hub chief voices concerns about the timing of stablecoin and CBDC roll-outs, fintech risks for supervisors and monetary policy, and details development plans for eight innovation locations
Don’t dismiss inflation risks but don’t overreact, say central bankers
Sbordone, Smets and Vlieghe weigh up challenges for central banks in the “return towards normal”
Cash infrastructure as public good – implications for the cash cycle
Efforts are under way in the Eurosystem to safeguard cash infrastructure as a ‘public good’ even as transaction volumes have fallen significantly. How can policy-makers strike the right balance?
ECB paper measures economic uncertainty in eurozone
Researchers present method to monitor changes in uncertainty in eurozone and its trading partners
Zhang Tao on the IMF’s fintech agenda, CBDCs and big tech oversight
IMF deputy managing director speaks about the fund’s perspectives on CBDC operating frameworks, regulating big tech and macrofinancial oversight in a digital world
‘Giant of the field’ Robert Mundell dies
The Nobel laureate influenced a generation of economists via the Mundell-Fleming model
Mário Centeno on monetary-fiscal interaction in the eurozone
Bank of Portugal governor says ECB is not being overrun by former finance ministers, must improve the definition of its inflation target and has no need for yield curve control. Centeno believes NextGenerationEU fund could serve as template for a future…
Monetary unions might benefit from taxing external debt – DNB paper
Policy would reduce adverse effects of shocks to risk premia on sovereign debt, researchers find
Ulrich Bindseil on the launch of the digital euro
The ECB’s director-general for market infrastructure and payments speaks about the functionality, tiering approaches, privacy policies, ledger technology and ecosystem impact of the eurozone's planned CBDC
ESM to become backstop to Single Resolution Fund
Revised treaty enhances fund’s role in future adjustment programmes and crisis prevention
Cross-border spillovers play key role in ECB’s bond purchases – DNB paper
Cross-border effects play a “dominant role” in PSPP’s effectiveness, say researchers
Firms and households form inflation expectations very differently – paper
Confidence in economy has strongly divergent effects, Central Bank of Ireland research finds
Hernández de Cos on ECB policy, crises responses and Basel reform
Spanish governor and Basel Committee chair Pablo Hernández de Cos favours a form of average inflation targeting, says ECB is willing to boost stimulus and Basel reforms not diminished by Covid-19 exceptions; stresses the need for structural reform and…
What does 2021 hold for the ECB?
Former officials reflect on AIT, how the strategy review may affect normalisation, QE options and the need for new tools
Size matters for central bank research publishing
Staff numbers have strongest association with central banks’ research output
Few central banks forecast policy rates
Economics Benchmarks 2020 highlights wide variation in variables forecast by central banks
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
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
ECB paper looks at cross-border macro-prudential effects
Imposing capital buffers cuts risk-taking and lending by foreign subsidiaries, researchers find
Olli Rehn on AIT, market neutrality and EU fiscal policies
The Bank of Finland governor talks about the ECB’s strategy review, market failure on climate change, lessons from the sovereign debt crisis, and the Draghi legacy effect on Covid-19 responses