Regulation
ECB study finds concentrated power in DeFi
Authors say all crypto services should fall under Micar, as full decentralisation does not exist
Majority of central banks posted profit in last year
Largest share of profit-makers have no dividend sharing-contract with government
Half of central banks prohibit senior officials’ shareholdings
Minority of respondents working to adopt other internal policies
Non-executive directors earn five times less than governors
NEDs work an average of 14 hours weekly, Governance Benchmarks 2026 find
Dirk Niepelt on the political economy of CBDCs
The BoE CBDC adviser discusses the social role of a retail digital currency versus commercial bank money and favours a remunerated approach
Boards with salary-setting duties have largest membership
Greatest number of non-execs appointed by government
Roughly 40% of central banks lack a monetary policy committee
Governing boards remain widely responsible for setting overall strategy
Lifetime achievement award: Mervyn King
The former BoE governor helped restore UK monetary policy credibility, played a central role during the global financial crisis, and has made significant contributions towards better bank oversight and economics
Interest rate crosswinds buffet IRRBB teams
Political intervention and rapid-fire law changes are skewering bank models for forecasting cashflows
Governors of smaller central banks earn slightly below global average
But governors’ salaries remain above $200,000 a year
European governors serve longest average term length
Central bank governors rarely appointed for one term or 3+ terms
One-fifth of central banks say governing laws are inappropriate
Government still sets salaries at one-tenth of jurisdictions
Central bank of the year: Central Bank of Nigeria
A return to policy orthodoxy under new leadership at the African central bank helped to bring Nigeria’s economy back from the brink
Payments and market infrastructure development – retail: Central Bank of Colombia’s Bre-B
Colombia’s new federated payments system achieved success due to thoughtful planning, proactive regulation and successful onboarding
Artificial intelligence initiative: Bank of Namibia
A concerted effort to implement AI has delivered efficiency gains within and across the financial sector
One in five smaller central banks lacks fining powers
Respondents still widely manage FX reserves and act as lender of last resort
RBNZ to collaborate with industry on financial inclusion MoU
Move follows consultation in which almost all wanted action to improve banking access
Governor of the year: Jerome Powell
The Fed chair has shown high levels of integrity and resolve in upholding his public duty in the pursuit of price stability and maximum employment
Why Trump’s latest Truth should make TradFi twitchy
Wall Street is becoming the villain in US president’s crypto movie
Fed’s Bowman: Basel has driven banks out of traditional loans
Vice-chair for supervision renews call to bring mortgage lending back to banking sector
ECB’s Donnery casts doubt over mooted competitiveness mandate
Secondary objective would ‘muddy the waters’ about bank’s role as supervisor, board member says