Sanctions
Iran using Tether’s stablecoin to bypass sanctions, report finds
Central bank thought to be using USDT to buy rial on crypto exchanges as domestic currency plummets
Russia’s Euroclear lawsuit ‘an empty gesture, but not meaningless’
Central bank will use Moscow courts to bolster claims for compensation in international forums, say experts
Bank of Russia to scrap some FX transfer limits
Institution to lift restrictions four months early for citizens and foreigners from “friendly countries”
Serbia says sanctions on Russia pose financial stability risks
Central bank sounds warning as government threatens to divest Russian stakes in domestic oil refiner
More independent central banks hold fewer dollars – research
De-dollarisation benefits Singaporean and Korean currencies, while Australia’s and China’s lose out
Why Europe cannot afford to delay the digital euro
CBDC would counter the erosion of sovereignty as cash recedes, substitution by foreign digital monies and weaponisation of access, argue Biagio Bossone and Céu Pereira
The weaponisation of payments
Central banks must integrate geopolitical resilience into their payment oversight, argues Biagio Bossone
Book notes: King dollar, by Paul Blustein
A well-researched overview of the position of the US currency, providing an optimistic view on the future of ‘king dollar’.
Bulgarian National Bank denies shielding sanctioned oligarch
Central bank calls political party’s claim “unacceptable political interference”
Financial technologies are increasing AML/CFT risks – EBA
Crypto increasingly used to facilitate crime, while fintech firms prioritise “growth over compliance”
CBI’s approval of Israel bond prospectus was illegal – Irish lawmaker
Gary Gannon claims bank’s actions misled investors about risks and were in breach of country's Genocide Act
Geopolitical ructions and the role of the dollar
Implications of the new US administration’s policies for the international monetary system and central banks
Book notes: Our dollar, your problem, by Kenneth Rogoff
An excellent overview of the evolution of the world economy during the last seven decades, and a warning against complacency
Handful of central banks have bilateral payment links
Projects are nascent and growing, but some countries seek multilateral links instead
Reflections on the international financial situation
Former IMF head Jacques de Larosière writes that markets are blind to Trump's policy shocks that are fragmenting the monetary ‘system’, causing strain in the eurozone and may result in stagflation
Trends in reserve management 2025: survey results
Insights on strategies in anticipation of tariffs, interest rate divergence and geopolitical risk, FX diversification and de-dollarisation, as well as bitcoin in reserves, FX interventions and gold
Nabiullina: still Putin’s most effective general
Even Russia’s enemies say its central bank governor has played a bad hand well. But for how much longer?
Protesters occupy Irish central bank headquarters
Pro-Palestinian activists oppose institution’s involvement in sale of Israeli bonds
UK unfreezes Syrian central bank assets
Decision follows similar move by EU, though US sanctions remain in place
‘Dark’ oil shipping impacts inflation – paper
Research finds nearly 43% of seaborne crude is shipped undercover to evade sanctions
Sanctioned ex-Bank of Russia official takes up IMF role in US
Former deputy governor Ksenia Yudaeva now reportedly working for institution in Washington