People
Trichet lays down the gauntlet
Subjected to a grilling by its Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in one of the seemingly infinite rooms of the European Parliament's nightmarishly labyrinthine buildings in Brussels on September 11, Jean-Claude Trichet gingerly and with consummate…
Mboweni takes flak...
The admirable Tito Mboweni, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, is under bombardment as fellow countrymen splutter at his recent pay rise. Mboweni has been accused of double standards for accepting a pay rise of 9% this year and 12% last year …
...but aims high
But Mboweni has received political support - which is valuable since, some say, he has his eyes on the presidency when current president Thabo Mbeki's term ends in 2009 (Mboweni's current term ends in 2004).
Gerashchenko into politics
The global political establishment can now boast a couple more ex-heavyweight central bank governors to their number: Viktor Gerashchenko from Russia and Bimal Jalan from India. Gerashchenko, who resigned from Russia's central bank in March 2002 citing…
Jalan too
Bimal Jalan, having ceded power at the central bank to the capable hands of YV Reddy, will slip into what will surely be no less lively an occupation. He has now been nominated to the upper house of Parliament (contrasting with Gerashchenko who is to…
Afghan treasure hunt
Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, the central bank governor in Afghanistan, has been on a treasure hunt - and was not disappointed. Together with the country's president, finance minister and justice minister, he descended into the subterranean expanse that lies…
Greenback's end...
The end of the greenback is nigh! On October 9 a new and improved version of what has hitherto been affectionately known as the "greenback" will enter into circulation, but the new $20 note will not actually be green. The background is to be a shade of …
...and Howard's end
Sir Howard Davies, who leaves the UK's Financial Services Authority at the end of this week to take up the job of head of the London School of Economics, sensibly ducks questions about whether he wanted to be governor of the Bank of England.
All's well in the euro zone
Contrary to incessant and repetitive media mutterings about the sickly euro zone economy, it would seem that in fact all is well. So well, in fact, that the ECB has decided that there is really no need for its forthcoming fortnightly meeting because…
Bank of Japan at the cutting edge
Toshihiko Fukui, Japan's central bank governor, keeps up with the times. He openly admits to entertaining his runaway addiction to the latest in mobile phone technology and is shortly to experience the unbridled pleasure of getting the NTT DoCoMo 505i…
Philippine central bankers to defend integrity
Four senior officials at the central bank in the Philippines, including the governor Rafael Buenaventura and his deputy Alberto Reyes, are getting heat from lawmen, accused of being "administratively liable of gross neglect of duty".
Cricketing King's unlikely heroes
When Mervyn King was the guest of honour last week at the lunch-time chat on BBC Radio 4's cricket programme "Test Match Special", he revealed his affection for - and knowledge of - the game as well as a certain ambition for socialite status. The…
Zimbabwe's central bankers urged to go
Things aren't getting any less desperate in Zimbabwe, which is in the thick of a crippling cash crisis, now that parliament is demanding that the central bank management just leave.
Donald Winn passes away
Fed old-timer Donald Winn sadly died at the age of 66 with pancreatic cancer after faithfully serving the central bank for almost half of his life. With 30 years on the clock, Winn had proved a precious asset to no less than four chairmen, in charge of…
Greenspan holds his own
In his recent testimony to Congress, Alan Greenspan has "reached a new low" according to a certain Congressman Sanders. By apparently suggesting that manufacturing doesn't matter, Greenspan had "insulted tens of millions of American workers".
Franco faces new accusations
Oh, this fickle world! Once praised by his compatriots for his hand in hauling Brazil out of the mire in 1997, and even named central banker of the year by Euromoney as a consequence, the tide has turned for Gustavo Franco.
New vice-governor in Belgium
Seasoned politician Luc Coene has been appointed as the new vice-governor of the National Bank of Belgium. He was previously the prime minister Guy Verhofstadt's right hand man, acting among other things as his chief of staff.
An original career change
After a career in central banking, what is there left? A certain feeling of emptiness has been known to haunt ex-central bankers, which some have attempted to relieve by immersing themselves in academic studies, while others have resorted to the soothing…
Finance minister becomes governor in Peru
How will Javier Silva measure up as the new governor of Peru's central bank? Previously the country's finance minister, Silva stepped into the breach to replace Richard Webb after the latter's resignation on account of unworkable disagreements between…
New Serbian governor asserts independence
Did the Serbian government give Mladjan Dinkic the boot because of his questionable running of the central bank? If so, his successor won't last long. Energy minister Kori Udovicki who has been chosen to take his place told the Financial Times, "I will…
Another one for the ladies
CentralBankNet notes that Udovicki's appointment pushes the number of the world's lady central bank governors a little more comfortably into double figures, now numbering a still rather paltry eleven. She joins Bodil Nyboe Andersen as Europe's only other…
Meltzer magic
Allan Meltzer and the dear old Bretton Woods twins haven't always been on the best of terms. As he told Central Banking journal barely a year and a half a go: the world bank's inefficiencies were a "scandal"; in many of its activities it "contributes…
Macfarlane goes for a decade
Ian Macfarlane, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, is buckling down for another term - but not a full one. At the age of 57, it seems that the prospect of another whole seven-year term would have been a bit much, so he put a bid in for a…
BIS increases transparency
Something which has largely escaped people's notice amid the flurry of recent changes at the BIS is that it has now declared the salaries of its senior management. This is consistent with its more general drive for greater transparency, since, as the new…