Governance
Mohohlo to step down after 40 years at Bank of Botswana
Bank of Botswana pays tribute to longest-serving governor, highlighting her achievements in reforming the institution; president will nominate successor
IMF: Central Bank of Iran should ‘streamline’ committee membership
IMF assessment warns of committees “dominated” by government agencies; fund stresses the central bank should limit membership to its senior officials and independent experts
‘Significant progress’ on infrastructure overhaul – RBNZ annual report
Past year saw progress on replacement RTGS system, decision on new securities clearing system and the start of a project to modernise Treasury functions
People: RBNZ appoints new board chair; reshuffle of senior management at Australian central bank
Reserve Bank of New Zealand replaces board of directors’ chair after 10 years at bank; assistant governors swap roles at the RBA as the bank looks to hire new talent; and more
Fischer: economics needs more diversity
Fed vice-chair says economics would benefit from more ethnic and gender diversity, outlining some ways in which the central bank is trying to move in that direction
Yemen’s president sacks governor and announces new central bank in Aden
Move may increase humanitarian crisis as former central bank head managed to prevent worst outcome in “dire” circumstances, expert says
RBA’s Heath highlights changing nature of Australian workforce
Automation, ageing population and decline of industry are reshaping the labour market’s demand for skills, head of economic analysis says, with lessons for central bank recruiting
Irish central bank announces major internal reorganisation
Bank will split market supervision department in two and create new financial stability directorate; full-time director of corporate affairs to be appointed
China has room to regulate local government financing – IMF paper
Government can and should rein in fiscal risks posed by public-private partnerships, authors say, as they outline “four pillar” regulatory framework
Obituary: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Former Bank of Italy governor dies aged 95. The former partisan also held the roles of finance minister, prime minister and president
Greek central bank governor is ‘the real goal’ of police raid, wife says
Greek police raid the office of a company owned by the wife of central bank governor Yannis Stournaras; she denies all wrong-doing and says aim of raid is to “denigrate” her husband
People: BoE appoints Brexit co-ordinator; Lagarde chooses Selassie to head Africa department
Phil Evans put in charge of work on UK’s exit from European Union at the Bank of England; Christine Lagarde appoints new Africa chief; and more
People: Dennis Lockhart to stand down; Buch becomes Irving Fisher committee chair
Atlanta Fed president quits after 10 years at bank; Claudia Buch becomes chair of the BIS’s stats-focused committee; new head of research at the New York Fed
BoE shines light on its gender pay gap
Men are still paid more than women at the central bank, though the gap is narrowing, and smaller within pay bands than across the organisation
Skingsley calls for balance, as government prepares to rethink Riksbank Act
Central bank mandates need to be a balance of specificity and flexibility, while too broad a mandate could threaten independence, deputy says; government to consider six areas of Riksbank’s work
BoE’s Shafik to step down early
Deputy governor reveals she is to take up post as director of the London School of Economics in 2017, leaving the central bank more than two years before her term was due to end
PBoC faces the ‘most challenging work of all central banks’ – HKU’s Xiao
The People’s Bank of China needs to meet short-term goals of exchange rate and price stability to achieve longer-term structural and financial reform, says Hong Kong University professor Xiao Geng
Changes to central bank law mooted in the Philippines
Proposed changes include oversight of more financial institutions as well as the capacity for the central bank to place harsher sanctions on illegal transactions
George and Lacker push back against calls for Fed governance reform
Presidents say mixed public-private funding and governance helps protect the independence of the regional Feds, though others warn private banks are having too much say in policy
People: Turkish deputy appointed; Dominican Republic governor and deputy to serve again
Former HSBC and Citigroup banker joins the ranks of the Central Bank of Turkey; long-standing Dominican Republic governor and deputy invited to serve again; and more
The arrival of web-first publications
Websites have become the primary channel for distributing central bank publications, with PDF being the format of choice. The BIS's Christian Beslmeisl asks whether central banks could do better
‘Iconic’ Irish central bank property put on market
No asking price for Dame Street site – sale is by best bid; more than 1,500 central bank staff to move to new site in North Wall Quay
German economist wins central bank prize
Klaus Adam wins award jointly sponsored by SNB, Bundesbank and National Bank of Austria for “innovative work” on asset prices and monetary policy
Nepalese central bank governors banned from retiring to financial sector
“Cooling-off” period adjusted for central bank employees under new legislation; former governors prohibited from working in the financial sector