Financial Stability
Polish central bank uses YouTube comedy to warn of digital currency dangers
Film runs up over 500,000 views, but some local media criticise lack of transparency
Central banks ‘walking a thin line’, BIS economists warn
Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva and Jochen Schanz note central banks have little room to respond aggressively to surprises
Singapore seeks infrastructure investment boost
MAS and ministry of trade and industry to set up an infrastructure office to encourage local and international firms to build Asian infrastructure
UK’s Treasury Committee publishes contentious report on RBS
Report had been protected under UK confidentiality laws, but parliamentarians chose to publish it regardless; report highlights “widespread inappropriate treatment” of customers
RBI under pressure from alleged banking fraud scandal
Alleged fraudulent transactions uncovered at Punjab National Bank undermine the firm’s capital position; RBI launches investigation into “increasing incidence of frauds”
Post-crisis fiscal cuts boosted solvency without harming liquidity – DNB paper
Dutch paper uses yield spreads to analyse impact of consolidation announcements on investor perception of government solvency
ECB orders Latvia to shutter bank over laundering allegations
US Treasury alleges the bank laundered billions of dollars and had links to North Korea
Reserve managers made financial crisis worse for central banks – paper
Synchronised withdrawal of funds from commercial banks made central bank stabilisation efforts “more difficult”, IMF paper says
Algo trading harmed market during Swiss franc crash – paper
Algorithmic traders tended to “consume liquidity and reinforce the price disruption”
Saudi Arabia’s Alkholifey on economic restructuring, reserves and cyber security
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority’s governor talks to Christopher Jeffery about the restructuring of the Saudi economy, the impact of low oil prices on reserves and anti-money laundering efforts
FCA fails to publish contentious report on RBS
Regulator opts to supply parliamentary committee with a confidential version of the report, but lawmakers may publish it anyway
Singapore to step up consumer protection on e-payments
Banks must offer users better protection measures, but users could also face fines for recklessness or carelessness
Sama enables blockchain for cross-border payments
Pilot with Ripple will allow domestic banks to settle payments across the xCurrent network; payments infrastructure based on the Interledger Protocol
BIS’s Carstens sees danger in rapid technological change
General manager says supervisors should ensure the banking system remains resilient amid numerous challenges to traditional business models
China feels tighter financial conditions ahead of new year
Record-breaking bank loans contrast with slower broad credit growth, amid shift away from shadow banking
RBA paper proposes new method of mapping the banking network
“Density-based” approach helps overcome shortcomings of other methods, authors say
RBI launches tougher rules on non-performing loans
Overhaul of framework for dealing with stressed assets is latest step in central bank’s push to clean up financial sector
Brexit ‘surprises’ could delay rate hikes, IMF says
If negotiations affect wage growth or “depress demand”, the BoE could make monetary policy more expansionary, staff say