Central Banks
Croatian membership boosts ECB capital
Croatia’s central bank has joined the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), with governor Boris Vujčić taking his place on the ECB’s general council
Top Fed officials speak out to calm markets
Two Federal Reserve governors and the New York Fed president emphasise a change in monetary policy will be driven by data, not the date; further easing remains a possibility
Fed's Stein clarifies unemployment ‘threshold' for rate change
Permanent FOMC voter seeks to provide extra clarity over Bernanke statement last week; emphasises that interest rates could stay at rock-bottom even if unemployment falls to 6.5%
IMF plans overhaul of assistance to central banks and governments
Policy paper lays out plans for ‘single strategy’ combining technical assistance and training; pilot programme for new Capability Assessment Program aims to improve monetary and fiscal policy
Norges Bank economists examine motivations behind bank regulation
Staff memo sets out reasons why banking is ‘inherently unstable’ activity; says safety nets can create the need for further regulation
Austrian deputy resigns amid ongoing bribery case
Wolfgang Duchatczek quits National Bank of Austria; stands accused of bribery in relation to banknote printing deals with Syria and Azerbaijan
Hungarian inflation bound for 3% target after central bank cuts again
Hungarian National Bank cuts benchmark interest rate by 25bp for 11th successive meeting; forecasts that inflation will pick up in 2014 and hit target the following year
Caruana backs Bernanke taper timetable but warns banks to prepare for volatility
BIS general manager says Fed chairman Ben Bernanke was right to signal a tightening of monetary policy but warns stress tests will be needed to prepare banks for an increase in volatility
Bank of Spain rings organisational changes
General secretariat handed new department for market conduct and claims; new financial stability units set up to address banking analysis, macro-prudential policy and impact of regulation
ECB paper considers how to conduct monetary policy without interest rates
Occasional paper studies development of Islamic finance in Europe, including the difficulties inherent in setting monetary policy given that sharia bans interest rates
Sri Lankan central bank defends GDP figures
Central bank hits back at accusations of overstated growth figures in latest annual report; insists it follows international best practices
Weidmann says regulation must strengthen principle of individual responsibility
Bundesbank president says higher capital requirements will enable banks to shoulder greater losses by themselves; correct sequence of liability under common European resolution rules also needed
Canadian deputy says shadow banking could push up household debt
Timothy Lane raises concerns over the securitisation of government-guaranteed mortgages through shadow banks; says the low-cost funding could increase lending for mortgages
RBNZ deputy threatens use of loan-to-value restrictions to curb housing demand
Grant Spencer says interest rate hike would not be an 'appropriate response' to strong housing demand while macro-prudential intervention could be effective
EU finance ministers strike deal on bail-ins
Rules seek to impose losses from bank failures on creditors; national authorities told to create resolution funds to absorb losses in ‘exceptional cases’
Fischer says Frenkel will face ‘completely different' world
In his departing press conference at the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer highlights many changes that Jacob Frenkel will find when he returns; Frenkel still faces investigation over improper payments
People: Bank of Russia deputy joins government; Bank of Lithuania appoints deputy chair
Bank of Russia's first deputy chairman appointed as economic development minister; former Lithuanian finance minister moves to central bank as Darius Petrauskas departs; Kevin Feldman joins WGC
Basel Committee updates advice on anti-money laundering practices
Consultative document addresses ways for banks and supervisors to cut risk through diligent use of anti-money laundering efforts, including how to co-ordinate across borders
Monetary policy links to financial stability ‘are not straightforward', says Fed paper
Research paper from Fed's Finance and Economics Discussion Series finds monetary policy and financial stability concerns can be complementary - but the connections are complex