Central Banks
BoE payments research offers tips on economising on collateral
Bank of England study into payments systems argues that under a collateral-based real-time gross settlement system liquidity savings mechanisms can improve welfare
Bank of Korea elbows government out of rate decisions
Korean central bank wins battle to keep vice minister out of rate calls; government representative can attend and observe future policy meetings, but must leave before policymakers vote
Former Icelandic governors may face criminal charges over crisis
Icelandic parliamentary committee passes names of three former central bank officials to state prosecutors; may face criminal charges
Ratings agencies blindly mimic market jitters: Noyer
Banque de France governor becomes latest euro-area official to slam credit rating agencies for worsening debt crisis; remarks follow Spain’s second downgrade in two months
Canada hikes by quarter point
Bank of Canada raises overnight rate to 0.5%
Hungary defies government calls for cuts
National Bank of Hungary keeps benchmark rate flat at all-time low; decision will further anger new government, which has called for steeper cuts and easy money
BOE payments review finds scope for cost cutting
Bank of England review on real-time payment and settlements systems shows significant opportunities for cost savings
HKMA's Chan: markets will be punished if lessons are not learnt
Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Norman Chan warns over complacency in regulating markets
Canada's Duguay: terminating penny coin has no impact on inflation
Bank of Canada deputy governor Pierre Duguay says eliminating penny coin will pose little threat of inflation
Markets support Poland’s central bank nominee amid opposition murmurs
Stock market gains as analysts welcome the nomination of former prime minister Marek Belka to head the central bank; confirmation expected despite grumblings from opposition politicians
Angolan central bank loses monetary policy mandate
Parliament votes to change law so central bank can “merely participate” in monetary and exchange rate policy; government will have responsibility while central bank assists in implementation
Surge in foreign holdings of US Treasuries and agencies ends two-week slide
Data show holdings of US Treasuries and agency securities by foreign central banks with accounts at the Federal Reserve increased $18.2 billion on the back of two weeks of declines
ECB’s Bini Smaghi: Greece cannot default
ECB’s Lorenzo Bini Smaghi says an orderly default is simply not an option to solving Greece’s fiscal burden
Ex-Polish PM to head central bank
Poland's acting president nominates former prime minister and IMF European director Marek Belka for post of central bank president
China denies reviewing eurozone bond holdings
State Administration of Foreign Exchange dismisses reports that it is appraising euro asset holdings; follows surge in T-bill purchases last week
Richmond Fed's Lacker: poor incentives created financial crisis
Richmond Federal Reserve president Jeffrey Lacker says 'too big to fail' no reason to save creditors
BIS’s Cecchetti: change data collection to create “map” to stem crises
Bank for International Settlements’ chief economist Stephen Cecchetti suggests adapting existing statistical reporting frameworks in pursuit of “holy grail” of systemic risk monitoring
Bernanke says central bank independence essential during periods of QE
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says central bank must retain independence during periods of unconventional policy
Missed mortgage payments spike in Ireland
Thirteen percent of mortgage payments overdue by more than 90 days; chief regulator Matthew Elderfield says there is no simple solution to the problem
Libor climbs as uncertainty in European markets grows
Libor rises to highest in more than ten months as lending in European markets slows down
IMF flags concern over Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s governance
IMF cites severe governance failings as Zimbabwe’s central bank maintains Gideon Gono as chair of its new governing board.
Portugal's Constâncio: markets cannot self regulate
Bank of Portugal governor Vítor Constâncio discusses new vision of European regulation
Shirakawa wants financial stability as primary mandate
Governor of the Bank of Japan believes central banks' key task should be to achieve a stable financial environment; says higher inflation targets would do little good at the zero bound