Central Banks
Michael Wong Pakshong, 1931–2017
MAS’s first managing director led the institution from a turbulent foundation amid the collapse of Bretton Woods through a challenging period of monetary reform
Belize central bank toughens AML/CFT controls with Swift solution
Software scans payment messages in real time, alerting central bank of suspicious transactions; upgrade is latest in a series of initiatives deployed in improving AML/CFT compliance
San Francisco Fed economist explores methods to forecast interest rates
Michael Bauer aims to forecast interest rates based on the current level and long-run trend, and a narrative linking both
Brexit drives a wedge between BoE and markets
Market expectations of future UK interest rates appear out of line with views expressed by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. It comes at a time when Brexit ‘news’ often trumps economic data
Digital currencies could transform the role of central banks – Chilean governor
Marcel is wary of developments with CBDCs, but believes they are still a long way off; he urges central banks to keep pace with fintech innovation
Czech central bank raises interest rates for first time in nine years
Legacy of currency defence may cause future problems, analyst argues
RBNZ to stick with ‘simple-yet-conservative’ regulation, says Spencer
Financial stability head acknowledges there could be risks to deviating too far from global norms, but says New Zealand prefers to keep regulations strict and simple
Banks have never been very ‘boring’ – NY Fed economist
Banks have consistently innovated throughout history, and regulations have struggled to keep up, Nicola Cetorelli writes
Turkish inflation begins to fall amid economic strength
Inflation fell back to single digits in July for the first time since January; economy buoyant amid stimulus measures in wake of failed coup
Fed can no longer ‘wait and see’, says Williams
Waiting to unwind the balance sheet could “overheat the economy”, says San Fran president, who believes the US has “fully recovered” from the recession
BoE: market pricing implies two rate rises in next three years
Markets project first rate rise in Q3 2018, but committee says tightening may need to come sooner; MPC sees mixed picture for labour market
ECB and ESRB present database on European financial crises
New database will be key tool for macro-prudential authorities
How to divest public sector assets
Exit programmes for public sector assets could create uncertainty through supply/demand imbalance, but a tap facility – a private sector triggered exit programme – could be the solution, writes Hon Cheung, chief investment strategist, official…
Australia risks shortage of economists, warns RBA’s Dwyer
Students are tending to choose business studies over economics, says the RBA’s head of information; central bank is trying to reverse the trend
FDIC’s Hoenig warns on relaxing bank capital requirements
The Trump administration claims regulations hamper lending and economic growth, but Thomas Hoenig argues capital is an essential source of funding for banks
RBI makes first rate cut of 2017
Inflation is at a record low, and growth is forecast to rebound, although the RBI is still concerned about weak transmission of the policy rate
Sri Lanka issues first t-bonds under new transparent framework
Both maturities offered were oversubscribed in phase one, says central bank
Serbia’s Tabaković deems NPL action plan a success
Proportion of NPLs has fallen by 6% since 2015, says governor