Central Banks
Zimbabwe back to printing bond notes
Reserve bank to release an extra $300 million into the system from August to deal with forex demand; governor says bolstering regulation should help “plug” forex leakages
Moody’s upgrades UK banking sector on improved capital positions
Banks' funding costs have declined and insurance against bank defaults is at its lowest since the financial crisis, while capital buffers have increased
BoE working paper examines ‘exorbitant privilege’ benefits
Economist analyses whether the UK enjoyed the same benefits as the US when it was the pre-eminent issuer of a global reserve currency; findings show fundamental differences between the two in terms of investment patterns
Zhou did not get what he wanted, but has not left empty-handed
The key five-year meeting in China has resulted in shift of focus to systemic risk and regulation, and away from liberalisation and innovation
Opposition politicians call for Malaysian central bank to reopen probe
Move follows US government lawsuit claiming over $1.6 billion in assets and damages
Fed paper: corporate bond buying can misallocate capital
Capital misallocation effects can mean corporate bond purchase schemes underperform QE based on sovereign bonds, say economists
IMF deems negative rates to have had ‘no major side effects’
IMF paper explores the impact of negative interest rates on bank behaviour, concluding the transmission to money markets and bond yields has worked well
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