Central Banks
Bank of Portugal gets new powers to assess bank directors
Bankers’ current court cases and their personal business conduct are now also part of the Bank of Portugal's assessment of the banking system
Central Bank of Nigeria raises stakes with rate hike
Bank loosens grip on falling naira but governor ‘committed to stable exchange rate'; warns drop in oil price is permanent and depreciation could continue
BoJ’s Nakaso sees opportunities for payments innovation
Options on the table include 24-7 real-time payment systems, improved cross-border linkages and better financial messaging systems
BoJ minutes reveal fears of QE ‘side effects’
Minutes from meeting that saw central bank ramp up asset purchases reveal concerns among board members; Kuroda and Nakaso speak in defence of the policy
BoE officials defend use of labour market data in policy-making
Mark Carney and other top officials say labour market data quality is variable but always carefully examined; central bank may publish details of agents’ assessment of the economy
Malaysian banks working on a Swift rulebook for Islamic transactions
A Swift rulebook ‘will provide an efficient platform for the exchange of messages for Islamic finance transactions’, says governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
Global housing trends can predict domestic financial stability – Norges Bank paper
Crisis probability increases markedly when ‘bubble-like behaviour' in the housing and credit markets coincides with high leverage, research shows
Riksbank study questions status of cash as legal tender
Researchers warn ‘lock-in effect' may inhibit market participants from exploiting more efficient payment methods
Bundesbank explores macro-prudential framework
Claudia Buch says the central bank is 'looking into' what needs to be done to provide a legal basis for macro-prudential policy; Bundesbank releases financial stability review
Oil price forecast errors impact wider inflation estimates, Banque de France study finds
When there is ‘large’ volatility in oil prices, the pass-through of forecast errors to inflation estimates increases, research finds
ECB’s Cœuré calls for 'deeper analysis' of CCP crises
Benoît Cœuré warns questions still remain in the area of CCP failure; highlights needs to consider impact of multiple CCPs entering recovery at the same time
BoE picks Deloitte to review RTGS failure
Consultancy firm to conduct investigation into outage in real-time gross settlement system that saw system break down for several hours
New York Fed consultant slams bank's ‘intensely deferential' regulatory culture
David Beim, a Columbia professor who conducted confidential review into regulatory practices, says employees who speak out are ‘frequently hammered down' by supervisors
Riksbank deputy assesses changing payments market
Cecilia Skingsley warns capacity of mobile networks is not always sufficient to manage ‘temporary peaks' in activity; also addresses ‘changeover' of banknotes and coins
CGFS pushes central banks to prepare market-making crisis measures
BIS committee warns of ‘bifurcated’ liquidity and suggests central banks prepare crisis measures to support market-making, including the potential for direct intervention in critical markets
Flug warns Israel is falling behind in productivity race
Bank of Israel governor sees country slipping behind its OECD peers and suggests policy changes to boost productivity growth
Thomas Jordan dismisses monetary reform proposals
Swiss National Bank head rejects multiple reforms, including a return to the gold standard, the introduction of plain money and the adoption of the euro
Nigerian central bank scrutinised over currency troubles
As the naira continues to weaken, analysts argue central bank blunders earlier this month have added fuel to the flames ignited by rising oil prices; MPC expected to hike rates tomorrow
Basel rate-risk project sets up scrap over deposit models
Attempts to set international capital rules for banking book interest rate exposures are hitting sensitive ground as banks warn lending will suffer if regulators cap deposit maturities
BIS's Hannoun calls failure to normalise policy a 'high-risk strategy'
Deputy general manager flags numerous ways in which unconventional policy may have adverse effects on the economy, both now and in the future
PBoC cut fails to impress but more action on the cards
Economists say first cut in two years likely to have weak effect at best, but PBoC may have to take stronger action going forward as economy worsens
Dudley endures grilling on Goldman tapes
New York Fed president questioned by senate committee, including whether the culture at the Fed itself is up to scratch; Dudley contests claim NY Fed failed in supervisory duties
Maldives governor says international experts ‘unaware’ of island realities
Azeema Adam argues policy advice from international institutions is misguided, and rejects the use of one-size-fits-all policy prescriptions