Central Banks
Carney defends forward guidance as UK unemployment falls closer to BoE threshold
Bank of England governor says reaching 7% unemployment threshold does not presuppose monetary tightening, but rather incorporates a deliberate buffer before full employment is reached
Bank of England promises diversity on new polymer banknotes
Public consultation revealed 87% of Brits in favour of switching to polymer banknotes; Bank of England also unveils a new system for selecting historical characters to feature on its notes
RBA's Stevens says 2013 ‘not as bad as feared'
Reserve Bank of Australia governor tells parliamentarians there will be turbulence ahead when the Fed starts to ‘taper'; reminds that monetary policy alone cannot kick-start economic growth
Bernanke praises Volcker and Greenspan contributions on policy communication
Current Fed chair uses centenary celebration to hail contributions of his two predecessors in improving the Fed's communications - including ‘qualitative forward guidance' under Greenspan
Bank of Tanzania launches financial inclusion framework
East African country is aiming for 50% formal financial inclusion by 2016, up from 22% today; strategy will tackle supply side, demand side and structural obstacles
Carney: UK businesses ‘understand forward guidance well'
New governor's policy of providing guidance on future interest rates is useful for businesses and households, he says - despite financial markets apparently not believing it
Sudan names new central bank governor
Abdul-Rahman Hassan was appointed by president Omar al-Bashir last week; he previously served as director of a local bank, according to state news agency
IMF could help overcome ‘myopia' on international monetary policy co-operation
IMF deputy head of research Jonathan Ostry argues in new paper with Atish Ghosh that international macro policy co-ordination could bring global welfare benefits, with IMF playing a central role
Riksbank cuts rates on falling inflation, leaning less against the wind
Swedish central bank cuts interest rates by 25bp to 0.75% to counter falling inflation; household debt levels still a risk, says Ingves, but calls on ‘others' to do more to keep them in check
Liquid liabilities to become more expensive as a result of Basel III, says RBA's Debelle
New liquidity rules will make liabilities with less than 30 days to maturity more costly for banks to provide, making it a more expensive liquidity service for customers to obtain, says RBA assistant governor
Jörg Asmussen quits the ECB to return to politics
Executive board member leaves the bank after two years to become deputy labour secretary in new German government; Buba's Sabine Lautenschlaeger an early favourite to replace him
FDIC's Hoenig says government backstops remain 'generous subsidy' for big banks
The competitive inequities that result from too big to fail remain mostly unaddressed, Hoenig says; calls for separation between commercial banks and broker-dealers
Government intervention shielded Korea from global credit crunch
Paper by Bank of Korea and IMF economists argues external buffers such as foreign reserves and swap agreements means the country is in good shape to weather global financial turmoil
Fed appoints five new regional reserve bank chairs for 2014
Fed board of governors has released the names of regional reserve bank chairs and deputy chairs for 2014; JC Penney CEO and Yale economics professor among new appointees, seven chairs reappointed
Danièle Nouy confirmed as chair of SSM supervisory board
Top French supervisor formally appointed after ECB nomination and European Parliament approval; first job will be to agree on her deputy, to be chosen from ECB executive board
ECB launches online competition to familiarise citizens with new €10 banknote
Players have to uncover four security features and also guess the number of euro banknotes in circulation in the euro area on December 31, 2013; new note unveiled on January 13
ECB working paper finds indebted countries should pursue austerity at ZLB
Model seeks to incorporate effects of government debt when examining how to tackle a liquidity trap at the zero lower bound
Stick to inflation targeting, Grimes tells central banks
Central bankers should stick to what they do best – keeping inflation in check – without taking on multiple targets that damage their credibility, says recently retired RBNZ chairman Arthur Grimes
Peruvian Congress approves central bank board members after two-year delay
Depleted board expected to be back at full strength next week after three appointees finally get green light from the legislature; originally appointed in July, but sacked following street protests
Estonian governor says ECB supervision poses Nordic and Baltic challenge
The direct supervision of banks operating in the eurosystem but headquartered elsewhere will create 'new challenges' for Nordic and Baltic co-operation, according to Ardo Hansson
EBA warns of Bitcoin risks
European Banking Authority tells Bitcoin users to invest only what they can ‘afford to lose’ as not much can be done about exchange failures or digital theft
Serbia completes ECB's 'most ambitious programme to date'
Three-year programme has prepared the National Bank of Serbia to take a lead role in negotiating the country's entry into the EU and the central bank's entry into the ESCB
Australia PM adds to RBA intervention momentum
Tony Abbott says central bank has sufficient reserves to 'intervene prudently and appropriately' in forex markets; Glenn Stevens 'suspects' the market will spare the RBA the need to act