Central Banks
Zambian governor says tougher capital rules will help foster financial inclusion
Michael Gondwe says recent increases in the minimum capital requirements imposed on domestic and foreign banks will make them stronger and improve the supply of credit to ‘local entrepreneurs’
ECB’s Asmussen demands gender diversity
Executive board member Jörg Asmussen says he is ‘deeply convinced’ of the need for greater gender diversity in the financial industry, and the benefit to both men and women
Bank of England terminates mortgage support
Funding for Lending Scheme will cease subsidising mortgages in 2014; Mark Carney outlines tools the central bank could use to rein in the ‘growing momentum’ in UK housing market
Liikanen calls for ‘precise’ communication at point of exit
Bank of Finland governor Erkki Liikanen emphasises the importance of central banks providing detailed and accurate communication as they approach the ‘turning point’ of monetary policy
Monetary union hampers current account adjustment, say Bundesbank economists
Paper examines current account dynamics in countries with fixed and floating exchange rates, and countries in a monetary union; find evidence that monetary union might aggravate existing imbalances
San Fran Fed letter highlights impact of oil prices on inflation expectations
Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco say consumers update their inflation expectations using a ‘few simple rules of thumb’ – one of which is linked to the price of oil
Polish paper explains perceptions of higher inflation
Economists at the National Bank of Poland construct a consumer perceived price index that reflects the population’s loss aversion to price increases
Lithuania on track to join euro at second time of asking
The Bank of Lithuania has started publishing regular forecasts that keep track of the country’s progress towards meeting the convergence criteria necessary for accession to the eurozone
ECB's Smets made counsellor to president Draghi
Frank Smets, ECB director-general for research, steps into post vacated by Christian Thimann; will be counsellor to the president and co-ordinator of counsel to the executive board
Deploying ‘leapfrog' tech in Africa is no easy task, finds CBP Forum
Delegates and speakers debate technology outsourcing, data, staffing, project management and international co-operation at inaugural Central Banking Technology Forum
Nigeria could ditch polymer banknotes after six-year pilot
The Central Bank of Nigeria is considering reverting back to paper banknotes after using polymer for the past six years; spokesperson says it has ‘not had a good experience’ with the plastic notes
ECB’s Mersch warns against excess liquidity policy becoming ‘permanent feature’
Executive board member Yves Mersch says it is now up to banks to make the most of the ‘favourable financing conditions’ created by the ECB
People: IMF poaches ADB chief economist; BNP's Gary Smith makes switch to MassMutual
Changyong Rhee takes over from Anoop Singh in IMF’s Asian and Pacific department; Gary Smith joins Massachusetts Mutual; former RBI chief general manager joins commercial bank board
Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor targets productivity boost
Philip Lowe says the country will need a ‘substantial increase’ in productivity growth if it is to replicate the rapid growth in real per capita income achieved in the past two decades
Iceland governor denies 'playing politics' over plans for household debt relief
Mar Guðmundsson says government plans to reduce household debt burden will not involve 'printing money'; rejects reports that he was accused of ‘playing politics’ by prime minister
IMF paper highlights benefits of model-based approach to monetary policy analysis in LICs
New paper taking Kenya as an example finds benefits of a model-based approach to monetary policy analysis in low-income countries, including in countries with money-targeting frameworks
Diminishing importance of US in world economy mutes knock-on effects, finds BoJ paper
Tightening monetary policy in the US in the 1990s had significant adverse effects in the rest of the world - but the following decade, despite increased global integration, the effects were less
ECB prepares ground for new €10 banknote next year
New €10 note will be the second in the Europa series after the launch of the €5 note this May; Partnership Programme launched today will seek to smooth its introduction among stakeholders
Weidmann says ECB governing council must give up SSM oversight
In order to avoid a conflict of interest between monetary and financial supervisory policy, Bundesbank president says either a treaty change is needed, or a new institution separate from the ECB
Carney backs new leverage ratio powers
Bank of England announces review of its powers over bank leverage ratios; Mark Carney says that FPC control over the tool is ‘necessary to properly implement a robust capital framework’
Initial margin to significantly impact development of Asian derivatives markets: Asifma
Asifma head Austen wants exclusion of initial margin from Asian jurisdictions’ derivatives market regulation