Official Record
Bangladesh Bank pioneers annual report on green banking
Report measures contribution of central bank and commercial banks to green finance; Bangladesh Bank refinances lending for ‘environmentally beneficial’ projects
G-20 report says move from stabilisation to growth requires ‘difficult balancing act’
G-20 meeting report urges carefully calibrated fiscal tightening to ‘nurture’ recovery; backs accommodative monetary policy and says emerging markets should use rapid growth to build buffers
African growth could be ‘derailed’ by geopolitical tensions
South African Reserve Bank fears terrorism in continent’s key growth economies and heightened risk of social unrest could harm Africa’s growth prospects; also concerned by domestic unemployment
ECB annual report strikes hopeful note at end of rough year
Report highlights peak in financial market stress in mid-year, but says policy measures were effective in reducing this later in year; inflation above target and growth on downward slide
Bank of Canada annual report highlights banknote success
New series of polymer banknotes introduced in 2012 as counterfeiting continues to fall; inflation kept shackled throughout year but falls below target in December
Netherlands Bank highlights ‘major risk’ of European crisis escalating
Financial stability report says danger from European debt crisis still looms large; warns of longer-term risks including addiction to low interest rates and incomplete banking union
BoJ minutes reveal tensions over asset purchase programme
Minutes of final meeting under governor Masaaki Shirakawa show disagreement over whether to loosen policy further, including changes to quantitative easing
Israel annual report sees growth and inflation fall
Growth rate declines by 1.5% in 2012 but unemployment remains stable; inflation falls below target as schooling and mobile phone prices fall
RBA governor sees scope for further monetary easing
Glenn Stevens explains rate hold at 3%, but says there is scope for further easing as growth undershoots target
Riksbank submits account of monetary policy 2012
Report on last year's actions submitted to parliament to assess Riksbank performance
Australian banks ‘relatively strong’, says RBA
Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest financial stability review finds banks’ profits and capital levels are increasing; real economy suffering from high exchange rate
RBNZ article says ‘open bank resolution’ helps keep banks in line
Quarterly bulletin describes resolution mechanism aimed at minimising disruption to bank customers; suggests use as an alternative to bail-out strengthens incentive for banks to operate prudently
BoE survey sees signs of easing in UK financial markets
Funding costs fall and investor demand rises ‘significantly’, although total volumes remain roughly flat, Bank of England liabilities survey finds
HKMA report tells investors to brace for volatile financial cycle
Financial stability report says risks from property market volatility have continued to mount; central bank says macro-prudential policy is doing its job but there could be a sudden price reversal
Kazakh banks should go beyond Basel III, says central bank
Financial stability report calls for banks to boost capital levels above Basel III requirements; encourages largest banks to clean up balance sheets and lend more
BIS says fundamentals lagging behind market sentiment
Quarterly review identifies ‘renewed sense of optimism’ in financial markets; also sees move away from safe havens to riskier assets as central bank easing continues
IMF report issues call to action on worsening Palestinian economy
Palestinian, Israeli and international authorities must move fast to tackle liquidity crisis, unsustainable public finances and political uncertainty in the West Bank and Gaza, staff report warns
Bundesbank turns €664 million profit in 2012
Deutsche Bundesbank profit increases by €21 million from 2011; Jens Weidmann says increase in the central bank’s risk provisions limited return
National Bank of Poland says rate cuts will bring inflation up to target
Polish inflation projected to fall to 1.3% in 2013 before rising to 2.6% in 2014, after benchmark rate slashed by 150 basis points in five months
Norway’s SWF sees large returns after ‘major strategic changes’
Annual report for 2012 reveals pension fund saw second-best performance since its creation; investments diversified away from Europe and into emerging markets
Fed’s Beige Book optimistic on labour market
Economic expansion still ‘modest or moderate’ in most Federal Reserve districts; labour market conditions improving but hiring is restrained
Bank of Mongolia launches ‘interest rate corridor’
New monetary policy framework seeks to reduce volatility in short-term interest rates, improve transmission and make policy more transparent
BoJ survey shows households expect tough times to continue
Households see economic conditions as worse than a quarter ago and likely to stay the same, although the majority thinks prices will rise in the coming years
EBA discussion papers outline thinking on LCR and CRR definitions
Consultation opens on definition of highly liquid assets and retail deposits for the purposes of liquidity reporting under the Capital Requirements Regulation