International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Time to focus on green finance as Paris Agreement set to enter into force
Central bankers meeting at the IMF next week will discuss mechanisms to unleash private capital for green finance ahead of a Paris climate deal that could enter into force before 2017
IMF: rise of non-banks is reshaping policy transmission
Pass-through of monetary policy grows as non-banks become more important, but changed transmission mechanism demands better data to understand risk-taking channel
Bank of Canada should not raise inflation target – Obstfeld and co-authors
Central bank has been overtaken in transparency metrics, authors say; forward guidance would catapult Canada to top of rankings and could avoid the need for unconventional measures
Armenia cuts again as deflation deepens
Central bank cuts headline rate as inflation dips further below zero, though the board maintains it will be able to return inflation to target in medium term
Inflation expectations more sensitive near the zero lower bound – IMF study
IMF study examines whether monetary policy can boost inflation in constrained environment; countries near zero lower bound could see inflation respond more to shocks
Inclusion of renminbi in SDR is ‘symbolic’, says Bernanke
Former Fed chair sees inclusion of renminbi in SDR basket as a ‘symbolic’ gesture rather than a major shift; Eswar Prasad argues currency will never be a safe haven
Yemen’s president sacks governor and announces new central bank in Aden
Move may increase humanitarian crisis as former central bank head managed to prevent worst outcome in “dire” circumstances, expert says
IMF warns over problems in Belarusian banking system, but central bank disagrees
Systemic liquidity risks are “elevated” because of dollarisation, fund says; central bank claims country’s first asset quality review shows banking system is sound overall
IMF lauds renminbi SDR launch, but some see momentum stalling
Fund officials praise China’s proactive approach to meeting SDR goals, but others warn progress on renminbi internationalisation may be slowing
Reserve requirements complement monetary policy in small open economies – paper
Paper examines the use of indirect and direct monetary policy instruments in three Caribbean economies; increases in the reserve ratio are successful in reducing private sector credit
China has room to regulate local government financing – IMF paper
Government can and should rein in fiscal risks posed by public-private partnerships, authors say, as they outline “four pillar” regulatory framework
Zimbabwe to print $75 million in ‘bond notes’ in 2016
Reserve bank to issue US dollar-“equivalent” notes despite criticism from the general public; incentive facility to be backed by Afrimexbank
People: BoE appoints Brexit co-ordinator; Lagarde chooses Selassie to head Africa department
Phil Evans put in charge of work on UK’s exit from European Union at the Bank of England; Christine Lagarde appoints new Africa chief; and more
IMF official criticises interest rate caps in speech honouring Kenyan central bank
Interest rate ceilings can interfere with central bank independence and restrict credit access, IMF deputy managing director tells Kenyan officials
IMF's systemic risk findings called into question
Financial connectedness measure “not usually sharply aligned with systemic risk”, says Darrell Duffie
Ukrainian central bank cuts rates and promises further banking reform
Personnel director becomes acting deputy governor in charge of banking supervision; Lagarde praises conduct of monetary policy but says reform must continue
Azerbaijan central bank raises rates for fourth time this year as currency plummets
Falling oil and gas prices have major impact on Azerbaijan’s economy; IMF calls for major banking sector reforms
BoE’s Shafik to step down early
Deputy governor reveals she is to take up post as director of the London School of Economics in 2017, leaving the central bank more than two years before her term was due to end
Book notes: And the weak suffer what they must?, by Yanis Varoufakis
A book that is likely to elicit strong opinions – but Varoufakis writes persuasively, and may well win over many of his readers, says David Mayes
IMF’s Singh urges central banks to beware of collateral impact of policy
Senior economist says asset purchase programmes have drained quality collateral from the system, damaging the economy’s “financial plumbing”
More than AML fears driving correspondent banks away from Arab economies – report
AMF-IMF-World Bank survey of banks in Arab nations finds a broader de-risking to be behind pull-back of correspondent banking, though trend is uneven
Co-ordinated effort needed to raise growth – Lagarde
IMF chief says all policy levers must be used to halt low growth; G20 also promised reforms to provide “growth impulse”
Emerging evidence can guide design of macro-prudential policies, say BIS, IMF and FSB
International institutions present review of evidence on macro-prudential policies; no consensus but some patterns are emerging
Mozambique replaces governor Gove with IMF official
Ernesto Gove leaves central bank after a decade in the role; new governor to leave role as head of IMF mission to Djibouti and Somalia