World Bank
G20 agrees ‘common framework’ on debt relief
Leaders welcome decision, but criticise private sector for failure to act
How can central banks secure the future of money?
Central banks should start tackling the accounting, legal and policy challenges related to CBDC. This work will shape the future of money, as could be witnessed in Albania
Zambia prepares for debt default
Talks on payment freeze fail as G20 prepares to debate further debt relief
IMF postpones 2021 annual meeting in Morocco
Meeting will go ahead in Washington, DC, instead, with new Marrakesh date scheduled for 2022
Georgia’s Gvenetadze on implementing an aggressive reform agenda
The National Bank of Georgia governor speaks about efforts to improve monetary policy, financial infrastructure, financial literacy, transparency and ESG
G20 delays decision on poor countries’ debt relief
International efforts have been “unambitious, unco-ordinated and uneven” – prominent economists
Marshall Islands readies to make waves in digital currency
Island nation ready to issue blockchain-based national currency if its new government gives the go-ahead, chairman of foundation says
IMF staff warn ‘exceptional’ demand for funds likely to continue
Executive directors agree to extend debt relief and higher borrowing limits, but further support relies on political backing
Reserve Benchmarks 2020 report – charting new data frontiers
Perspectives on staffing and salaries, reserve coverage, portfolio construction, benchmarking, use of external parties and risk management
Estimating the cost of a pandemic grant for the world’s poorest economies
The cost of support measures for vulnerable economies is manageable, says Steve Kamin, but political leadership may be lacking
Advanced economy central banks use more custodians
Reserve managers in advanced economies work on average with 5.6 custodians
Moral mandates better suited to ESG adoption than financial goals – panel
Lack of liquid green bond markets limits a wider adoption of ESG investment strategies
Influential Fed economist Thomas Laubach dies
Current and former Fed officials pay tribute to the US central bank’s German influencer, who died on September 2
World Bank grants Vietnam $6.2 million Covid-19 aid
Central bank deputy says support is ‘meaningful and necessary’ as virus returns to country
Book notes: The state of economics, the state of the world, edited by Basu, Rosenblatt and Sepúlveda
The 2016 contributions of Nobel Prize-winning economists and others remain relevant to today
IMF and World Bank chiefs call for more action on debt relief
But G20 fails to agree extension to the Debt Service Suspension Initiative
Have equities passed the Covid-19 test?
Reserve managers face a rebalancing and asset allocation challenge, with Fed interventions distorting yield curves and boosting equity valuations. What’s next for asset diversification?
World Bank strengthens presence in Africa
Second vice-president appointed to region to help “align resources with priorities”
Reserve managers ‘unprepared’ for home trading
Covid-19 presented reserve managers with unprecedented business continuity challenges at a time of acute market and economic distress
Fears rise over breakdown in Basel and IFRS standards
Bretton Woods institutions worried about growing divergence in capital and accounting standards as credit impairment tsunami looms; US and many emerging economies skirting the rules
People: Carmen Reinhart to be World Bank chief economist
Carmen Reinhart to take over from Penny Goldberg at World Bank; BIS picks Hong Kong hub head; Libra Association appoints chief executive
People: World Bank appoints new vice-president for integrity
BIS appoints new deputy head of banking, and Bank of Finland recruits sustainability specialist
Lebanese PM asks for IMF aid as dispute with central bank grows
Governor at centre of massive economic crisis appears to condemn PM’s words as “slander”
World Bank pays out after triggering pandemic bonds
Requirements for funding release were met on March 31; since then, Covid-19 cases in poorest countries have doubled to 1.34% of the global total