Africa
Governors’ terms average just over five years
Central bank chiefs are typically allowed two consecutive terms in office
Around half of governments consult central banks on mandate reviews
Practice less likely to be found in Asia-Pacific and the Americas
Sanctions will trigger reserves diversification, official says
Central Banking Spring Meetings: Speakers say geopolitics impacting reserves and inflation outlook
Most central banks’ cloud services are software-focused
Operational environment is largely hybrid and public, while access to server is often domestic
Fintech employees trained in AI in just over one-third of central banks
Senior management staff are least trained across jurisdictions
AI being adopted in over half of central banks
Supervision, document automation, data analysis and research are primary areas of use
Regtech strategy still lacking in majority of central banks
Stress testing, AML/CFT risk and reporting are top areas of application
Suptech strategy adoption remains below 50%
Resource constraints and data quality issues are still barriers
Nearly all central banks see CBDC as environmentally friendly
Few jurisdictions see initiative as comparable to banknotes’ lifecycle
Central banks fear CBDC will heighten cyber threats
European jurisdictions less likely to be deterred by security concerns
Improving domestic payments efficiency drives retail CBDC research
Barriers to adoption include concerns around privacy, disintermediation and operational risk
Wholesale CBDC work remains less popular than retail
Like retail, central banks say domestic payments efficiency is key driver
One in four central banks exploring blockchain, DLT and tokenisation
No respondents say they are researching or collaborating on quantum computing
Legal mandates for CBDC issuance remain rare among central banks
Some await parliamentary approval as framework examination commences in their jurisdictions
More than half of central banks have a fintech strategy
Implementation challenged by poor regulation and talent scarcity
ISO 31000 and COSO–ERM remain central banks’ leading standards
Central banks from high income countries less likely to use COSO–ERM
Mean risk management salary greater in high income countries
Salaries average $72,738 in rich countries but $33,464 in upper-middle income nations
Most central banks have difficulty hiring skilled cyber security staff
Respondents highlight pay disparity, skills gap and technological advancements as factors
Exit rate of risk management staff averages over 10%
Workers in middle income institutions tend to leave at a higher rate
Operational and financial risk units have largest staff
Upper-middle income institutions have largest average total number of risk employees
Enterprise-wide risk management widespread among central banks
Few institutions maintain use of department-level and damage limitation approaches
Most central banks lack climate risk units
Just under half of institutions say they have difficulty hiring staff with matching skills
Cyber and fintech risk policies rejigged in a few central banks
Departmental structure varies across jurisdictions
Minority of central banks altered risk functions in past two years
Amendments emanate from factors including technology and climate change