France
Western ambassadors support independence of Ukrainian central bank as dispute continues
Diplomats line up behind Gontareva as the president’s attitude remains unclear
ECB’s economic bulletin paints mixed picture of eurozone investment
Business investment recovering overall but several factors may limit further growth, ECB says
Low rates and Solvency II raise ‘profound challenges’ for insurers – French governor
The move to unit-linked products is “not the only answer” to the need for diversification, de Galhau says; policy-makers must monitor the impact of the transition to Solvency II
Major economies show clear credit price cycles, researchers say
Housing markets are a key influence on credit prices cycles in the US and major European economies, an ECB paper argues
Tajikistan objects to Basel Institute’s anti-money-laundering criticisms
The Basel Institute’s grading of Tajikistan as the third-worst money laundering jurisdiction in the world is based on an “absolutely incorrect analysis”, the country’s central bank says
Bank of Italy paper aims to improve on EC current account model
Research offers a new model of external adjustment; the EC’s model tends to mis-state cyclically adjusted current account balances of large eurozone economies, researchers argue
Chinese law doubts holding back RMB internationalisation – paper
A Bank of Italy occasional paper plots the development of renminbi trading in Europe; future development may be characterised by rapid advances followed by slower periods, authors say
Ratings agency fined €1.38 million by Esma for regulatory breaches
The European Securities and Markets Authority fines Fitch for improper discussions of information and mishandling timing of Slovenia’s sovereign downgrade
EBA publishes first complete list of European O-SIIs
European Banking Authority publishes first full list of other systemically important institutions in Europe; some national supervisors make more use of discretion than others
French governor calls for ‘gradualism’ in fintech regulation
François Villeroy de Galhau sees merits in “proportionate adaptation” of regulations for fintech companies; other contributors to latest FSR argue in favour of same rules for same risks
Four largest eurozone economies show different reactions to monetary policy, paper finds
The economies of Germany, France, Italy and Spain show marked differences in responding to policy rate rises, researchers argue
Inflation expectations well-anchored, Richmond Fed president says
Lacker tells audience at Banque de France he believes expectations are anchored, despite drop in inflation compensation; Villeroy de Galhau notes drop in market-based measures in eurozone
Eurozone sovereign debt crisis has increased financial fragmentation, paper argues
Eurozone corporate bonds have different risk premia according to which country a company is headquartered in, paper argues; fragmentation has ‘dampened effectiveness’ of ECB policy
Banque de France governor wants public reforms
France must cut its public debt and reform its labour market, says Francois Villeroy de Galhau; the governor also calls for new investment products
Lagarde nominated for second term as IMF head
Christine Lagarde is backed by UK and Germany for a second term as managing director when her first expires in July; the International Monetary Fund launches the selection process
French governor weighs up ‘disruptive effects’ in card payments market
François Villeroy de Galhau discusses ‘main trends’ influencing card payments market, including ‘new solutions, new behaviours and players, new regulations’
Financial market risk being pushed into ETFs, Noyer warns
Central bankers must develop oversight of ETFs and similar securities, Noyer tells farewell seminar; must also convince markets and public of opposition to low inflation and deflation
Bloomberg to chair FSB’s climate change task force
Financial Stability Board says industry-led task force will develop recommendations for consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures; ex-New York City mayor to chair group
Noyer wants tailored approach to shadow bank regulation
Banque de France governor highlights the risks of a ‘one size fits all’ approach to regulation across the banking and shadow banking sectors
Former COO of BNP nominated as Banque de France governor
François Villeroy de Galhau picked by French president to succeed Christian Noyer as central bank head; past experience includes BNP Paribas and French treasury
IMF paper identifies countries that ‘pass through’ spillovers
Individual countries can amplify, absorb or block spillovers, depending on their economic and structural characteristics, researchers at the IMF find
Noyer: IMF’s decision on SDR not politically motivated
Banque de France governor Christian Noyer acknowledges ‘symbolism’ of the IMF’s currency basket, but stressed the composition is based on technical work and not politics
BIS economists say investor behaviour key to understanding EM challenges
Hyun Song Shin and Philip Turner consider implications of shift in financial intermediation for emerging markets; part of wider Banque de France review on the subject
French paper models flattening Philips curve
Working paper develops a two-country, new-Keynesian model to replicate the flattening of the curve in developed countries over the past 25 years, a trend widely attributed to globalisation