Poland
A contrasting tale of two central bankers
According to the article "From Poland to Japan: a contrasting tale of two central bankers" from The Japan Times, published Monday 7 August, Poland's new leaders look set to concentrate the entire spectrum of financial supervisory powers in the prime…
Slovakia pledges 2009 for euro adoption
In an interview with the Financial Times, Slovakia's finance minister Jan Pociatek said, "It is my personal responsibility to follow the euro commitment," allaying fears that the new leftist government might delay the adoption of the single currency.
ECB's Opinion on National Bank of Poland law
The European Central Bank on Thursday 3 August published an Opinion in which it expressed concern over proposed amendments to National Bank of Poland statutes which relate to changes in the composition of the Banking Supervision Commission.
Interview: National Bank of Poland's Balcerowicz
In an interview with the Dziennik daily, published Friday 28 July, National Bank of Poland governor Leszek Balcerowicz said the central bank cannot be independent only as long as it is obedient.
IMF warns Poland over super-regulator
The International Monetary Fund has warned Poland that plans for a unified financial services supervisory agency could expose the system to political interference, the Financial Times reported.
ECB sets Nov 2007 date for TARGET2
The European Central Bank on Friday 21 July confirmed the starting date for its payment system TARGET2 as 19 Nov 2007.
Comment: Left out in the cold
While Slovenia celebrates its imminent entry to the eurozone, the Baltic aspirants can feel more than a little peeved by Brussels' handling of their efforts to join the club.
British pound passes yen in central bank reserves
According to this article by Bloomberg News published Monday 10 July, central banks around the world are increasing their holdings of British pounds.
NBP's Balcerowicz critical of extending powers
In the opinion of National Bank of Poland (NBP) head Leszek Balcerowicz, proposals to amend the NBP Act could lead to exerting political pressure on the institution, Polish News Bulletin reported.
EU confirms Slovenia's 2007 euro entry
EU leaders ended their spring summit Friday 16 June by welcoming Slovenia as the 13th member of the euro single currency.
Comment: Eastern European tightrope
Amidst renewed inflation fears in the developed world and the prospects of further interest rate hikes there, a number of central banks in Eastern Europe and the Baltics will be silently grateful for a little bit of latitude. But with question marks…
Paper on monetary policy and asset prices
The University of Warwick Research Paper "Monetary policy and asset prices : What role for central banks in new EU member states?" deals with the relationship between monetary policy and asset prices.
Rybinski on inflation targeting, challenges ahead
In the speech 'Inflation targeting and the challenges ahead' given on 18 May Krzysztof Rybinski of the National Bank of Poland said that since 1990, when the pioneering Reserve Bank of New Zealand first introduced inflation targeting, over twenty…
Comment: Emerging market jitters
Emerging markets equities, bonds and currencies have been under severe pressure over the last two weeks. The turning tide will leave a number of central banks uncomfortable, particularly as the favourable conditions of the last 2 and 3 years has actually…
Comment: Sparks continue to fly in Poland
Sparks continue to fly between the president of the National Bank of Poland, Leszek Balcerowicz, and the ruling Law and Justice Party. While a controversial bank merger, which the government tried to block, has now been approved, tension remains high as…
Parliament to probe Poland's central bank
The Polish parliament voted on Friday 24 March to establish a panel to investigate decisions by the National Bank of Poland on foreign takeovers in the financial sector since communism fell.
NBP's Balcerowicz warns of political risks
Leszek Balcerowicz, president of the National Bank of Poland, has warned that the creation of an investigative committee for banking supervision will result in an increase in political risk.
Bundesbank's Meister defends Polish regulator
Germany's central bank has criticised Poland's plans to reform its financial regulator, saying the move would isolate the country.
ECB's Liebscher sees strong stable growth
Growth in the euro zone remains stable and strong even after the European Central Bank's interest rate hike, ECB Governing Council member Klaus Liebscher said in an interview published on Wednesday 15 March.
Polish finance minister defends NBP
I was, am and will be for an independent central bank, Polish Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska announced on Tuesday 14 March in Brussels, according to the PAP News Agency, when asked about recent political controversies around the Polish central bank (NBP).
EU's Almunia backs NBP independence
EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia strongly supported the independence of the Polish central bank.
Trichet praises BoJ's communication
The Bank of Japan's communication with financial markets was "very, very good," European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Monday 13 March. He also said independence was of "extreme importance" for the National Bank of Poland.
Comment: Balcerowicz battles on
The president of the National Bank of Poland (NBP), Leszek Balcerowicz, and the ministry of finance are at loggerhead over a hotly debated bank merger. The government wants the deal blocked, Balcerowicz refuses to do so. Even as his first term draws to…
NBP chief defends decision over meeting
Leszek Balcerowicz, governor of the national bank of Poland, rejected accusations on Friday 10 march that he broke the law by excluding a government official from a regulatory meeting on Italian lender UniCredit's deal to buy Polish Bank BPH.