Regulation
South African banks move to restore trust
SOUTH AFRICA - A review of governance of South Africa's five major banking groups will be undertaken, Registrar of Banks Christo Wiese said on Wednesday.
Bahrain starts Islamic financial market
BAHRAIN - An international Islamic financial market dealing in products that comply with Sharia law has been set-up in Bahrain, the Gulf's regional financial and banking hub.
IMF Public Information Notice
NOTICE - IMF Advances Efforts to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Finance, 8 August.
US regulators extend comment period for card rules
US - Regulators have extended the comment period on their draft guidance aimed at improving banks' credit card lending policies to 23 September and said they will soon issue further statements on the guidance.
UK money laundering assistance 'slow'
UK - Britain is taking up to two years to respond to requests from overseas law enforcement agencies for assistance in money laundering investigations, according to the City of London's most senior official.
BIS Working Paper
RESEARCH - 'Asset prices, financial and monetary stability: exploring the nexus' by Claudio Borio and Philip Lowe, July 2002.
BIS Working Paper
RESEARCH - 'The link between default and recovery rates: effects on the procyclicality of regulatory capital ratios' by Edward I Altman, Andrea Resti and Andrea Sironi, July 2002.
Speech by William Poole, St Louis Fed Bank, 4 Aug
SPEECH - In the speech 'Financial Stability' Poole said the United States could benefit from the accounting and corporate governance scandals that have beat markets down to multi-year lows as reforms are put in place. "We will come out the other side of…
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - James Nelson to head Bank Supervision at the Chicago Fed, 29 July.
Kuwait audit urged to verify 1999 CB cash dealings
KUWAIT - The parliamentary committee probing the Central Bank transactions during the period between 1 May and 31 July, 1999 met Tuesday with officials of the auditing office. The purpose of the meeting was to get familiar with the work mechanism to be…
SEC chairman Pitt asks for promotion
US - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey Pitt, again exhibiting a flair for the political miscue, was under attack 24 July, reports Reuters, for seeking a promotion and a pay raise.
Trichet trial set for January 2003 start
FRANCE - The court case concerning the French banking group Credit Lyonnais, which involves Jean-Claude Trichet, the governor of the Bank of France, will start in January 2003.
Brash elected to New Zealand's parliament
FEATURE - It may have been thrashed by Labour in this weekend's general election but at least New Zealand's National party will have one new face on its benches when parliament resumes. Step forward Don Brash, the former central bank governor.
RBI - Efforts needed to safeguard information
INDIA - The provision of adequate security has assumed urgency in banks and continuous and concerted efforts have to be made to safeguard information and information systems, the Reserve Bank of India's Deputy Governor, Vepa Kamesan, said Saturday.
Canada auditors get new monitor
CANADA - Canadian securities regulators and accountants have formed a new body to address investors' lack of confidence in financial statements.
Increase in money returned by Pakistani's abroad
PAKISTAN - Remittances from Pakistanis living overseas more than doubled in the financial year that ended last month - their most robust growth for years, the State Bank of Pakistan said on Thursday.
No intervention in Trichet case vows French gov't
FRANCE - The French government and the Paris prosecutor's office said Wednesday they would not intervene over the forthcoming trial of Jean-Claude Trichet, the central bank governor whose attempt to become president of the European Central Bank is…
Poland's c bank wants talks with finance minister
POLAND - The National Bank of Poland (NBP) has declared it wants dialogue with the finance minister following the 16 July presentation of his strategy, NBP president Leszek Balcerowicz has said.
Thai c bank chief rebukes PM over baht comments
THAILAND - Thailand's central bank chief Pridiyathorn Devakula on Monday criticised Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for making bullish comments on the baht which has rallied to its highest level for two years. "The prime minister should not comment on…
Stock exchange wants autonomy for Kenya's c bank
KENYA - The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) board of directors want the Kenyan constitution to increase the autonomy of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
"Anti-central bank" central banker promoted
BULGARIA - A peculiar choice has been made to replace Roumen Avramov on the Bulgarian National Bank's board of governors.
Bank of Spain to close 31 branch offices by 2004
SPAIN - The Bank of Spain has decided to close 31 of its offices in as many provinces by December 2004.
Bush sends Fed nominees to Senate for confirmation
US - U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday sent to the Senate for confirmation his two nominees to the Federal Reserve Board -- Donald Kohn and Ben Bernanke, reports Reuters.
Cleveland Fed President Jordan to retire
US - Jerry L. Jordan announced on Tuesday that he plans to retire as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland effective 31 January, 2003.