Regulation
Japan regulator suggests bank limit stock sales
In an attempt to stop Japanese banks from dragging the stock market down, Hideyuki Aizawa, head of Japan's Financial Reconstruction Commission, will call on banks to restrict the sale of their stock portfolios.
Rules for credit cards loosened by Thai regulator
Applying for a credit card has become easier after the Bank of Thailand eased minimum age and salary requirements for new cardholders.
Vietnam's bad and overdue debts 11.7% of loans
Vietnam's "bad, overdue and uncollectible debts," now total 11.7% of the country's total outstanding loans, central bank governor Le Duc Thuy said Wednesday.
Vietnam clarifies rules on loan loss provisions
Vietnam's central bank has issued a regulation clarifying how commercial banks must calculate and put aside their loan loss provisions, a central bank official said Wednesday.
Kenyan parliament passes bank bill on 2nd reading
Kenya's parliament passed a controversial bill seeking to regulate commercial bank loan rates on its second reading on Wednesday, but politicians said amendments would be tabled to the bill on Thursday.
Russia needs unified supervisory rules -Motorin
According to Russia' deputy finance minister Mikhail Motorin, it is necessary to establish a supervisory system that would operate according to unified rules and control activities of the Federal Securities Commission, insurance companies, and private…
HKMA urges Hong Kong banks to go green
Hong Kong's quasi central bank Wednesday called on the city's banks to sign a United Nations environmental awareness statement, and to consider producing their own formal environmental policy statements.
UAE central bank counters money laundering
The United Arab Emirates central bank has issued a list of regulations and procedures to all financial institutions to prevent money laundering through the country's financial system.
Vietnam bank governor answers inquiries
Vietnam's state bank governor Le Duc Thuy answered inquiries of National Assembly deputies related to bad debts, restructuring the joint-stock commercial bank system, and the use of cash.
Financial crises in the emerging markets
A new paper just published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York about financial crises in emerging markets and the role of the public and private sector.
Philippine central bank counters money laundering
The Philippine central bank said Tuesday it will create a special unit to look into possible money laundering transactions. The central bank said its policy-making monetary board authorised the special body to maintain a database of suspicious…
Bank of Thailand considers sale of two state banks
The Bank of Thailand said Monday it will hold meetings to consider the sales of two nationalised banks - Siam City Bank (H.SCB) and Bangkok Metropolitan Bank PCL (H.BMB) on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
HKMA says maintains open mind on deposit insurance
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said on Monday it still has an open mind on whether Hong Kong needs a deposit insurance scheme, and will not rule out extending a consultation period on the issue.
Russia govt proposes to amend banking legislation
The Russian federal government and the central bank have submitted amendments to banking laws to the Duma. The government proposed these same bills back in 1999, on the insistence of international financial organisations.
Turkish central bank eases liquidity squeeze
Turkey's central bank and treasury held two purchases of government bonds on Monday as part of a package of measures to ease a liquidity squeeze that shook markets last week.
Nepal's central bank reforms financial institution
Nepal's central bank has worked out a reform program to speed up the reformation of the 121 financial institutions in Nepal that are mired in managerial problems, according to the bank's statement issued on Friday.
Heavy interest in seized Turkish banks
Turkey's banking watchdog on Friday said there is significant foreign and domestic interest in purchasing some of 10 banks with bad debts of $7bn that it has taken into receivership.
Vietnam central bank agrees on bank merging plan
Vietnam's central bank has agreed in principle to the merger of two commercial banks but a final decision will be announced after merging procedures are completed, a bank official said on Friday.
India's RBI advocates cautious pension reform
The Indian government needs to move cautiously before letting the private sector manage pension funds, a top central bank official said on Friday.
IBRA speeds up sale of Salim corporate assets
The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) is speeding up the sale of corporate assets once owned by the Salim Group even as the two sides prepare to face off in a test of wills that could have severe ramifications for the country's economic…
Thai bank chief calls for focus on banking bills
Thailand's central bank governor Chatu Mongkol Sonakul on Friday urged the next government to treat as a priority the passing into law of pending banking legislation.
BoT governor calls for more transparency in banks
Thai central bank governor Chatu Mongol Sonakul Thursday urged for more transparency and stricter supervision in the banking sector to help control the amount of non-performing loans in the system.
SAMA introduces sliding brokerage fees
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency has introduced a new sliding scale of brokerage fees taking effect from 1 January 2001.