Central Banking
Thai PM says central bank is free to set rates
THAILAND - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on 25 May that the Bank of Thailand (BOT) had the freedom to set the country's interest rate policy and his government's views only reflected its concern on the issue.
IMF deal forbids Russian bank gold sales
RUSSIA - Russia's deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would forbid Moscow from selling gold from central bank reserves, even to help in emergencies, a government source said on 25 May.
Speech by Fed chairman Alan Greenspan
SPEECH - Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan gave a speech on 24 May at the Economic Club of New York. In it he assesses the US economy's recent performance and speculates on the future.
MAS chairman on building one financial world
SPEECH - Lee Hsien Loong, chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, has delivered the keynote address at the ACI world congress, Singapore. The speech was delivered on 25 May and concerned Asia's experience of managing financial integration.
New board of directors at Bank of Uganda
UGANDA - Tumusime Mutebile has been appointed as the new governor of the Bank of Uganda.
Monetary Authority of Singapore Quarterly Report
RESEARCH - The economics department of the Monetary Authority of Singapore has published its May 2001 Quarterly Report on Financial Markets.
Senior appointment at HKMA
HONG KONG - The Hong Kong's government's Financial Secretary has approved the appointment of Mr Eddie Yue Wai-man as Executive Director.
The BMA's new governor arrives
BAHRAIN - The new governor of the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA), Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa, has taken up his position. He was appointed at the same time as the mid-April cabinet reshuffle.
Argentina's Senate approves new bank chief
ARGENTINA - Argentina's Senate voted late on 23 May to approve the appointment of Roque Maccarone as new president of the Central Bank.
Former Brazil bank chief faces accusations
BRAZIL - The Brazilian government is now confronting accusations that a former president of the Brazilian central bank sold information to private bankers just before a large currency devaluation two years ago.
Strong backing for Bank of England rate cut
UK - The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England voted eight-to-one to trim interest rates 0.25%, when they met earlier this month, minutes from the meeting have shown.
Monetary policy formulation in the euro area
SPEECH - Christian Noyer, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, spoke at the "Monetary Policy and the Markets" conference of the National Association for Business Economics, Washington, DC on 23 May.
Banks and Systemic Risk - Theory and Evidence
SPEECH - David Clementi, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and a member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee spoke on 23 May at a conference of the Bank of England in London.
Pricing of interbank payment services
RESEARCH - John A Weinberg, Vice President and Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has written a discussion paper titled 'The Pricing of Interbank Payment Services in a Changing Competitive Environment'. The paper was completed while he was…
Hayami repeats reform need for economic recovery
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami played up the need for Japan to promote structural reforms in order to help its depressed economy get back on track.
Central bank to review monetary trends weekly
HUNGARY - The National Bank of Hungary (NBH) has said that its monetary committee will in the future review monetary trends and the operation of monetary policy tools on a weekly basis, on the first working day of a week.
Government proposals rejected by bank panel
INDONESIA - An independent panel formed to review proposed changes to Indonesia's central bank law has rejected a proposal that will allow the president to dismiss the central bank's board of governors.
People's Bank plans customer protection scheme
CHINA - China plans to set up a deposit insurance system to protect bank customers and reduce increasing risks in the banking sector. Announcing the plan, People's Bank of China (PBOC) Vice-Governor Wu Xialiang, said establishing such a system was an…
ECB interest rate decision - no change
EUROPE - The European Central Bank held interest rates steady on 23 May, as expected, despite pessimism about the euro zone's economic performance and prospects.
Low inflation may erode bank's credibility
SPEECH - The Bank of England's credibility could be at risk if it continues to undershoot its 2.5 per cent inflation target for more than another two years, according to a member of the bank's Monetary Policy Committee.
World Bank cancels Barcelona conference
SPAIN - The World Bank has decided to suspend its Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) in Europe, due to be held in Barcelona on June 25-27, to avoid protests from anti-capitalist groups that had stated their intention to disrupt the…
OECD praises Irish economy
IRELAND - The OECD has praised the Irish government's management of its economy and played down the prospect of it overheating.
Possible successors to Duisenberg listed
FRANCE - French Finance Minister Laurent Fabius, BNP Paribas Chairman Michel Pebereau, European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and European Central Bank board member Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa are possible successors to ECB President Wim Duisenberg…
Euro-enthusiast gets leading CBI job
UK - The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has appointed a leading euro-enthusiast to one of its principal policy-making committees.