Central Banking
HK to fully deregulate interest rates in July 2001
HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said Apr 9, 2001 the territory's interest rates will be fully liberalized when the deregulation that covers Hong Kong dollar savings and current accounts goes ahead as scheduled July 3.
Central bank should be more accountable - panel
INDONESIA - The independent panel set up to review Bank Indonesia Law recommended amendments to increase the accountability of the central bank's board of governors, a government official said on Apr 9, 2001.
BOJ Hayami says economy to remain stagnant
JAPAN - Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami reiterated on Apr 9, 2001 Japan's economy could remain stagnant for some time and that the central bank must pay close attention to downward pressure on prices due to weak demand.
Asian countries agree currency swap network
ASIA - Asia's leading governments have put the finishing touches to plans for a network of currency swap arrangements to guard against a repeat of the 1997 regional economic crisis as concerns of a new global slowdown grow.
Central banks unlikely to sell gold-BoF forex head
FRANCE - The world's central banks, which hold about 35,000 tonnes of gold, were unlikely to be big sellers, Herve Ferhani, the Bank of France's head of gold and foreign exchange, said on Apr 9, 2001.
Malaysia cbank defends peg, explains reserves drop
MALAYSIA - The Malaysian central bank issued a statement on Apr 9, 2001 in defence of its ringgit/dollar fixed exchange rate after posting a six percent drop in its international reserves in Mar 2001.
CNB appoints new executive director for markets
CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech National Bank has announced that Tomas Kvapil will be the new executive director for financial markets as of Apr 1, 2001, filling the post which was left vacant when Radek Urban left at the end of February.
SARB-payment system risk reductions measures
SOUTH AFRICA - The South African Reserve Bank announced on Apr 5, 2001, that it has embarked on a phased implementation of certain risk reduction measures in the national payment system.
SNB chief economist George Rich retires Nov 01
SWITZERLAND - Georg Rich, chief economist of the Swiss National Bank, has announced that he will take early retirement as of the end of November 2001.
Downside risks to Swedish GDP-Riksbank minutes
SWEDEN - The balance of risks for Swedish growth and inflation are both skewed towards the downside over the next two years, according to the minutes of the Riksbank's last interest rate meeting released on Apr 9.
New Turkish cbank law submitted to cabinet
TURKEY - A draft law that grants full independence to the Central Bank of Turkey, and brings E.U. standards to the bank, has been submitted to the cabinet, reports the the Turkish daily Milliyet.
Swazi banking system undergoes modernisation
SWAZILAND - Along with other countries of the Southern Africa Development Community, Swaziland is revamping its banking system up to international standards, Bank of Swaziland Governor Martin Dlamini said on Apr 6, 2001.
PBOC vows to promote e-banking
CHINA - A senior official of China's central bank said on Apr 7, 2001 that the central bank is adopting active measures to support the development electronic banking.
Financial education should begin early-Greenspan
UNITED STATES - Consumers should become familiar with the basics of personal finance at a relatively young age, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Apr 6 in remarks that did not touch on the U.S. economy or monetary policy.
Ferguson on the monetary transmission mechanism
SPEECH - Fed vice chairman Roger Ferguson gave a speech on Apr 5, 2001 titled "Understanding Financial Consolidation" - a speech that he has already given three times this year. It is based on a study, commissioned by the G10 and directed by Ferguson,…
Low inflation: Implications for the FSA
RESEARCH - Ed Harley and Stephen Davies from the UK's Financial Services Authority have written a paper which considers the risks to the FSA's objectives arising from the move to the current low inflation environment in the UK. The authors conclude that…
Euro-area banking at the crossroads-IMF paper
RESEARCH - This IMF working paper by the European I department looks at the institutional arrangements for euro-area banking supervision. The authors endorse stronger cross-border coordination among supervisory authorities but notes that more formal…
Ecuador appoints Davila as top bank supervisor
ECUADOR - Ecuador's Congress ended a nearly five-month search for a banking superintendent on Apr 5, appointing former central bank head Miguel Davila to the post after rejecting several other candidates.
Business economist Barker appointed to BoE's MPC
UNITED KINGDOM - The UK Treasury said on Apr 5 that the chief economist at the Confederation of British Industry, Kate Barker, will replace DeAnne Julius on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from Jun 1, 2001.
Japan MOF's Kuroda -will act if FX trends continue
JAPAN - Top financial diplomat Haruhiko Kuroda said on Apr 6 that Japan would take action in currency markets if current trends continued.
Slovakia approves central bank law amendment
SLOVAKIA - The Slovak parliament said on Apr 6 it had approved an amendment to the law on the central bank, aimed at harmonising the act with the European Union legislation.
Former deputy head of central bank released
UKRAINE - According to Ukrainian TV, a former deputy head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Volodymyr Bondar, was released from arrest.
Argentina to place $3.5 bln in new bonds-Cavallo
ARGENTINA - Argentine Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo announced on Apr 6 that the country was planning to place $3.5 billion in new bonds that will allow it to meet its financing needs for the year.
Taiwan's cbank sees no inflationary pressures
TAIWAN - There are no inflationary pressures, Taiwan's central bank said late on Apr 6, citing sliding oil prices and Taiwan eventual entry into the World Trade Organization as reasons for domestic prices to remain tame.