Banks
Mastercard and Visa dominate card scheme market
Number of operational card schemes ranges from zero to 10
An assessment of the ECB’s strategy review
A number of aspects of the new framework raise challenges for implementation and credibility, while the inclusion of climate change may politicise the institution, writes euro architect Otmar Issing
Russian central bank may sell nationalised lender to ‘strategic investor’
Bank of Russia says it could bring sale of Otkritie forward if right buyer can be found
Myanmar central bank restricts foreign hires
Move comes after months of unrest and shortly after military announced 2023 polls
Central banks split on non-bank access to RTGS systems
Benefits of innovation must be weighed against risks of financial instability
Central banks’ payments operations staffed more than oversight function
Advanced economies tend to have higher staff numbers in both functions
Spain’s interior vulnerable to loss of cash access – Bank of Spain
Rural areas have older populations and rely more on cash, but banks are closing branches
Criteria for systemically important payment infrastructure differs
Thirty-one out of 37 central banks said they designate systemically important payment infrastructure
RBNZ to tighten loan limits as house prices continue to rise
Tougher loan-to-value limits could be followed by rate floors or debt service limits
Oversight functions stifled by lack of resources, some central banks say
Skills and resources were identified as limiting factors, as well as the challenges of a recently formed oversight function
The IMF’s $650bn SDR allocation and a future ‘digital SDR’
Focus is needed on widening SDR use in payments and the creation of a ‘digital SDR’, to support a large allocation of ‘official’ IMF SDRs, writes Warren Coats
ECB stress test highlights importance of credit risk
Mid-sized banks suffer higher capital depletion due to lower income from interest and fees
BoE to wind up euro liquidity facility
Improvement in funding market conditions means euro funding is no longer needed, BoE says
UK’s FCA consults on measures to increase boards’ diversity
Regulator may bring in “comply or explain” rule over diversity on publicly listed firms’ boards
Five years of the renminbi in SDR and its adoption in central bank portfolios
Policy-makers discuss what has impacted the renminbi’s adoption as a global reserve asset over the past five years.
Fed launches standing repo facilities
Facilities to be open to foreign central banks and domestic primary dealers; FOMC keeps policy on hold
Covid and the cloud: a turning point for central banks?
As central banks embrace new technology, providers are jostling to be first in line
Communications Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Insights into staffing and salaries, channels, social media, new technology and strategies
ECB to lift limits on bank dividends from September
Supervisor stresses lenders should remain prudent in distributing dividends and share buy-backs
Powerful companies are diluting monetary policy effectiveness – IMF
Competition policies are needed to ensure central banks can use monetary policy effectively
FCA asked to investigate ‘unwarranted’ bank account freezing
Parliamentary committee concerned AI may have caused ‘inappropriate bias’
New BoE climate risk scenarios spark race for extra data
Banks need information from clients or third parties to populate 1,760 stress test variables
Bundesbank warns about digital challenges for German banks
Report stresses the importance of reinforcing cyber security processes
US regulators to align policies on lower income lending
OCC backs down on separate CRA rules and starts joint consultation with Fed, FDIC