CB In Depth
Covid-19 has accelerated paradoxical developments in cash usage
Antti Heinonen explores the unusual patterns in banknote demand in 2020 and draws lessons for the future
Larry Summers on stagflation risks, lessons from Delphi and never-ending ‘punch’
The former US Treasury secretary speaks about fiscal ‘overexpansion’, Fed/Treasury debt discord, the pitfalls of ‘unknown unknowns’ and central bankers ‘unable’ to remove the ‘punchbowl’
Agustín Carstens on BIS strategic priorities, innovation and central bank policy
The BIS general manager speaks about policy trade-offs at critical time, tackling NBFIs and the dearth of ‘green’ assets, tech collaboration, and why he favours Biden’s $3.5trn infrastructure bill
Book notes: Robert Triffin, by Ivo Maes with Ilaria Pasotti
Triffin’s story is well told by Maes, whose extensive personal and academic research shines through on page after page
Do central banks have enough resources to meet tech challenge?
Accelerating technological evolution, difficulties accessing and retaining technical staff, and limited resources will present growing challenges for central banks in the future
Strategies for change: central banks’ quest for diversity
Dedicated diversity strategies remain uncommon among central banks, despite growing recognition of the need for better minority representation
Book notes: How boards work, by Dambisa Moyo
Moyo offers insights into the skills required to be a valued board director, as well as a thought-provoking list of issues that may appear with greater frequency on future board agendas
Some philosophical questions about the future of central banking
Kenneth Rogoff weighs up the many challenges facing central banks in the years ahead, from debt and inflation to negative rates and the dangers of ‘mission creep’
Is the ECB’s strategy review enough?
The reformed framework may allow greater stimulus to tackle weak inflation expectations, but the Governing Council is already divided on what to do next
Fixing market-based finance: duct tape or deep reform?
Central banks are increasingly having to act as market-makers of last resort. But deeper reforms may be needed to avoid stretching their balance sheets to breaking point
Book notes: Fintech regulation in China, by Robin Hui Huang
The book includes meticulous exploration of detailed regulations across the Chinese fintech sector, but risks missing some of the bigger picture due to China’s on/off oversight
Book notes: The pay off, by Gottfried Leibbrandt and Natasha de Terán
A timely introduction to and accessible survey of payment system developments
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
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
The ‘golden age’ of central banking has passed
Central banks face multi-faceted challenges and weakened autonomy amid highly polarised inflation expectations
Somalia’s governor on rebuilding its central bank
Governor Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi discusses reviving Somalia’s war-damaged economy, re-creating a payments system, and dealing with remittances
BIS’s Luiz Pereira on tackling the climate crisis
Deputy general manager highlights the challenge posed by radical uncertainty, the benefits of carbon budgeting, and the case for acting now
MAS’s Vincent Loy and Celine Sia on transforming data management
The assistant managing directors explain how uniting business and technology functions is opening up new possibilities for data collection, governance and analytics
Charles Goodhart on inflation targets, financial stability and the role of money
The LSE professor says inflation targets should have been 0%, the Fed’s move to AIT is a mistake, independence is under threat from inflation, big balance sheets support liquidity, AI can help supervisors and climate stress tests are unconvincing
CBDC: the case for ‘wait and see’
Despite growing interest, some central banks are staying out of the digital currency game
‘Run it hot’: the risks and rewards of a new policy era
Covid-19 has added impetus to an emerging intellectual shift in policy-making. But central banks face unresolved issues – on expectations, on fiscal policy, and on the capacity of the economy to ‘run hot’
Should the Fed’s Fima facility be made permanent?
The emergency repo facility reassures reserve managers about access to dollar cash during a breakdown in the US Treasuries market
Benoît Cœuré on CBDCs, stablecoins and central bank fintech co-operation
BIS Innovation Hub chief voices concerns about the timing of stablecoin and CBDC roll-outs, fintech risks for supervisors and monetary policy, and details development plans for eight innovation locations
Book notes: Quantitative easing, by Jonathan Ashworth
Well-documented and fairly comprehensive book for anyone, including central bankers, wanting an overview of how monetary policy has evolved in recent decades