Euro
Shekel gains leave Bank of Israel cautious over rate hike
Bank of Israel minutes show members of the central bank’s narrow forum feared interest rate hikes would lead to further gains in the shekel
IMF takes final step in changing SDR basket
Fund sets exchange rate for SDR; continues to peg unit of account to yen, dollar, euro and sterling
Frankfurt taps NCBs for €5 billion
European Central Bank says greater amount of capital required because of increased volatility
Malta's Bonello warns of complacency over rapid recovery
Central Bank of Malta governor Michael Bonello says Malta's dependence on external demand growth creates vulnerability
MAS: capital inflows pose serious risks to emerging markets
Monetary Authority of Singapore's Financial Stability Review warns accommodative monetary policies present substantial inflationary risks to emerging economies
Markets, analysts unconvinced by Irish bailout
Officials welcome deal but euro, continental bourses drop in response to €85 billion rescue package for Ireland
Estonia nabs firms over euro leak
Bank of Estonia fines two companies for mishandling euro coins ahead of the currency’s launch in 2011; strong link to coin sale in neighbouring Latvia
Russia advances Canadian dollar position
Bank of Russia will increase holdings of Canadian dollar denominated assets to diversify foreign exchange reserves
The euro funding gap and its consequences
The crisis has highlighted that the euro is far from a true reserve currency. That has worrying implications, argue Annina Kaltenbrunner, Duncan Lindo, Juan Pablo Painceira and Alexis Stenfors
Hungary voices concerns over banking climate
National Bank of Hungary warns new government tax and appreciation of the Swiss franc will severely impair bank lending and its contribution to economic growth
SNB records $8.7 billion loss on Swiss franc gains
Swiss National Bank reports loss of Sfr8.46 billion for first three quarters of the year after Swiss franc appreciated against major currencies
Palestine launches new RTGS system
Palestine Monetary Authority Real-Time Gross Settlement system allows for developments in online and mobile banking
Strong dollar sees RBA book record A$3.8 billion hit
Reserve Bank of Australia reports biggest ever loss of A$3.8 billion as foreign exchange reserves slide on domestic currency strength
Hungary sets four hour limit for retail payments
National Bank of Hungary issues decree requiring banks to settle electronic payments within four hours; move may cost banks up to $40m, admits deputy
Czech National Bank withdraws smallest banknote
Czech National Bank says Kc50 note will be replaced with coin in April; cites cost of replacing notes and change in value
BIS on renminbi management
Bank for International Settlements research results consistent with the renminbi having been managed in 2006-08 against a basket of currencies
Trichet lauds Estonia’s positive response to crisis
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet says Estonia’s quick reaction to financial crisis paved Tallinn’s road to euro adoption
EU bailout vehicle nets top credit rating
European Financial Stability Facility secures triple A rating
FX market going global: BIS
Bank for International Settlements’ triennial survey of foreign exchange markets shows decline in prevalence of local transactions, dollar and sterling
SNB posts smaller-than-forecast loss
Swiss National Bank’s first half loss $949m smaller than expected as gold and UBS bailout vehicle put in strong performances; reverses end-2009 purchase of UBS shares to guard against loss
Swiss National Bank set to post half-year loss of $3.8 billion
SNB forecasts exchange-rate losses of more than Sfr14 billion on the back of the euro’s decline; gold gains and FX positions pare losses
Euro counterfeits fall by 13%
ECB statistics show 387,000 forged euro banknotes recovered in first half of 2010; €50 note overtakes €20 as most popular bill to fake
Irish central bank sees profits more than double
Central Bank of Ireland 2009 Annual Report shows profits rose past the $1 billion mark last year
Estonia gets final nod to join euro
Europe's finance ministers fix conversion rate at 15.6466; preparations begin for January 2011 changeover