Financial inclusion
Argentine central bank can progress without independence law – chief economist
Pablo Neumeyer says current policies are working and may create the consensus for future law
IMF explores Balkan female employment conundrum
Fund shows policies are needed to secure both supply and inclusion of women; quality of institutions should be improved
RBI launches economics blog
“Mint Street Memos” comprise brief reports and analysis from RBI economists; first post studies beneficial effects of demonetisation for “financialisation” of savings
PNG governor urges country to reduce reliance on extractive industries
Bank of Papua New Guinea governor says country needs to diversify its industries and create a culture of savings
St Louis’s Bullard on the future of the Fed and its monetary policy record
St Louis Fed president James Bullard rails against east coast dominance, favours aspects of the Choice Act and says Fed monetary policy was a “factor” that fuelled crisis
New leaders take charge at Philippines central bank
New governor pledges to enhance financial inclusion, mitigate cyber-crime risk and fine-tune monetary policy to make it more market-oriented
Indonesian deputy Perry on revolutionising monetary and financial policy
Perry Warjiyo explains the central bank’s radical overhaul of monetary policy operations, market deepening and financial inclusion in Indonesia
Filipinos lack knowledge to make “informed” saving decisions – Tetangco
Survey results highlight the need for improved financial education programme; Philippines central bank to “enhance” outreach initiatives
BoJ’s Kuroda cites three channels to promote financial inclusion
Bank of Japan governor urges policymakers to enhance financial inclusion in Asia
Income inequality should be a concern for central banks – IMF panel
IMF panel debates impact of unconventional monetary policy on income inequality, concluding institutions should be more aware of policy effects on income disparities despite no specific mandate
Bank Negara Malaysia invites public to submit ‘fintech hacks'
Malaysia’s central bank extends research into fintech through public project; hopes regulatory sandbox will produce “game-changing results”
RBI research: demonetisation hit growth but helped inclusion
Authors find scrapping high-value notes impacted Indian growth and inflation but pushed many people to open bank accounts and improved policy transmission
New Barbados governor casts critical eye over public sector
Efficiency of services offered by the public sector needs improvement, says Haynes; current issues are a “great cost” to productivity
Central bank governor of the year: Carlos Fernández Valdovinos
The governor of the Central Bank of Paraguay has had considerable success hitting Paraguay’s tightening inflation target while boosting the nation’s economic credentials
Staff incentive schemes lead to bad deals for consumers – paper
Colombian paper examines the effect of bank incentive schemes on consumers; transparency index reveals staff often do not disclose information about the price of financial products
Draghi examines financial integration through a digital lens
Digitalisation will help with financial integration, but beware of the risks, says Draghi; fintech is high on the ECB’s strategic agenda
Weidmann urges central banks to promote economic and financial literacy
Financial literacy is crucial in underpinning trust in central banks, German governor stresses; advancements in technology will help to boost financial inclusion
ECB paper compares financial inclusion in US and eurozone
Encouraging transfer payment recipients to open accounts has positive effect, study finds
Central Bank of Brazil sets out agenda for 2017
Improved governance and financial inclusion at the top of the list for the central bank; aims have been published on an innovative interactive webpage
Paper uses Swedish refugee data to assess financial literacy
Authors say the randomly determined placement of refugees in Sweden provides a handy natural experiment on how financial literacy can spread
Cambodia to increase number of financially educated, says director general
Around 29% of Cambodia’s adult population remain financially excluded from services; central bank to coordinate financial inclusion approach with various government ministries
Tajik central bank launches consumer protection push
Plan could create stability and growth if it is successful, but resource constraints are a challenge, National Bank of Tajikistan says
Philippine president plans to amend law to hand Tetangco third term
Duterte plans to ask Amando Tetangco to stay for third term; finance minister confirms government intends to amend law specifying a two-term limit
Global crises raise need for digital financial inclusion – BIS’s Caruana
Refugee crisis, climate change, banking challenges and cyber crime all point to the need for better inclusion through the use of technology, says BIS chief