Oceania
Australian central bank proposes caps on card fees
Small businesses pay “substantial” surcharges during debit and credit card transactions, says RBA
RBA minutes reveal hawkish outlook after rate hold
Members considered hike during last meeting, MPC says
Central banks need to avoid ‘overconfidence’, says RBA’s Hauser
Deputy governor warns against 'false prophets' when forecasting with point estimates
RBA examines central clearing for bond and repo markets
Central bank says recent developments mean there is a stronger case for CCPs
Vanuatu launches new automated payments network
Island nation opens interbank rails and central securities depository
French Pacific monetary authority raises rates
IEOM orders 75bp increase in deposit rate to combat inflation
Japan launches Oceania CBDC study
Fintech firm Soramitsu will examine outlook for digital currencies in four Pacific island states
Economics Benchmarks 2021 report – making sense of the modern economy
Covid-19 coloured central banks’ views on the governance of their economics function in the past year, from research topics to forecasting, data, publications and more
Currency Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Perspectives on staffing, circulation, forecasting, note security and composition, outsourcing and more
RBNZ begins monetary tightening with 25bp hike
Central bank is confident inflation will return to target, but says growth will be “volatile”
Monetary Policy Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Insights into the staff that work on monetary policy, decision-making, tools, transparency and market operations
Asset purchase programmes prevalent among advanced economies
But just 17% of emerging market economies said they operate a purchase programme
Management failings caused Australian equity trading platform outage
Responsibility for upgrade project was unclear, IBM review finds
IMF’s Zhang says external financial lifelines must be ‘preserved’
Fund is providing AML/CFT training in the Pacific to stem correspondent banking crisis
Governance Benchmarks 2021 report – the frameworks that rule central banks
How are central banks governed? Benchmarking data offers insights on appointments, legal structures, powers, decision-making bodies, independence and more
The Belt and Road Initiative 2021 Survey – The impact of Covid‑19 on the BRI
The fourth annual Belt and Road Initiative survey reveals that the Covid‑19 pandemic has disrupted many projects despite China remaining committed to financing the initiative, which is expected to support future economic growth and environmental…
Emerging-market central banks lead on women’s empowerment
EME central banks have more women at staff level and in senior positions, but there are deep disparities worldwide, with childcare availability appearing to be a major cause
Few central banks forecast policy rates
Economics Benchmarks 2020 highlights wide variation in variables forecast by central banks
G+D and CPS are ‘most approved’ for banknote sorting
Just over half of survey sample endorses Munich-based manufacturer
Websites are top currency communication tool
More than two thirds of currency managers use social media; regional disparities emerge on preferred communication tools
Reserve Benchmarks 2020 report – charting new data frontiers
Perspectives on staffing and salaries, reserve coverage, portfolio construction, benchmarking, use of external parties and risk management