• Russia’s central bank holds rates amid high inflation

    MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia's central bank held interest rates unchanged on Friday as Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine has led to stubbornly high inflation and labor shortages. The central bank raised rates to 16 percent in a series of hikes last year to cool the pace of price rises. Analysts are...
  • IMF chief urges countries to strengthen independence of central banks

    "Financial stability benefits the whole economy and reduces the risk that the central bank becomes reluctant to raise interest rates for fear of causing a financial meltdown," she added.
  • GCC central banks hold rates steady, following US Fed

    The Central Bank of the UAE kept the Base Rate for the Overnight Deposit Facility (ODF) steady at 5.40%, aligning its monetary policy closely with that of the US Federal Reserve. In Qatar, the Central Bank has also decided to keep its deposit, lending, and repo rates unchanged at 5.75%,...
  • Eyes on Bank of Japan as unions announce big wage hikes

    Tokyo, Japan -- Japan's largest trade union said Friday it had secured the highest wage hikes since 1991 in preliminary data that stokes speculation the central bank will finally shift away from its outlier ultra-loose monetary policy. The Rengo union said that in spring wage talks so far, its members had...
  • Tunisia gets new central bank chief amid economic crisis

    TUNIS, TUNISIA -  President Kais Saied on Thursday appointed a new governor of the central bank of Tunisia, a north African country in the throes of economic hardship. Saied named Fethi Zouhair Nouri, a 69-year-old member of the central bank's board, to succeed Marouane Abassi, 64, whose six-year mandate ends on...
  • Tunisia parliament votes to let central bank finance budget

    The parliament ratified by a huge majority of 92 votes out of 133 an amendment to an article that prohibited the central bank from financing the public treasury. The new measure allows the central bank to lend the state US$2.2 billion to be repaid without interest in 10 years after...
  • CBUAE balance sheet touches US$182 billion in November 2023

    Abu Dhabi, UAE--The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) saw its balance sheet soar to $182.43 billion at the end of November 2023, marking a significant surge in its financial strength. This impressive growth is revealed in the bank's latest balance sheet report. The report highlights a robust...
  • Asia stocks track global losses as traders step back after rally

    Hong Kong, China - Asian markets fell Wednesday in line with a sell-off across most of the world as traders took their cash off the table after a blockbuster end to 2023, with eyes now on the release this week of Federal Reserve minutes and US jobs data. Equities surged in...
  • Europe stocks rise, Asia tepid as oil jumps and Bitcoin shines

    Following record highs in 2023 for the likes of Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, investors are predicting more gains as central banks prepare a series of interest-rate cuts as inflation cools. Oil prices rallied 2.5 percent on supply concerns after Iran dispatched a warship to the Red Sea in response to...
  • UAE central bank cash deposits up by 10.2% in Oct to $187 billion

    Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) said Thursday cash deposits surged to AED 687.2 billion ($187.2 billion) this October, marking a substantial annual increase of 10.2 percent, or AED 63.7 billion, compared to AED 623.5 billion in October 2022. The Central Bank's cash aggregates statistics...
  • Egypt annual core inflation falls 1.6 percent in October

    Dubai, UAE--Egypt's annual core inflation rate decelerated by 1.6 percent in October, recording 38.1 percent, down from 39.7 percent in September, according to data released by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) on Sunday. The monthly core inflation rate rose to 1.8 percent in October compared to 1.1 percent in...
  • Emiratization: CBUAE to provide financial sector job opportunities

    Abu Dhabi, UAE - The CBUAE will provide UAE nationals with job opportunities across various banking and insurance specializations in an effort to meet the financial sector’s Emiratization objectives during its participation in the 17th annual Tawdheef exhibition taking place between November 13-15, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center...
  • Amid volatility, international reserves resilient: World Bank report

    Washington, United States -- Central bank reserve management remained resilient during a historically volatile year, according to the fourth edition of the World Bank Reserve Management Survey Report. Central banks identified ESG, volatility and risk, and inflation as their main challenges in 2022, the report said. Central banks are becoming...
  • Federal Reserve likely to pause interest rate hikes

    The Federal Reserve will likely announce it is holding interest rates at a 22-year high on Wednesday, as it looks to tackle inflation without damaging the resilient US economy. Analysts and traders parsing recent Fed speeches overwhelmingly expect the US central bank to hold rates steady for the second meeting...
  • UAE banks’ investments reach $157 billion by July end

    Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Investments of banks operating in the UAE reached AED 580 billion ($157.90 billion) at the end of July 2023, the highest level in history, according to the latest statistics of the UAE Central Bank. The data showed that investments of banks operating in the country increased...
  • Saudi Arabia’s consumer spending hits $27bn in July: Central Bank

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia increased 2 percent to SAR 104.6 billion ($27.88 billion) in July 2023, from nearly SAR 102.97 billion during the same month last year, according to the Saudi Central Bank's SAMA monthly bulletin. Consumer spending includes total cash withdrawals, point-of-sale (POS) transactions and e-commerce...
  • Lebanon central bank declines to address nation’s deficit through lending

    Beirut, Lebanon -- Acting Lebanese Central Bank Governor Wassim Mansouri has said the bank will not be providing government lending to cover Lebanon's 2023 state budget deficit. This applies to both the Lebanese lira and the US dollar. "The Central Bank has no plans to address the nation's deficit through...
  • Saudi Arabia is largest Islamic finance market, with over $827bn assets

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia boasts the world's largest Islamic finance market, with combined Islamic assets across various sectors surpassing $826.6 billion (SAR 3.1 trillion), Ayman Al-Sayari, the Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and Chairman of the IFSB's Council said in his opening address at the 20th...
  • Lebanon central bank officials to quit if no governor nominated

    BEIRUT, LEBANON - The vice-governors of Lebanon's central bank plan to resign unless politicians swiftly name an incoming governor, two senior officials at the crisis-hit country's top financial body told AFP on Thursday. The term of embattled three-decade chief Riad Salameh ends this month with no successor in sight, setting the...
  • France charges Lebanon central bank chief’s ex-assistant in graft probe

    A former assistant of Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's central bank, has been charged with money laundering by France. Last year, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth $130mn in a move linked to a probe into Salameh's wealth. He is accused of having amassed a fortune during his...
  • US Fed Chair Powell leaves door open to two straight rate hikes ahead

    The Fed recently paused its aggressive cycle of rate increases after 10 consecutive hikes, to give policymakers more time to weigh the effects of existing moves on inflation. At the same meeting, a majority of members on the Fed's rate-setting committee indicated they see interest rates rising twice more before...
  • Bahrain central bank $185m Treasury bills oversubscribed 109%

    Manama, Bahrain -- Treasury bills valued at Bahrain Dinar 70 million ($185 million) issued this week by the Central Bank of Bahrain have been oversubscribed 109 percent The bills, carrying a maturity of 91 days, are issued by the CBB, on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The...
  • Kuwait’s central bank says broad money supply rises marginally

    KUWAIT- Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) announced that the broad money supply (M2) went up by 0.3 percent last May to settle at US$130.6 billion (KD 39.6 billion). Local banks' private sector deposits increased by 0.6 percent to settle at US$119.4 billion (KD 36.2 billion), revealed the CBK's economic research...
  • In policy about-turn, Turkey to raise rates to fight inflation, steady lira

    The Turkish leader pushed the central bank to start slashing interest rates two years ago as part of a "new economic model" that focuses on job creation and economic growth. The policy badly backfired and nearly cost the veteran Turkish leader last month's general election. The annual inflation rate reached...
  • Saudi Arabia’s international reserve assets up first time in 6 months

    Foreign currency reserves, representing 94 percent of total assets, fell nearly 2 percent year-on-year in May to SAR 1.56 trillion ($416 billion). The majority of Saudi Arabia's reserve assets are held in US dollars (about 70 percent)
  • Qatar and Iran look to boost monetary, banking ties to propel trade

    Tehran, Iran--Qatar and Iran are looking to boost monetary and banking cooperation that would propel all-round development of trade between the two countries. In this connection, the governors of the central banks of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar held talks in Doha. Iranian central bank governor Mohammad Reza...
  • CBUAE balance sheet hit all-time-high of $161 bn by March end

    Abu Dhabi, UAE - The balance sheet of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) surpassed AED594 billion ($161 billion) by the end of March 2023, marking the largest level ever in its history, a CBUAE report has revealed. In its budget report for March 2023, the apex bank said...
  • US job hiring rises in May but wage gains ease

    Hiring in the United States heated up again in May, according to government data released, with the strong labor market defying expectations of a slowdown amid efforts to cool the world's biggest economy. The jobs market has been surprisingly robust even as regulators have worked to ease demand and tamp...
  • Interpol red notice issued for Lebanon central bank chief

    Lebanon has received an Interpol red notice requesting the arrest of central bank governor Riad Salameh after a French magistrate issued a warrant this week, a judicial official said. Salameh, 72, has been the target of a series of judicial investigations both at home and abroad on allegations including fraud,...
  • Central Bank of Bahrain Sukuk Al-Salam securities oversubscribed 197%

    Manama, Bahrain--The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) announces that the monthly issue of the Sukuk Al-Salam Islamic securities has been oversubscribed by 197%. Subscriptions worth BD 84.706 million were received for the BD 43 million issue, which carries a maturity of 91 days. The expected return on the issue, which...
  • Central Bank of Oman issues treasury bills valued at US$36.35 million

    Muscat, Oman--The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has raised $36.35 million by way of allotting treasury bills on Tuesday, the bank said in a statement. The statement said the value of the allotted treasury bills amounted to $26 million, for a maturity period of 28 days. The average accepted price...
  • Egypt reports 72% drop in current account deficit to US$1.8bn

    Cairo, Egypt--Egypt’s current account deficit fell 77.2 percent to $1.8 billion in the first half of the North African country’s current fiscal year. According to its central bank, the deficit reduction was fueled by Egypt’s current account turning a $1.41 billion surplus in the October to December quarter of 2022...
  • Bahrain central bank’s sukuk oversubscribed by 403 percent

    Manama, Bahrain -- The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) announced that the monthly issue of the short-term Islamic leasing bonds, Sukuk Al Ijara, has been oversubscribed by 403 percent. Subscriptions worth BD 104.778 million ($277 million) were received for the BD 26 million issue, which carries a maturity of 182...
  • Swiss central bank says tough rules needed for sector

    BERN, SWITZERLAND - Switzerland's central bank said Friday that the country's banking regulations needed toughening up after the implosion of Credit Suisse, while the sector also needed to ensure proper competition for services. "Banking regulation and supervision will have to be reviewed in light of recent events," Swiss National Bank chairman...
  • UAE minister stresses G20 and COP28 collaboration at WBG meet

    The members also exchanged views on progressing the implementation of Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) to advance the international taxation agenda.
  • Lebanon judge to lift travel ban on central bank chief: judicial officials

    Under investigation both at home and abroad on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment, Riad Salameh has been summoned for a hearing in Paris next month. He is part of a political class widely blamed for the country's economic crisis that the World Bank says is of a...
  • Interest rate hikes adversely affect developing countries, says UN

    The global economic slowdown and swelling interest rates are pummeling debt-ridden developing countries, the UN warned, urging bold global action to ward off catastrophe. In a fresh report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development cautioned that poorer countries were expected to suffer as higher interest rates eat away...
  • Egypt sees growth in financial inclusion, touches 65% of adult population

    Cairo, Egypt-- Egypt's financial inclusion has widened as total ownership of transactional accounts reached 64.8 percent of the total 65.4 million eligible adult population at the end of 2022. The financial inclusion, according to the country's central bank, increased 147 percent between 2016 and 2022 to 42.3 million citizens who...
  • Jordan’s $1.25 billion Eurobonds oversubscribed six times

    Dubai, UAE – Jordan’s Ministry of Finance and Central Bank Wednesday said they have completed the issuance of $1.25 billion Eurobonds in global markets at a fixed coupon rate of 7.5 percent due in January 2029. The Ministry has reduced the coupon rate by 25 basis points from 2022's issue...
  • UAE Central Bank revokes license of Russia’s MTS Bank

    Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Central Bank of the UAE Friday revoked the license of Russia's MTS Bank's, which was granted last year. The bank said that under its supervision, the operations of MTS bank, which is licensed in Abu Dhabi, would be wound down within six months. Revocation of...
  • Bahrain central bank treasury bill issues’ value reaches $5.3 billion

    Manama, Bahrain – The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has issued treasury bills with a maturity period of 12 months. The issue date of the bills is 23 March 2023 and the maturity date is 21st March 2024. The weighted average rate of interest is 6.17 percent compared to 6.31...
  • Lebanon central bank chief denies financial misconduct

    Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh maintained his innocence following a second day of questioning before European investigators in Beirut as part of a probe into his personal wealth. Salameh, 72, is part of the Lebanese political elite widely blamed for a crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019.
  • Lebanon bank chief turns up for European probe into his wealth

    Salameh had been summoned to appear on Wednesday but failed to show up, alleging that "the presence of international judges in Lebanon and the investigation into the financial matters is in conflict with national sovereignty". The judiciary rejected his claim and the session was rescheduled for Thursday.
  • Lebanese pound plunges 100,000 to dollar as banks go on strike

    Officially pegged at 15,000 to the dollar, the pound was trading at 100,000 against the greenback, dealers said -- a dizzying plunge from 1,507 before the economic crisis hit in 2019. The currency's market value was at around 60,000 to the dollar in late January.
  • Turkish current account deficit rises to 40-year high

    Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's current account deficit increased to $9.85 billion in January, the highest monthly deficit since 1984, the first year for which such a record is available, according to figures from the central bank released on Monday. The increase was caused by a rising energy cost and imports...
  • Lebanon central bank chief summoned in European probe

    A Lebanese judge has asked central bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before visiting European investigators, a judicial official said Monday, part of a multinational probe into his personal wealth. The embattled central bank chief faces embezzlement accusations in separate investigations in Lebanon and abroad, looking into the fortune he...
  • Global stocks mixed as markets await US jobs data

    Wall Street rose but European stock markets fell as investors brace for US jobs data that they fear could prompt the Federal Reserve to ramp up interest rate hikes. Markets were rocked this week by Fed chief Jerome Powell's warning that interest rates could rise should the economy show no...
  • US interest rate likely to rise, says Federal Reserve head

    US interest rates will likely peak at a higher level than previously anticipated due to economic data that came in stronger than recent trends suggested, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said. He said that January figures for employment, consumer spending, manufacturing production and inflation pointed to a partial reversal of...
  • Judge to quiz Lebanese central bank head in embezzlement case

    Lebanon opened its probe following a request for assistance from Switzerland's public prosecutor probing more than $300 million in fund movements by Riad Salameh and his brother. Last month, Swiss media reported that 12 banks in the European country had received a large part of the money Salameh is alleged...
  • Qatar Central Bank issues $274 million treasury bills for a week

    Doha, Qatar-- Qatar Central Bank (QCB) issued treasury bills worth QR 1 billion ($274 million) for a one-week term in February, due on March 2, at an interest rate of 5.0050 percent. QCB had issued treasury bills worth QR 3 billion for a one-week term in February. The auction is...
  • History says Fed can’t tame inflation without recession: report

    Citing historical "disinflation" cases dating back to 1950 in major economies, the report concluded that central banks "are likely to be hard pressed to achieve their disinflationary goals without significant sacrifice in economic activity." The analysis, prepared by a team of academic and corporate economists, identified parallels between the current...