Andrew Bailey: Bank of England will take ‘prompt action’ over coronavirus if needed March 16, 2020 New Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has pledged to take more “prompt action” when needed to tackle the economic fallout from coronavirus, raising the prospect of another interest rate cut. Speaking for the first time as governor after replacing Mark Carney today, Bailey emphasised in a BBC interview the “strong coordination among central bank” [...]
Andrew Bailey takes over with Bank of England battling coronavirus recession March 16, 2020 Andrew Bailey is no stranger to a tough job. But the incoming Bank of England governor, who takes up his new role as Mark Carney steps down tomorrow, could never have anticipated the size of the challenge that awaits him at Threadneedle Street. Bailey’s time at the Financial Conduct Authority began in the wake of [...]
Bank of Japan strengthens stimulus as coronavirus threatens to cause recession March 13, 2020 The Bank of Japan has said today it would buy 200bn yen (£1.49bn) of Japanese government bonds with five to ten years maturity. It is an unscheduled move that has come about after the local debt market capitulated as investors rushed for liquidity. Japan’s central bank also said it would inject an extra 1.5 trillion [...]
Regulators to review financial sector levy in the wake of “unacceptable” IT failures March 13, 2020 Regulators have welcomed a number of reforms to the financial services sector after the Treasury Committee called its IT failures “unacceptable”. The Treasury Committee’s report, which was published last October, called on the regulators to address the growing number of tech issues in the financial services sector. As part of the proposed reforms, the committee [...]
Sunak and Carney hold banking summit to discuss coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England held a banking summit today to discuss a coordinated response to support small and medium sized businesses affected by coronavirus. Mark Carney and incoming BoE Governor Andrew Bailey outlined the measures that the Bank announced yesterday morning to help mitigate the economic impact of the [...]
RBS could hold AGM ‘in an empty room’ due to coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 Banking giant RBS is gearing up to hold a dramatically scaled-back physical annual general meeting (AGM) due to the coronavirus pandemic, with just core attendees present in person. RBS, like all listed companies with a financial year ending in December, has a legal obligation to hold a physical AGM by 30 June, with the meeting [...]
ECB to let eurozone banks breach key requirements due to coronavirus March 12, 2020 The European Central Bank said that eurozone banks will be allowed to fall short of some key capital and cash requirements as lenders grapple with the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came soon after ECB monetary policymakers announced a new stimulus package, marking an unprecedented synchronised action by the central bank’s two [...]
Bank of England weighs pros and cons of central bank digital currencies March 12, 2020 The Bank of England has asked for people’s views on the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as it weighs the pros and cons of launching its own. Governor Mark Carney said in a discussion paper published today that although “the creation of a CBDC poses a number of opportunities, it could raise [...]
HSBC interim chief executive’s pay set to rise to £1.3m March 11, 2020 HSBC has revealed chief executive Noel Quinn will receive a 2.5 per cent pay rise, bringing his total salary to £1.3m, while finance boss Ewen Stevenson’s salary will rise to £741k. Last month, the bank unveiled a radical strategy overhaul alongside its annual results. Under the plans, HSBC will cut 35,000 jobs over the next [...]
Budget 2020: Government to tax financial services firms to pay for economic crime fight March 11, 2020 The chancellor said today that the government would bring forward a levy on financial services firms to help pay for the fight against economic crime. It said businesses subject to the money laundering regulations would be subject to the tax which would aim to deliver reforms laid out in the government’s economic crime plan. Businesses [...]