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Monetary Policy
Czech Republic: Euro Not Before 2020
Czech new Minister of Finance Andrej Babis thinks that the euro will not be introduced in the next few years.
February 3, 2014
Tusk: No Monetary Interventions Necessary
In the past few months, the Polish zloty fell significantly. However, Poland´s Prime Minister Donald Tusk thinks that the zloty does not need support.
February 3, 2014
Croatia: Monetary Interventions to Stabilize Kuna
On Friday the Croatian national bank sold € 240.2m to commercial banks.
January 31, 2014
Austrian Industrial Sector only Sees Weak Recovery
The Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) warns about a fragile economic recovery.
January 30, 2014
Poland: NBP Sees No Reason for Weakening Zloty
According to Eugeniusz Gatnar, board manager of the National Bank of Poland (NBP), there was no fundamental reason for monetary intervention.
January 30, 2014
WKO Rejects Further Financial Burdens for Banks
According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO), the financial burdens of banking institutes in Austria are significantly higher than those of their competitors in other EU member states.
January 29, 2014
Euro-Introduction: Cutting Debts Precondition for Poland
Finance Minister Mateusz Szczurek stressed that cutting debts was a key condition for Poland before it could be admitted to the single currency union.
January 29, 2014
Capital Increase at RBI Hungary
RBI (Raiffeisen Bank International) will make a capital injection of € 55m in its Hungarian affiliate
January 28, 2014
Austria: RZB’s Share in RBI Drops Dramatically
The share of Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB) in its affiliate Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) drops dramatically after the capital increase.
January 28, 2014
OECD Shows Great Concern over Hungarian Economy
According to the OECD, the country’s recovery from recession will be weak in 2014 and 2015
January 27, 2014
Restrained Optimism in Polish Financial Market
According to Finance Minister Szczurek, the Polish Financial Market will have to face another challenging year.
January 27, 2014
Hungary Faces Trend Reversal in Monetary Policy
The Hungarian National Bank (MNB) has cut the reference rate to 2.85% from 3.00%. The end of the easing cycle is not reached yet.
January 25, 2014
Poland: More than Half of Borrowing Needs Covered
In CESEE, governments are in a hurry. The Polish government announced that about 50% of the borrowing needs could be covered in the first three weeks of 2014.
January 24, 2014
Austria: OeNB Forecasts Modest Economic Growth
According to the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) economic growth in Austria only came at 0.3 percent last year.
January 24, 2014
CESEE: Recovery Remains Modest
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has published a report on the regional economic prospects. The economic recovery in CESEE remains fragile.
January 23, 2014
Insurance Industry Faces Growing Risks
According to the U.S. rating agency Fitch, insurers in Europe have to accept riskier investments. Ratings may deteriorate, Fitch warned.
January 22, 2014
„Only A Catastrophy Will Bring a Change“
Bestselling author Marc Friedrich criticizes the IMF sharply and thinks that the Basel III framework is “ridiculous”. The U.S. monetary policy is “doomed to failure”.
January 21, 2014
Czech Economy to Grow Not Sooner than 2016
The Czech economy will struggle to show economic growth both this and next year, according to the Czech Federation of Trade Unions CMKOS.
January 21, 2014
Austria: Nowotny Calls for Fast Decision on Hypo Group
The Governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) presses the government to act quickly and avoid further straining the budget and burdening the taxpayers.
January 21, 2014
Erste to Maintain Business in Hungary
According to CEO of Erste Group’s Hungarian affiliate, the bank will remain in the country to expand business activity.
January 21, 2014
Kotian: “Growth in CEE is Accelerating“
In an interview with Austrian daily “Wirtschafts-Blatt”, CEE expert at Erste Group, Juraj Kotian, points out that the bond market is expected to see growth supported by the successful reduction of debts and high economic growth.
January 20, 2014
Czech Republic: Euro Introduction Has no Priority
In an interview with Bloomberg, designated prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that there will be no date for entering the Eurozone in the current term.
January 17, 2014
Hungary: Forex Loan Problem to be Solved
According to the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), the problem of the foreign-exchange loans could be solved in the next half year.
January 17, 2014
Czech Republic: Economic Growth Expected to Expand
The Czech Banking Association (CBA) has adjusted its economic forecast and expects a growth rate of 1.9 percent for the Czech economy this year.
January 14, 2014
Nowotny Sees Growth Potential in Eurozone and CEE
According to Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), the outlooks for economic upturn in the Eurozone and Central/Eastern Europe have improved significantly compared to only a year ago.
January 14, 2014
CNB: Significant Increase in Profits
Due to the forex interventions in November last year, the Czech National Bank (CNB) was able to increase its results.
January 13, 2014
Hungary: Further Monetary Cuts Not Unlikely
Adam Balog, deputy governor of the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), argues that there is still downward potential.
January 10, 2014
Poland: Key Interest Rate to Remain Unchanged
As expected, the key interest rate will not be changed. According to Marek Belka, governor of the Polish National Bank (NBP), there was no need in monetary interventions.
January 9, 2014
Eurozone: Further Capital Injections at Banks Expected
The Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) is holding a summit today. The low inflation rate in the Eurozone is still a dilemma for the monetary authorities.
January 9, 2014
Hungary: Erste Group Confident
The third-largest lender in CESEE underlined that the Hungarian subsidiary will not be sold. The Austrian bank is confident to reach the turnaround soon.
January 6, 2014
Czech Governor Awarded Banker of the Year 2014
Miroslav Singer, governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) was given the Central Banker of the Year 2014 award for Europe by The Banker.
January 3, 2014
Eurozone: Number of Bank Credits Keeps Declining
The financial institutes in the Eurozone have been cutting back on granting credits. The lending for both business corporations and private persons has dropped by 2.3 percent.
January 3, 2014
Austria: Unemployment Rate at Record High
Last year the unemployment rate in Austria recorded its highest level in 60 years.
January 2, 2014
Austria: Hard Times for Regional Banks
Not only large banks are under pressure. In 2014, Austrian regional banks expect enormous challenges to deal with.
December 31, 2013
CESEE: Dependence on Foreign Demand Remains Main Obstacle
In 2014, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) faces a slight upward trend. The structural difficulties persist, however.
December 21, 2013
Hungary: Slower Monetary Cuts
After another base rate cut, the next monetary steps will take more time.
December 18, 2013
Serbia: National Bank Cuts Key Policy Rate
The NBS decided to cut key interest rate by half a percentage point as inflation remains on the lower target tolerance band.
December 18, 2013
Czech Republic: Rusnok to become CNB Board Member
Outgoing Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok will be appointed new board member of the Czech National Bank (CNB) by President Milos Zeman.
December 18, 2013
Austria: Major Banks Exhibit Significant Shortages in Core Capital Quota
Both Erste Group’s and RBI’s core capital quota is below the European average.
December 17, 2013
CESEE: More Robust than in 2008
The U.S. Federal Reserve wants to reduce its easing policy gradually. For emerging markets, the end of the loose monetary policy may prove challenging.
December 17, 2013
Czech Republic: Lowest Increase in Public Debts in 17 Years
According to the government’s Funding and Debt Management Strategy, public debt should exceed CZK 2,000bn by the end of 2016.
December 17, 2013
Emerging Markets Face Decrease in Risk Appetite
Foreign investors become more and more cautious about investing in emerging markets. Regions like Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe are highly dependent on foreign sentiments.
December 14, 2013
Slovenia Pushes Forward with Privatizations
In spite of the capital shortfall of € 4.78bn of the banks in Slovenia, the bank stress test was passed by the financial institutes.
December 13, 2013
Serbia: NBS FX Reserves Amounted to More than € 10,362m at End-November
FX Reserves and IFEM movements in November.
December 12, 2013
Slovenia Issues Treasury Bills
On Wednesday Slovenia issued a treasury bill with a maturity of three and a half years in the amount of € 45m. The measure was part of the budget liquidity operation.
December 12, 2013
Czech Republic: Banking Sector Proves Stable
According to the latest results of the bank stress test by the Czech National Bank (CNB), the domestic financial institutes remain resistant to a potential negative development.
December 12, 2013
No Major Progresses in Banking Union
Tuesday night the Finance Ministers of the European Union have gradually approached on the outstanding issues in the handling with banks threatened by bankruptcy.
December 11, 2013
Ten Capital Market Themes for 2014 by Raiffeisenbank
Leading indicators show a recovery of global growth.
December 11, 2013
OeNB Calls on Austrian Banks to Strengthen Their Capital Base Further
Presentation of the Financial Stability Report 26 of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB).
December 11, 2013
Poland: Interest Rate to Remain at Record Low
In the first half of 2014, the National Bank of Poland (NBP) will not alter the reference rate, economists say.
December 10, 2013