Professional Documents
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MC Compendium
MC Compendium
MC Compendium
Monetary policy
frameworks and central
bank market operations
October 2019
This publication is available on the BIS website (www.bis.org).
© Bank for International Settlements 2019. All rights reserved. Brief excerpts may be
reproduced or translated provided the source is stated.
A. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................3
B. Descriptions of operational frameworks (by currency area) ...........................................................5
1. Australia ...............................................................................................................................5
2. Brazil .....................................................................................................................................7
3. Canada .................................................................................................................................9
4. China ..................................................................................................................................11
5. Eurosystem .........................................................................................................................13
6. Hong Kong SAR..................................................................................................................16
7. India ...................................................................................................................................17
8. Japan ..................................................................................................................................19
9. Korea, Republic of ..............................................................................................................21
10. Mexico ................................................................................................................................23
11. Singapore ...........................................................................................................................24
12. Sweden ...............................................................................................................................26
13. Switzerland .........................................................................................................................28
14. United Kingdom .................................................................................................................30
15. United States ......................................................................................................................32
C. Detailed tables ..............................................................................................................................35
1. Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations .......................................35
2. Overview of key features ....................................................................................................39
3. Monetary policy communication ........................................................................................49
4. Reserve requirements: ratios and size ................................................................................55
5. Main features of reserve requirements...............................................................................57
6. Liquidity position and forecasting ......................................................................................59
7.a Standing facilities: lending / market ceiling........................................................................61
7.b Standing facilities: deposit / market floor ..........................................................................63
8.a Open market operations: repo or reverse repo ..................................................................65
8.b Open market operations: central bank bills........................................................................67
8.c Open market operations: FX swaps ....................................................................................69
9. Other significant liquidity management means .................................................................71
10. Settlement systems and intra-day liquidity facilities ..........................................................75
11. Collateral ............................................................................................................................77
12. Dissemination of operational information: liquidity forecast .............................................83
13. Dissemination of operational information: open market operations .................................85
14. Dissemination of operational information: standing facilities ............................................88
15. Other information dissemination .......................................................................................90
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A. Introduction
Central banks’ decisions and actions are shaped by their operational frameworks, which evolve as
market conditions, policy goals, and the structure of financial markets change. While these monetary
policy operating frameworks share a number of similarities, there are also noticeable differences.
The Markets Committee (MC) serves as a key forum for central banks to discuss the specific
features of their own market operations and the impact of these operations on financial markets. To
facilitate its discussions, the MC summarised key features of the monetary policy frameworks and
market operations of its members into a single and easily accessible document. This compendium
provides a comprehensive cross-country overview of the relevant aspects for monetary policy
implementation, such as institutional features of monetary policy frameworks, communication of
policy, as well as the “nuts and bolts” of operations (including reserve requirements, the modalities
of standing facilities, as well as the tools for open market operations etc.).
The Committee believes that sharing such detailed information with the broader public enhance
market transparency and the understanding of central bank actions. The descriptions of monetary
policy frameworks presented in the Compendium have been submitted by the respective central
banks and either reproduce or summarise information which is already publicly available in their
publications or on their websites. The original central bank publications shall remain the ultimate
references.
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B. Descriptions of operational frameworks (by currency area)
1. Australia
Institutional framework
The RBA sets monetary policy with the objective of maintaining price stability, full employment, and
contributing to the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people. To achieve these
objectives, the RBA has an ‘inflation target’ and seeks to keep consumer price inflation in the
economy to 2–3 per cent, on average, over time.
To implement its monetary policy objectives, the RBA sets a target for the cash rate, the interest
rate on overnight unsecured loans between banks. The cash rate influences other interest rates in the
economy, affecting the behaviour of borrowers and lenders, economic activity and ultimately the rate
of inflation.
The cash rate target is determined by the RBA Board, which meets on the first Tuesday of each
calendar month, except January. The Board's monetary policy decision is announced in a media
release which is distributed through market data services and published on the RBA's website at
2.30 pm on the day of each Board meeting. Any change to the cash rate target is effective the
following day. The RBA's domestic market operations are designed to ensure that the actual cash
rate remains close to the cash rate target.
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There is no limit on the size or number of approaches a counterparty can make (counterparties
with multiple approaches can set an aggregate limit). Where successful, counterparties must
collateralise their transactions by selling highly rated debt securities to the RBA either under repo or
outright sale (only short-term Australian government securities can be sold outright). More
information on the RBA’s collateral framework can be found in The Reserve Bank's Collateral
Framework - December Quarter 2017. Eligible OMO counterparties include banks with ES accounts,
but also other financial institutions that are not ES account holders. The RBA publishes counterparty
eligibility rules on its website, see Eligible Counterparties.
At 5.10 pm each afternoon, the RBA announces whether an additional OMO is required, for
example in the case where liquidity forecast errors result in the amount of aggregate ES funds being
to large or too small, thus potentially disrupting orderly trading conditions in the interbank market.
To prevent such an outcome, the RBA conducts additional OMOs to either drain or replenish
aggregate ES funds, giving banks the opportunity, respectively, to lend undesired funds to the RBA
or borrow required funds, on a secured basis. The RBA assesses the need for these additional rounds
on a system-wide basis, not on the position of individual ES account holders, thereby preserving the
incentives for banks to participate in the interbank market. Detailed information on OMOs is available
on the RBA website, see Open Market Operations.
To fine-tune its liquidity management, the RBA also uses foreign exchange (FX) swaps in its
domestic market operations. Unlike OMOs which are contracted for same-day value of funds, FX
swaps are contracted for deferred settlement (generally T+1 to T+3) with maximum terms of up to
3-months. FX swaps are contracted bilaterally with pre-approved counterparties. FX swaps
supplement the range of financial instruments used by the RBA to manage Australian dollar liquidity
and are particularly useful to offset lumpy liquidity flows, such as the maturity of Australian
Government Securities, or large Government flows (taxes and outlays).
Separate to OMOs which support the implementation of monetary policy, the RBA also provides
standing facilities (SFs) to eligible counterparties, which include mostly ES account holders. SFs are
designed to support the smooth functioning of the payments system. Banks access SFs by contracting
repos against high-quality collateral. The RBA specifies in advance the price and terms of repos used
in its SFs. Intraday repos are free of charge and allow banks to raise ES funds in order to make
payments ahead of receiving covering funds later in the day. This smooths the volume of payments
settlements throughout the day, avoiding gridlock in the payments system. If a bank fails to unwind
an intraday repo, the RBA provides overnight repos, applying a margin of 25 basis points over the
cash rate as a disincentive to use the facility. As mentioned above, banks are expected to source
funds in the interbank market and not make frequent use of overnight repos.
Banks can also have open repo arrangements, ie repos without a specified maturity date. Open
repos allow banks to hold a certain amount of ES funds that can be used to settle payments that
occur outside of normal business hours. These arrangements support the trend for 24/7 payments
as payments systems become more sophisticated and real-time. In Australia, examples of such
24/7 payments include those made under the New Payments Platform – infrastructure that enables
Australian consumers, businesses and Government agencies to make real-time payments between
accounts at participating banks. NPP payments are settled across banks’ ES accounts via the RBA’s
Fast Settlement System.
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2. Brazil
Institutional framework
At the beginning of March 1999, the Brazilian Government announced its intention to start
conducting the monetary policy based on an inflation targeting framework. Brazil formally adopted
the inflation targeting regime as monetary policy guideline with the edition of the Decree 3,088 by
the President of the Republic, on 21 June 1999. On 30 June 1999, the National Monetary Council
(CMN) issued the Resolution 2,615, which defined the reference price index and inflation targets for
1999 and for the two years thereafter.
In Brazil, the inflation target is set in terms of the year-over-year rate of increase in the Broad
National Consumer Price Index (IPCA), one of the Brazilian CPIs. This index is calculated by the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The Brazilian regime considers a headline index
as reference, in line with most countries that adopt formal targets for inflation.
Most central banks use a short-term interest rate as the main instrument of policy. Likewise, the
Brazilian inflation targeting regime uses the Selic rate as the primary instrument of monetary policy.
The Selic rate is the average interest rate charged on the daily loans with a maturity of one day
(overnight) backed by government securities registered in the Special System for Settlement and
Custody (Selic), ie, the interest rate that balances the market for bank reserves. The Monetary Policy
Committee (Copom) sets the target for the Selic rate, and it is up to the open market desk operations
of the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) to keep the effective Selic rate close to the target.
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repo operations, accepting only government securities as collateral. These facilities have “zero” costs
and 100 bps over the policy rate, respectively.
Within the monetary policy operational framework, reserve requirements (RR) have also a role
for liquidity absorption. They represent an exogenous factor in determining the setup of liquidity
absorption OMO. Currently, the RR framework consist of three different types, according to types of
financial institutions liabilities. They aim not only at contributing to sterilisation of bank reserves, but
also at keeping liquidity buffers for financial stability reasons.
RR on demand deposits have an objective of creating a demand for bank reserves to assure
adequate functioning of the money market and of the Brazilian Payment System. It has also a role in
monetary policy by limiting the multiplier effect on commercial bank money. RR on demand deposits
are met through the average of balances within a two-week maintenance period and reserve balances
are not remunerated.
RR on time deposits have the objectives of keeping liquidity buffers that can be used in liquidity
shortage situations, and of absorbing liquidity as a secondary instrument. They have neutral effect
on market rates, once they are remunerated at the policy rate (Selic). RR on savings deposits work as
a liquidity buffer that aids the management of assets and liabilities related to earmarked credit (real
estate lending and rural credit) in the financial system. They are remunerated at same rates as those
of savings deposits. Both remunerated required reserves are kept in different accounts at BCB, that
can be drawn, without cost, for intraday usage.
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3. Canada
Institutional framework
The Bank of Canada Act 1 establishes that the principal role of the Bank of Canada (BoC) is “to promote
the economic and financial welfare of Canada”. To achieve this mandate, the BoC has four main areas
of responsibility, which are: Monetary Policy, Financial System, Currency and Funds Management.
The objective of monetary policy in Canada is to preserve the value of money by keeping inflation
low, stable and predictable. The main tools in Canada’s monetary policy framework are the inflation-
control target and the flexible exchange rate. In 2016, the Government of Canada and the BoC
renewed Canada’s inflation-control target for a further five-year period, ending December 31, 2021
and will aim to keep inflation 2 at 2 per cent, with a control range of 1 to 3 per cent. The BoC’s
Governing Council is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of monetary policy.
The inflation-control target guides the BoC’s decisions on the appropriate setting for the policy
interest rate, which is aimed at maintaining a stable price environment over the medium term, The
BoC announces its policy rate settings on 8 fixed announcement dates 3 throughout the year.
Canada’s flexible exchange rate, or floating dollar, permits the BoC to pursue an independent
monetary policy that is best suited to Canada’s economic circumstances and is focused on achieving
the inflation target.
The Bank of Canada implements monetary policy by influencing short-term interest rates. It does this
by setting the target for the overnight rate (often referred to as the policy rate), which determines
the rates at which banks and other financial system participants borrow and lend at the shortest end
of the yield curve. The level of the overnight interest rate and expectations about its future path, also
influences other longer-term interest rates, as well as a broader range of asset prices. Key features of
the BoC’s framework that function together to help achieve the targeted policy rate are as follows:
1. Target for the overnight rate: the key policy interest rate that the BoC sets to meet its monetary
policy objectives, which serves as a signal to major participants in the money markets as to what
rate the BoC is aiming for participants to lend/borrow money in the overnight market;
2. Operating band and standing deposit/liquidity facilities: a 50 basis point interest rate
corridor around the BoC’s target for the overnight rate that steers market participants to
lend/borrow money in the overnight market near the target rate, with the BoC lending money
at the top of the band (at target plus 25 basis points) or taking deposits at the bottom of the
band (at target minus 25 basis points) through its standing facilities;
3. Settlement Balances or Cash Setting: the amount of excess or deficit deposits supplied to
Large Value Transfer System (LVTS) participants on a daily basis to reinforce the target rate;
4. Open market operations: open market Overnight Repo (OR) / Overnight Reverse Repo (ORR)
reverse repo transactions that are conducted to reinforce the target overnight rate.
For the overnight target rate, the Bank of Canada targets the rate on collateralised, market-based
overnight transactions. The BoC uses the general collateral (GC) repo rate as its guide to conditions
1
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/B-2/.
2
Measured by the total consumer price index (CPI).
3
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/core-functions/monetary-policy/key-interest-rate/.
4
For additional detail see https://www.bankofcanada.ca/markets/market-operations-liquidity-provision/framework-
market-operations-liquidity-provision/.
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in the overnight market to signal to major participants in money markets the level that the BoC would
like to see them borrow and lend funds for a term of one business day. It is the primary and most
transparent collateralised overnight rate in Canada and is actively traded in the over-the-counter
repo market and via the inter-dealer brokers. The BoC monitors transactions in the overnight market
to determine whether open market operations are required to reinforce the target for the overnight
rate.
The Bank of Canada’s implementation of monetary policy is closely linked to Canada’s main
payment system – the LVTS, whereby almost all payments (measured by value) flow through. One
key feature of the BoC’s framework is the operating band, otherwise known as the interest rate
corridor, which is supported by standing deposit and lending facilities. The BoC’s target for the
overnight rate is the midpoint of this 50 basis point band, which is bound by the BoC’s standing
facilities available to direct members in the LVTS. This encourages transactions for overnight funds in
the market at rates within the band. If no excess balances are left in the system, the aggregate
position of all LVTS members in their settlement accounts at the BoC will, at the end of the day, be
zero. As such, members with a deficit/positive balance are aware that an offsetting positive/deficit
position exists with one or more other members. Positive balances are remunerated at target rate
minus 25 bps (known as the Deposit Rate), while members with a deficit position must take an
overnight collateralised advance from the BoC at the target rate plus 25 bps (known as the Bank
Rate).
Another key feature of the Bank of Canada’s framework is the ability to adjust the level of the
settlement balances available in the system to address frictions in the payments system and to further
support trading at the target for the overnight rate. However, unexpected payment frictions in the
market can sometimes cause the overnight rate to move away from the BoC’s target rate during the
day. In cases where the BoC judges that the deviation is a result of generalised pressure on liquidity,
it can offset this pressure by adding or withdrawing liquidity with open market operations. Changing
the level of settlement balances to reinforce the target rate has been an effective policy tool for
implementing monetary policy. In the early 2000s, soon after the introduction of the LVTS, settlement
balances were actively used to influence the overnight rate. In subsequent years, the targeted level
of settlement balances has been adjusted in anticipation of seasonal or temporary upward pressure
on the overnight rate, for example around quarter-ends. Increasing settlement balances provides a
strong incentive for market players to lend their cash earlier in the day, thus putting downward
pressure on the overnight rate.
The last key feature of the Bank of Canada’s framework is the ability to reinforce the target for
the overnight rate throughout the day by conducting open market operations at the target rate.
When the conditions in the Canadian general collateral overnight repo market so warrant, the BoC
may intervene and inject intraday liquidity through repurchase agreements (OR operations), or
withdraw intraday liquidity through reverse repurchase agreements (ORR operations). These
operations are conducted through a competitive auction to channel funds to the counterparties that
need them most, and if necessary the BoC is prepared to enter into multiple rounds of open market
operations.
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4. China
Institutional framework
Article 3 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the People's Bank of China establishes that
"the objective of monetary policy is to maintain the stability of the value of the currency and thereby
promote economic growth.”
Article 2 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the People's Bank of China establishes
that “the People’s Bank of China shall, under the leadership of the State Council, formulate and
implement monetary policy”
Article 23 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the People's Bank of China establishes
that “to implement monetary policy, the People’s Bank of China may use the following monetary
policy instruments: (1) requiring banking financial institutions to place deposit reserves at a
prescribed ratio; (2) deciding on the benchmark interest rates of the central bank; (3) providing
discount services to banking financial institutions that have opened accounts in the People’s Bank of
China; (4) providing loans to commercial banks; (5) purchasing and selling central government bonds
and other government securities, financial bonds, and foreign exchange on the open market; and
(6) other monetary policy instruments decided by the State Council”.
First, a series of monetary-policy instruments, including Open Market Operation (OMO), Required
Reserve Ratio (RRR), Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF), and Standing Lending Facility (SLF)
etc are employed to manage liquidity in the banking system.
With recent reform, the PBC established a new RRR framework featuring “three tranches of
reserve requirements and two additional preferential treatments” to guide small and medium-
sized banks to provide services to local enterprises and to the real economy. “Three tranches” refer
to three levels of the RRR based on the systemic importance, the institution type, and service
positioning of the financial institutions. The first tranche applies to large banks to reflect the
requirements to prevent systemic risks and maintain financial stability. The second tranche, whose
RRR is slightly lower, applies to medium-sized banks, including joint-stock commercial banks and city
commercial banks. The third tranche applies to small banks, which include rural credit cooperatives,
rural cooperative banks, village banks and rural commercial banks operating and providing services
to counties. “Two additional preferential treatments” refer to two preferential policies based on
the three-tranches. First, first and second tranche banks that have met the evaluation criteria for the
targeted RRR cuts for inclusive finance will be eligible for further RRR cuts of 0.5 percentage point or
1.5 percentage points. Second, for banks that operate and provide services to counties, when their
local lending accounts for a certain proportion of the increment in their deposits, they will be eligible
for a further RRR cut of 1 percentage point. And besides, the PBC also adjusted the criteria for
assessing inclusive Micro and Small Businesses (MSBs) loans to expand coverage of the preferential
policy on targeted reserve requirement ratio cuts for inclusive financing.
Second, the PBC established a preliminary policy interest-rate system including short-term policy
rate which is OMO rate, mid-term policy rate which is MLF rate, and interest rate corridor, the ceiling
of the corridor is SLF rate, and the bottom of the corridor is excessive reserve rate.
With recent reform, the PBC worked to improve the LPR formation mechanism among
commercial banks and to have the LPR play a guiding role in the formation of real interest rates so
as to improve the market-based interest-rate formation and transmission mechanism, which
smoothed the transmission of policy rates to market rates and promoted a reduction in the real
interest rates for the financing of enterprises. The quote is formed by adding a few basis points to
the interest rate of open market operations, which mainly refers to the rate of Medium-term Lending
Facility, or MLF, with a maturity of one year in most cases. In addition to the previous one-year
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maturity. The LPR will also cover the maturity longer than five years, which will serve as the pricing
reference for bank’s long-term loans such as housing mortgage, and facilitate a steady transition of
outstanding long-term loan contracts with floating rates to the ones adopting LPR in the future.
Third, the PBC leverages targeted RRR reductions, central-bank lending, rediscounts,
Pledged Supplementary Lending (PSL), Targeted MLF (TMLF) etc. to guide financial institutions
to increase support for the key sectors and weak areas in the economy, such as MSBs and private
firms.
Fourth, the PBC enhanced macro-prudential management and gave full play to the role of the
macro-prudential assessment (MPA) in counter-cyclical adjustments and structural guidance.
Fifth, the exchange-rate regime reform has achieved great progress. The flexibility of exchange
rate of RMB has been obviously increased, which is mainly driven by market forces. The RMB
exchange rate fluctuated in both ways based on market supply and demand in reference to a basket
of currencies and it was basically stable at a reasonable and equilibrium level.
Sixth, the PBC paid great attention to enhance the communication with public through a variety
of channels, like press conferences, monetary policy reports, statements on PBC website, newspaper
and official account of some popular social media, for example, Wechat and Weibo.
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5. Eurosystem
Institutional framework
The primary objective of the Eurosystem is to maintain price stability. The Eurosystem, which consists
of the ECB and the National Central Banks (NCBs) of the countries which have adopted the euro,
defines and implements monetary policy for the euro area according to this objective. In 2003, the
Governing Council of the ECB clarified that, in the pursuit of price stability it aims to maintain inflation
rates below, but close to, 2% over the medium term.
To implement the decisions made by the Governing Council of the ECB on monetary policy in
the euro area, the Eurosystem uses a range of instruments and procedures under its monetary policy
implementation framework through which it steers very short term market rates close to its policy
rates, the former being considered as the operational target of the monetary policy (as opposed to
the ultimate target of price stability).
Under its operational framework, the Eurosystem conducts open market operations, offers standing
facilities and requires credit institutions to hold minimum reserves on accounts with the NCBs. The
operations are executed under uniform terms and conditions in all Member States whose currency is
the euro. The actual implementation of the single monetary policy is made in a decentralised manner
and conducted by the euro area NCBs
The monetary policy framework allows for the participation of a broad range of counterparties
under uniform eligibility criteria specified by the Eurosystem to ensure equal treatment across the
euro area. Credit institutions are eligible as Eurosystem counterparties if they fulfil the following
criteria. They must be: i) located in the euro area (subsidiary or branch) and subject to minimum
reserve requirements; ii) subject to harmonised EU/EEA-supervision or comparable third country
regime; iii) financially sound; and iv) fulfil the operational criteria. Eligible counterparties may access
the Eurosystem's standing facilities and participate in Eurosystem open market operations which are
based on standard tenders. Currently, there are around 2,050 eligible counterparties with access to
standing facilities and about 1,800 with access to open market operations. As a rule, NCBs conduct
the single monetary policy only with counterparties located or domiciled within their respective
countries.
The Eurosystem uses open market operations for steering interest rates, managing the liquidity
situation in the market and signalling the stance of monetary policy, using either liquidity providing
or absorbing operations. These operations can be divided into four categories: (a) main refinancing
operations (MROs) which are usually weekly reverse repo transactions; (b) longer-term refinancing
operations (LTROs) which are offered every month with a 3-month maturity to provide longer-term
refinancing to the banking sector; (c) fine-tuning operations which may be used to fine-tune the
amount of liquidity on the last day of the maintenance period but also to deal with liquidity
fluctuations in the market; and (d) structural operations. Structural operations, by means of reverse
transactions, the issuance of ECB debt certificates or outright transactions 5, may be carried out
whenever the structural position of the Eurosystem needs to be adjusted with regard to the financial
sector but have never been implemented.
The standing facilities consist of the marginal lending facility (MLF) and the deposit facility (DF).
Eligible counterparties may use the MLF to obtain overnight liquidity from the Eurosystem through
a reverse transaction with their home NCB at the rate for the MLF using eligible assets as collateral.
There is no limit on the amount of liquidity that may be provided under the MLF, subject to eligible
5
For outright transactions, no a priori restrictions are placed on the range of counterparties.
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collateral availability. A negative balance on a counterparty's settlement account at the end of a
business day is automatically considered as a request for recourse to the MLF. Counterparties may
use the DF to make overnight deposits with the Eurosystem through the home NCB, to which the DF
rate shall be applied. As in the case of the MLF, there is no limit on the amount a counterparty can
deposit under the DF. The interest rates on the two facilities form an interest rate corridor for short-
term money market rates among eligible counterparties and, together with the rate applied to MROs,
signal the general stance of monetary policy.
The minimum reserve system pursues the aims of stabilising money market interest rates and
potentially creating (or enlarging) a structural liquidity shortage. All credit institutions are subject to
minimum reserve requirements (unless individual exemptions are provided on a case by case basis).
The Eurosystem's minimum reserve system enables institutions to make use of averaging provisions,
implying that compliance with reserve requirements is determined on the basis of the average of the
end-of-calendar-day balances on the counterparties' reserve accounts over a maintenance period
(around six to seven weeks). The reserve ratio, currently at 1%, is applied to banks’ short-term
liabilities (mainly deposits up to 2 years) and the remunerated reserves (at the MRO rate) are to be
held on current accounts with the counterparties’ home central bank.
Pursuant to Article 18.1 of the Statute of the ESCB, all Eurosystem credit operations (ie liquidity-
providing monetary policy operations and intraday credit) are conducted against adequate collateral
aimed at protecting the Eurosystem against financial losses in case of default of a counterparty. To
ensure a smooth implementation of its monetary policy the Eurosystem accepts as collateral a wide
range of marketable debt instruments and non-marketable assets. Eligible assets can be used across
all credit operations as long as they fulfil transparent, uniform eligibility criteria specified by the
Eurosystem. These are mainly based on the classification of the asset, credit quality, listing market,
the type of issuer, country of residence or incorporation and the currency of denomination. There are
currently around 25,000 marketable assets eligible as collateral, which are published in the list of
eligible marketable assets (C2D/EA).
Every eligible collateral is subject to specific risk control measures (primarily haircuts) that are
calibrated for different asset classes to ensure compliance with the risk tolerance defined by the
Eurosystem in a neutral fashion.
Due to the inherent flexibility in the monetary policy implementation, the Governing Council of
the ECB may, at any time, change the instruments, conditions, criteria and procedures for the
execution of Eurosystem operations.
In response to the banking, financial and sovereign debt crisis, and the ensuing macroeconomic
impact and risks for price stability, the ECB Governing Council has taken a series of non-standard
monetary policy measures. As part of the non-standard measures, MROs and LTROs are currently
being conducted as fixed rate tender procedures with full allotment (FRFA). The maturity of additional
LTROs has been extended to up to 3 years, the minimum reserve requirements have been lowered,
the collateral framework has (temporarily) been expanded, foreign currency liquidity has been offered
and securities lending programmes were set up.
Moreover, since 2009, the Governing Council of the ECB has adopted several asset purchase
programmes with the aim to support the functioning of the transmission mechanism. Additionally,
since 2014, it has carried out large-scale outright purchases in the context of the Asset Purchase
Programme (APP) 6, as well as targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs), with the aim of
safeguarding price stability and further enhancing the transmission of monetary policy. With these
6
The APP consists of the third covered bond, the asset-backed securities, the public sector and the corporate sector
purchase programmes. Via broad-based purchases and smooth and flexible implementation, the Eurosystem adheres to
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tools the Eurosystem seeks to fulfil its mandate through intermediary objectives going beyond the
steering of the short term money market. In the current environment of large excess liquidity very
short term interest rates are anchored to the lower bound of the corridor.
To support the bank-based transmission of monetary policy, while preserving the positive
contribution of negative rates to the accommodative stance of monetary policy, the Eurosystem
introduced a two-tier system for reserve remuneration, which exempts part of credit institutions’
excess liquidity holdings (ie reserve holdings in excess of minimum reserve requirements) from
negative remuneration.
Finally, the ECB has also provided forward guidance on the future path of the ECB’s interest rate
policy conditional on the outlook for price stability.
the principle of market neutrality. As regards the public sector purchase programmes, 80% of the asset purchases are not
subject to risk-sharing.
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6. Hong Kong SAR
Institutional framework
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
provides that the monetary and financial systems of Hong Kong shall be prescribed by law and the
Government of Hong Kong shall, on its own, formulate monetary and financial policies.
The Financial Secretary shall be responsible for determining the monetary policy objective and
the structure of the monetary system of Hong Kong. The Monetary Authority, who is the Chief
Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), shall on his/her own be responsible for
achieving the monetary policy objective, including determining the strategy, instrument and
operational means for doing so, and for maintaining the stability and integrity of the monetary
system of Hong Kong.
The monetary policy objective of Hong Kong shall be currency stability, defined as a stable
external exchange value of the currency of Hong Kong, in terms of its exchange rate in the
foreign exchange market against the US dollar, at around HKD 7.80 to USD 1. The Exchange
Fund Ordinance establishes the Exchange Fund under the control of the Financial Secretary. The Fund
shall be used primarily for affecting the exchange value of the Hong Kong dollar.
The structure of the monetary system, which is called the Linked Exchange Rate System (LERS),
shall be characterised by Currency Board arrangements, requiring the Hong Kong dollar monetary
base to be at least 100 per cent backed by, and changes in it to be 100 per cent matched by
corresponding changes in, US dollar reserves held in the Exchange Fund at the fixed exchange rate
of HKD 7.80 to USD 1.
The Monetary Base comprises: 1) Certificates of Indebtedness issued by the Financial Secretary,
which provide full backing to the banknotes issued by the note-issuing banks in Hong Kong
2) Government-issued notes and coins in circulation 3) The Aggregate Balance, which is the sum
of banks’ clearing account balances kept with the HKMA 4) Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued
by the HKMA on behalf of the Government.
A specific portion of the Exchange Fund assets has been allocated to back the Monetary Base.
Under the LERS, while specific Exchange Fund assets have been designated for backing the Monetary
Base, all Exchange Fund assets are available to support the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate. The
stability of the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate is maintained through an automatic interest rate
adjustment mechanism and the firm commitment by the HKMA to honour the Convertibility
Undertakings (CUs).
When the demand for Hong Kong dollars is greater (or smaller) than the supply and the
market exchange rate strengthens (or weakens) to the strong-side (or weak-side) CU of HKD 7.75
(or HKD 7.85) to USD 1, the HKMA stands ready to sell (or buy) Hong Kong dollars to (or from) banks
for US dollars. The Aggregate Balance will then expand (or contract) to push down (or up) Hong Kong
dollar interest rates, creating monetary conditions that move the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate
away from the strong-side (or weak-side) limit to within the Convertibility Zone of HKD 7.75–7.85.
There are settlement facilities (Intraday Repo and Discount Window) through which banks can
borrow Hong Kong dollar funds intraday or overnight from the HKMA through repurchase
agreements using Exchange Fund Bills and Notes, which are fully backed by US dollar reserves, as
collateral.
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7. India
Institutional framework
The RBI Act, 1934 provides the legislative mandate to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate a
modern monetary policy framework and it has adopted flexible inflation targeting (FIT) as the
framework of monetary policy. The primary objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability
while keeping in mind the objective of growth. The Government of India, in consultation with RBI,
has set the inflation target in terms of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), for five years (from August
2016 to March 2021).
To achieve the objectives of monetary policy, the RBI uses an interest rate framework with the
overnight call money market rate, measured by the weighted average call money rate (WACR), as the
operating target. A Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), with the Governor of the RBI as its
chairperson, determines the policy rate, ie, the repo rate required to achieve the mandated inflation
target. The RBI endeavours to anchor the operating target, ie, WACR, to the policy repo rate through
the instruments available under monetary policy implementation framework.
A bi-annual Monetary Policy Report (MPR) is issued by the RBI, elucidating the macroeconomic
framework, analysis of developments along with forecasts of inflation and output, liquidity conditions
and financial market developments along with global environment and outlook.
The monetary policy framework aims at setting the policy repo rate at an appropriate level to achieve
the monetary policy objectives based on an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic
situation. Once the repo rate is announced, the operating framework envisages modulation of
liquidity conditions on a day-to-day basis, aimed at anchoring the WACR to the policy repo rate.
Within its implementation framework, the RBI undertakes Open Market Operations in both forms, ie,
repurchase operations under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) as well as outright sale and purchase
of eligible securities, offers standing facilities and requires banks to hold minimum reserves in their
current accounts with it.
The current minimum reserve requirement has been set at 4 per cent of the net demand and
time liabilities (NDTL) of banks and the reserves are held in the form of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by
banks in their current account with the RBI. These reserves are not remunerated. RBI allows limited
averaging of reserves within the maintenance period, ie, a fortnight, to allow banks to absorb liquidity
shocks at their discretion and to help in stabilising short-term interest rates in the money markets.
All the liquidity management operations of the RBI are collateralised by the eligible collateral
notified by the RBI from time to time. Under the LAF, the Reserve Bank conducts daily fixed rate
overnight repo and reverse-repo operation. The interest rate for the daily overnight fixed-rate repo
operation is the policy rate set by the MPC. The interest rate on the daily overnight fixed-rate reverse-
repo operation sets the lower-end of the policy corridor (currently 25 bps below the repo-rate).
Reverse-repo is a standing facility for deposit of funds by the eligible entities with the RBI. In addition,
the RBI has provided standing lending facility viz, Marginal Standing Facility (MSF), which eligible
entities can access to meet their overnight reserve requirements arising out of unforeseen frictional
factors. The interest rate on the MSF sets the upper-end of the corridor (currently 25 bps above the
repo-rate). Thus, the MSF together with the fixed-rate reverse-repo rate constitute the corridor for
overnight money market rates. To further strengthen the operating framework, a Standing Deposit
Facility (SDF) has been notified but this is yet to be operationalised. The RBI also conducts 14-day
variable-rate repo operations twice a week to supply reserves covering the whole reserve
maintenance period. Apart from the daily fixed-rate operations and the twice-weekly 14-day variable
rate repo auction, the RBI conducts variable-rate repo and reverse-repo auctions of varying tenors,
as and when needed, to steer liquidity conditions consistent with the monetary policy objective.
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Outright Open Market Operations (OMOs) and long-term FX swap auctions are conducted for
supplying/withdrawing liquidity for longer duration.
The operating framework is fine-tuned and revised as and when required to achieve the
monetary policy objectives.
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8. Japan
Institutional framework
The Bank of Japan Act states that the Bank's monetary policy should be "aimed at achieving price
stability, thereby contributing to the sound development of the national economy". The Bank
set the "price stability target" at 2 percent in terms of the year-on-year rate of change in the consumer
price index (CPI) in January 2013, and has made a commitment to achieving this target at the earliest
possible time.
The basic stance for monetary policy is decided by the Policy Board at Monetary Policy Meetings
(MPMs). At MPMs, the Policy Board discusses the economic and financial situation, decides the
guideline for market operations and the Bank's monetary policy stance for the immediate future, and
announces decisions immediately after the meeting concerned. Based on the guideline, the Bank sets
the amount of daily market operations and chooses types of operational instruments, and provides
and absorbs funds in the market.
The current policy framework, Quantitative and Qualitative Monetary Easing (QQE) with
Yield Curve Control, consists of two major components: the first is "yield curve control" in which the
Bank controls short-term and long-term interest rates through market operations; and the
second is an "inflation-overshooting commitment" in which the Bank commits itself to expanding
the monetary base until the year-on-year rate of increase in the observed consumer price index
exceeds the price stability target of 2 percent and stays above the target in a stable manner.
For policy implementation, the bank conducts the following measures in market operations.
The Bank adopts a three-tier system in which the outstanding balance of each financial
institution's current account at the Bank is divided into three tiers, to which a positive interest rate
(the basic balance), a zero interest rate (the macro add-on balance), or a negative interest rate is
applied (the policy-rate balance), respectively. The interest rate applied to the policy-rate balance is
regarded as the "short-term policy interest rate" and its level is to be decided at every MPM. The
three-tier system encourages arbitrage trading at negative interest rates in money markets. Financial
institutions have an incentive to ensure profit margins (reduce their policy-rate balances) by
borrowing (lending) cash at interest rates that are lower (higher) than those applied according to
their current account balances at the Bank and depositing funds in their current accounts at the Bank
(supplying funds from their current accounts). The Bank reviews the "Benchmark Ratio Used to
Calculate the Macro Add-on Balance" once every three months in principle to adjust the macro
add-on balance and thereby the policy-rate balance to the appropriate levels.
The Bank offers outright purchases of T-Bills. The Bank decides the purchase size per auction
considering the effects on financial markets.
The Bank purchases JGBs so that 10-year JGB yields would remain at around the “operating
target for the long-term interest rate”. While purchasing JGBs, the yields may move upward and
downward to some extent mainly depending on developments in economic activity and prices. With
regard to the amount of JGBs to be purchased, the Bank conducts purchases in a flexible manner so
that their amount outstanding will increase at an annual pace determined at the MPMs. In situations
involving a rapid increase in the yields, the Bank would purchase JGBs promptly and appropriately.
The Bank purchases ETFs and J-REITs so that the amounts outstanding of its holdings will
increase at annual paces in accordance with the guidelines decided at the MPMs. With a view to
lowering risk premia of asset prices in an appropriate manner, the Bank may increase or decrease the
amounts of purchases depending on market conditions.
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The Bank purchases other assets, including CP and corporate bonds, in accordance with the
guidelines for asset purchases decided at the MPMs. Also, the Bank conducts other operations,
including the funds-supplying operations against pooled collateral, growth-supporting funding
facility, stimulating bank lending facility, funds-supplying operation to support financial institutions
in disaster areas, funds-supplying operation to support financial institutions in disaster areas of the
2016 Kumamoto earthquake, securities lending facility, US dollar funds-supplying operations,
securities lending to provide JGSs as collateral for the US dollar funds-supplying, and the
complementary lending facility.
Under QQE with Yield Curve Control, the Bank carefully examines the developments and
functioning of financial markets as well as the impact of the Bank's operations on financial markets.
Also, with a view to further deepening dialogue with market participants, the Bank conducts daily
market monitoring and various market surveys and holds various meetings with market participants.
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9. Korea, Republic of
Institutional framework
The Bank of Korea Act stipulates the goal of monetary policy as follows: “The Bank shall
contribute to the sound development of the national economy through ensuring price
stability, while giving due consideration to financial stability in carrying out its monetary
policy.
The Bank of Korea maintains a flexible inflation targeting system to effectively achieve price
stability, which is the primary objective of monetary policy. The inflation target is currently set at 2.0%
in terms of consumer price inflation (year-on-year). In ensuring price stability over the medium-term,
the Bank pays careful attention to the impact of monetary policy on financial stability.
The Monetary Policy Board, the supreme policy-setting body of the Bank of Korea, deliberates
and decides Korean monetary policy at the highest level. The Monetary Policy Board is made up of
seven members, including the Governor and the Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea. The
decisions made at its meetings are adopted through a simple majority with at least five members in
attendance, unless otherwise specified. The meetings to determine the direction of monetary policy,
mainly setting the Base Rate, are hosted eight times a year. After the meeting, a press release is made
available and the Governor of the Bank of Korea holds a press conference to explain the details of
and the background to the decision. The minutes detailing the discussions during the meeting are
made public after two weeks.
The Bank of Korea adopts an interest rate-oriented monetary policy operation. Thus, the Bank
determines its policy rate, the Bank of Korea Base Rate, and maintains the overnight call rate closely
aligned with the policy rate using its policy instruments. The Base Rate is the reference rate applied
in transactions such as RPs between the Bank of Korea and its financial institution counterparts,
functioning both as the fixed rate for its sales of securities to absorb excess liquidity and as the
minimum tender rate for its purchases to provide liquidity. The Bank uses open market operations,
lending and deposit facilities, and a reserve requirement system as policy instruments.
The Bank of Korea predicts the supply of reserves, compares it with the demand for reserves,
and calculates the amount of reserve surplus or deficit. If a deficit is expected, the Bank of Korea will
inject liquidity, and if a surplus is expected, it will absorb liquidity. In this way, it conducts open
market operations so that call rates do not deviate significantly from the Base Rate. The main
instruments of open market operations include the issuance of Monetary Stabilisation Bonds (MSBs),
transactions of securities, and deposits with the Monetary Stabilisation Account (MSA). MSBs have
relatively long maturities. Thus, they are used as a major structural adjustment tool with long-lasting
policy effects. Securities transactions are used to supply or withdraw funds by buying or selling
government and public bonds. Eligible securities are confined to government bonds, government-
guaranteed bonds, MSBs, and mortgage backed securities (MBSs) issued by the Korea Housing-
Finance Corporation. However, if necessary, certain bonds specified by the Monetary Policy Board
can be included. While securities transactions consist of outright transactions and RP transactions,
most of them are RP transactions. The longest RP maturity is 91 days, but the majority of RP
transactions involve seven-day RPs. The MSA, a term-based deposit facility, is one of the open market
operation instruments that the Bank of Korea uses to control short-term liquidity.
Currently, the lending and deposit facilities at the Bank of Korea that are available to financial
institutions consist of Liquidity Adjustment Loans and Deposits, the Bank Intermediated Lending
Support Facility, Intraday Overdrafts, and Special Loans. Liquidity Adjustment Loans and Deposits,
which are standing facilities, constrain excessive volatility of money market interest rates by enabling
financial institutions to borrow shortage funds from the central bank or to deposit surplus funds at
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an interest rate level within a certain margin above or below the Base Rate. Interest rates applied to
those facilities are the Bank of Korea Base Rate±100bp. Liquidity Adjustment Loans and Deposits
carry overnight maturities. The Bank Intermediated Lending Support Facility is a lending system
operated by the Bank of Korea to support financial institutions’ lending to SMEs. The Bank of Korea
provides low-interest rate funds, within certain ceilings, to financial institutions based on their
performance in extending loans to SMEs. The interest rates for these programs are usually lower than
the Base Rate and their maturities are one month. Intraday Overdrafts are facilities to extend financial
support to banks experiencing transient shortages of settlement funds in the course of a day. They
should be redeemed before the close of business that day. Special loans are those that the Bank of
Korea extends as the lender of last resort in order to secure financial market stability, after obtaining
special approval from the Monetary Policy Board. Their rates and maturities are determined in each
case.
With regard to the reserve requirement system, the Bank of Korea Act stipulates that financial
institutions hold a certain ratio of their liabilities subject to reserve requirements in their accounts
with the central bank. The reserve requirement ratio on time deposits, time installment deposits,
mutual installment savings for non-payment accounts, installments for home buying, and CDs is 2%,
and that on other deposits is 7%. The reserve calculation period is from the first day to the last day
of every month, and the reserve maintenance period is from the Thursday of the second week of the
following month to the Wednesday of the second week of the month after the following month. In
principle, no interest payments are made on reserve deposits with the central bank. However, if
necessary, reserve deposits can be remunerated, as determined by the Monetary Policy Board.
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10. Mexico
Institutional framework
The Mexican Constitution determines, in Article 28, that the State “shall have a Central Bank, whose
primary objective shall be to attain the stability of the purchasing power of the national currency”.
Moreover, Bank of Mexico’s Law establishes that “ Bank of Mexico’s purpose shall be to provide the
country’s economy with domestic currency. In pursuing this purpose, its primary objective shall be to
seek the stability of the purchasing power of said currency.” However, the Law also gives the Bank of
Mexico additional objectives, such as “promoting the sound development of the financial system and
fostering the proper functioning of payment systems.”
The same Law establishes that the Board of Governors has, among its attributions, “the power
to establish the Bank’s operational policies and guidelines and determine the characteristics of those
transactions”. Therefore, the Board of Governors is the solely responsible for the decision
making process related to monetary policy.
The key policy rate in Mexico is determined as the Overnight Interbank Funding Rate, which
has been used since 21 January 2008. On a daily basis, the Bank of Mexico provides or withdraws
liquidity to the system through Open Market Operations performed by the Domestic Operations
Department, in order to guarantee that short-term rates remain near the target rate. The amount of
daily interventions is determined based on the variations of autonomous factors, aiming for a daily
balance of zero in the banks aggregate accounts within the Bank of Mexico at the end of each day.
Every day, the Bank of Mexico executes short-term Open Market Operations, through repos or
deposits, in order to manage the liquidity in the system and provide money market participants with
certainty regarding their liquidity needs, assuring that the Bank will satisfy their demand. This
credibility contributes to provide stability in money markets, leading market participants to engage
in funding operations at a similar rate to the target rate.
In addition, whenever the Bank of Mexico needs to sterilise liquidity for longer periods of time,
it also uses medium or long-term Open Market Operations through outright sell or exchange
auctions of government securities such as FRNs and zero-coupon bonds. These operations are carried
either through scheduled weekly auctions or in the form of extraordinary auctions 7. Furthermore, the
Bank of Mexico has other available instruments in its toolkit, such as Monetary Regulation Deposits
(MRDs). MRDs are set indefinitely for a fixed amount based on a percentage of banks´ liabilities at a
determined point in time. In particular, a percentage of MRDs can be held in the form of debt
instruments called Monetary Regulation Bonds (BREMS R) issued by the Bank of Mexico. These
securities are non-negotiable in secondary markets and can only be used as repo collateral with the
Central Bank and/or with commercial and development banks.
Finally, the Bank of Mexico also has other instruments within its operational framework, such as
standing facilities (lending and deposit) to satisfy end of day needs from banks. The lending facility
provides the required overnight funds to banks that ask for end-of-day liquidity; however, the use of
this facility is penalised with by charging twice the target rate (and in a symmetric way, deposits
constituted within the Central Bank are remunerated at zero). The reason behind the width of the
aforementioned corridor is to create conditions that incentivise market participants to compensate
liquidity excesses or shortages between themselves, and not with the Bank of Mexico.
7
Legal support for these operations stems from Articles 7 and 9 of the Law that governs the Bank of Mexico. The Bank of
Mexico is prohibited by law from financing the government. A mechanism was designed that allows the Central Bank to
use government securities without acting as its lender.
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11. Singapore
Institutional framework 8
The primary objective of Singapore’s monetary policy is price stability for sustainable
economic growth. Since 1981, Singapore’s monetary policy has been centred on the exchange rate.
This is because the exchange rate has a much stronger influence on inflation than the interest rate in
a small and open economy such as Singapore, where gross exports and imports of goods and services
are more than 300 percent of GDP, and almost 40 cents of every dollar spent domestically is on
imports.
MAS manages the Singapore dollar against a basket of currencies of Singapore’s major
trading partners, and maintains it within an undisclosed target band. When necessary, MAS
intervenes in the foreign exchange market to maintain the trade-weighted Singapore dollar exchange
rate, also known as the SGD nominal effective exchange rate (SDG NEER), within the policy band, to
ensure that it remains aligned with domestic price stability.
MAS’ monetary policy formulation is undertaken by the Economic Policy Group (EPG). The EPG
reviews monetary policy semi-annually (ie April and October), and recommends the appropriate level,
slope and width for the exchange rate policy band to ensure consistency with domestic price stability.
The review is approved by MAS’ Monetary and Investment Policy Meeting. After each review, a
Monetary Policy Statement is released, which provides information on the recent movements of the
exchange rate and explains the exchange rate policy stance. An accompanying report, the
Macroeconomic Review, provides detailed information on the assessment of macroeconomic
developments and trends in the Singapore economy, and is aimed at enhancing market and public
understanding of the monetary policy decision.
The Monetary and Domestic Markets Management Department (MDD) is responsible for monetary
policy implementation. This includes managing: (i) the exchange rate through intervention in foreign
exchange markets when necessary; and (ii) banking system liquidity through money market
operations and liquidity facilities.
Intervention operations
MAS conducts foreign exchange intervention operations involving the sale or purchase of USD
against the SGD to ensure that the SGD NEER is kept within the policy band, and is consistent
with domestic price stability. The SGD-USD intervention is the preferred operation since this is by
far the most liquid SGD currency pair traded.
Given Singapore’s open capital markets and the exchange rate-centred monetary policy, interest
rates in Singapore are largely determined by global interest rates and market expectations of the
SGD exchange rate. Accordingly, MAS’ liquidity management framework aims to ensure that
there is an appropriate amount of liquidity in the banking system to meet banks’ demand for
precautionary, reserve and settlement balances, and in the process moderate excessive interest
rate volatility.
8
More information on Singapore’s monetary policy can be found at:
https://www.mas.gov.sg/publications/monographs-or-information-paper/2013/monetary-policy-operations;
https://www.mas.gov.sg/monetary-policy/Singapores-Monetary-Policy-Framework/faqs.
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Banks in Singapore maintain cash balances in their current accounts with MAS, and are
required to maintain a Minimum Cash Balance (MCB) of 3% of their qualifying liabilities (two-
week average computed with a two-week lag) on a two-week-average basis. Over the course of
a business day, banks are allowed to utilise the full amount of their cash balances to settle payment
obligations. However, they are required to maintain cash balances of at least 2% of their qualifying
liabilities by the close of the business day. While the MCB requirement forms a base demand for cash
balances, the total demand for reserves could vary across periods as banks may hold excess cash
balances for other purposes such as settlement purposes.
MAS carries out money market operations every morning at about 9.45am. Money market
operations are carried out exclusively with Primary Dealers in recognition of their role as specialist
intermediaries in the Singapore Government Securities (SGS) and money markets. The instruments
used are: (i) direct borrowing; (ii) foreign exchange swaps; (iii) repurchase agreements (repos)
on SGS; and (iv) MAS Bills and 6-month Treasury Bills.
Liquidity facilities 9
MAS operates two liquidity facilities, the Intraday Liquidity Facility (ILF) and the Standing
Facility (SF). While MAS conducts daily money market operations to manage the liquidity of the
overall banking system, the liquidity facilities allow eligible financial institutions to fine-tune their
intra-day liquidity as necessary. These liquidity backstops reduce volatility in overnight interest rates,
and anchor market confidence that temporary shortfall in liquidity needs would be met.
The Intraday Liquidity Facility allows eligible counterparties 10 to obtain Singapore dollar funds
on an intraday basis through repo transactions using SGS and MAS Bills. The facility is open from
9am to 5pm.
The Standing Facility allows eligible counterparties 11 to borrow Singapore dollar funds on an
overnight and collateralised basis (from 5pm to 6.45pm), or deposit Singapore dollar funds on an
overnight basis (from 6.00pm to 6.45pm).
In extraordinary situations where financial institutions (FIs) come under liquidity stress, MAS is
empowered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore Act to provide loans or advances to FIs to
safeguard the stability of, or public confidence in, the financial system. MAS views ELA as the
provision of short-term backstop SGD liquidity to address idiosyncratic or system-wide
liquidity stress in extraordinary situations.
MAS expects to provide ELA to banks via two modes: (i) Market-wide ELA provision (this can take
the form of a liquidity facility with standardised terms of access to address a sudden and system-
wide seizing-up of funding markets); and (ii) Bespoke ELA provision (this relates to loans extended to
one or a few domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) facing institution-specific liquidity stress.
9
More information on MAS’ Liquidity Facilities can be found at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/monetary-policy/liquidity-facilities.
10
Definition of eligible counterparties can be found at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/monetary-policy/liquidity-facilities/mas-
intraday-liquidity-facility.
11
Definition of eligible counterparties can be found at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/monetary-policy/liquidity-facilities/mas-
standing-facility.
12
More information on Emergency Liquidity Assistance can be found at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/monetary-
policy/emergency-liquidity-assistance.
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12. Sweden
Institutional framework
According to the Sveriges Riksbank Act, the objective for monetary policy is "to maintain price
stability". The Riksbank has interpreted this objective to mean a low, stable rate of inflation. More
precisely, the Riksbank's target is to hold inflation in terms of the CPIF around 2 per cent a year. The
main monetary policy instrument is the policy rate – the repo rate – that the board of governors
decides normally 5 times a year.
The Riksbank has chosen to influence the shortest-term rate on loans between banks from one
business day and the next, known as the overnight rate. To steer the overnight rate, the Riksbank
uses standing facilities and carries out market operations with its monetary policy counterparties. The
purpose of this is to stabilise the overnight rate close to the level of the policy rate – the Riksbank’s
repo rate – as adopted by the Executive Board of the Riksbank.
Standing facilities
Only participants of the Riksbank’s payment system RIX who are also monetary policy counterparties
have access to the Riksbank’s standing facilities. By using standing facilities for deposits and loans
overnight, the Riksbank sets limits – an “interest rate corridor” – for the overnight rate, in which the
deposit rate forms the floor and the lending rate the ceiling in the corridor. The overnight interest
rate should lie inside the interest rate corridor because a monetary policy counterparty in need of
liquidity can always borrow from the Riksbank against collateral at the lending rate and a monetary
policy counterparty with surplus liquidity can deposit the surplus in the Riksbank at the deposit rate.
As there is a difference between the deposit and lending rates, counterparties have an incentive with
regard to intraday loans to agree on an interest rate that lies between the rates they would pay to or
receive from the Riksbank.
The pricing of the standing facilities is such that the deposit rate equals the Riksbank’s policy
rate minus 0.75 percentage points and the lending rate equals the policy rate plus 0.75 percentage
points. If the balance of a monetary policy counterparty’s account in RIX shows a deficit when the
payment system closes for the day, the counterparty will have to pay the lending rate on the balance
overnight (ie until the next business day). If the balance of a monetary policy counterparty’s account
shows a surplus when the payment system closes, the counterparty will earn the deposit rate on the
sum overnight. The sum that can be borrowed in the lending facility is limited by the adjusted value
of the collateral provided by the counterparty. There is no limit on how much a counterparty may
deposit in the deposit facility.
Market operations
It is important for the Riksbank’s ability to steer the overnight rate within the interest rate corridor so
that the liquidity of the banking system is in balance at the end of the day. To ensure that this is the
case, the Riksbank carries out regular market operations.
Since 2008, the banking system has had a liquidity surplus in relation to the Riksbank. Every week,
the Riksbank therefore offers Riksbank Certificates with one week’s maturity at the policy rate to
absorb this liquidity. The Riksbank’s monetary policy counterparties are thus given the opportunity
to invest in a risk-free security with short maturity. The volume of issues corresponds to the banking
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system’s liquidity surplus in relation to the Riksbank minus an amount deemed appropriate at each
issue. If demand for certificates is greater than the offered amount, allocation takes place on a pro
rata basis. If the banking system had had a liquidity deficit in relation to the Riksbank, the Riksbank
would instead have supplied liquidity via weekly monetary policy repos.
To stabilise the overnight rate close to the policy rate, the Riksbank offers a daily overnight deposit
facility at the policy rate minus 0.10 percentage points if there is a surplus and credit against collateral
at the policy rate plus 0.10 percentage points if there is a deficit. The Riksbank does not take in/loan
out an amount that is larger than the banking system’s total surplus/deficit. These fine-tuning
transactions are carried out every business day between 16.00 and 16.40. Allocation takes place on a
“first come, first served” basis, as long as there are funds left to lend or deposit.
The total volume that can be fine-tuned is announced just after 16.00 in RIX, after banknote and
coin clearing has taken place at 16.00. However, the last banknote and coin clearing does not occur
until 16.20 and can affect the volume that is to be fine-tuned. The clearing at both 16.00 and 16.20
only concerns flows in one direction, “banknotes in”, ie the monetary policy counterparties’ liquidity
positions vis-à-vis the Riksbank can only increase and not decrease. In recent years, flows at these
two times have virtually never occurred. The window for fine-tuning transactions closes at 16.40 and
RIX closes at 17.00.
To make monetary policy more expansionary and to ensure that the inflation target is reached the
Riksbank has bought Swedish government bonds since February 2015.
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13. Switzerland
Institutional framework
Article 99 of the Federal Constitution entrusts the Swiss National Bank (SNB), as an independent
central bank, with the conduct of monetary policy in the interests of the country as a whole. The
mandate is explained in detail in the National Bank Act (art. 5 para. 1), which requires the SNB to
ensure price stability and, in so doing, to take due account of economic developments.
The SNB's monetary policy strategy sets out how the SNB implements its monetary policy
mandate. It consists of three elements: a definition of price stability, a medium-term inflation forecast,
and the SNB policy rate.
The SNB implements its monetary policy by steering the interest rate level on the money market.
In so doing, it seeks to keep the secured short-term money market rates close to the SNB policy
rate. In this regard, the SNB focuses on SARON (Swiss Average Rate Overnight) – a secured, overnight
market rate, which is the most representative of the short-term Swiss franc rates.
The SNB can influence money market rates by means of its open market operations or adjust
the interest rate on sight deposits held by banks and other financial market participants at the SNB.
In order to influence monetary conditions, the SNB can also intervene in the foreign exchange
market.
The SNB distinguishes between open market operations and standing facilities. In the case of the
former, the SNB takes the initiative in the transaction, whereas the initiative comes from the eligible
counterparties in the case of standing facilities.
Open market operations include repo transactions, the issuance of SNB Bills, as well as the
purchase and sale of SNB Bills in the secondary market. The SNB can carry out open market
operations in the form of auctions or bilateral transactions. The auctions are conducted either by
volume tender or by variable rate tender.
Standing facilities include the liquidity-shortage financing facility and the intraday facility. As
far as the standing facilities are concerned, the SNB merely sets the conditions at which
counterparties can obtain liquidity.
In principle, all banks domiciled in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein are admissible
as counterparties in monetary policy operations. Other domestic financial market participants
such as insurance companies, as well as banks headquartered abroad, may be admitted, provided
there is a monetary policy interest in doing so and they contribute to liquidity on the secured Swiss
franc money market.
In order to fulfil its monetary policy mandate, the SNB can also purchase and sell foreign currency
against Swiss francs on the financial markets. Most foreign exchange transactions conducted by
the SNB are either spot or swap transactions. The SNB concludes foreign exchange transactions with
a wide range of domestic and foreign counterparties.
A further monetary policy instrument is the interest rate on sight deposit accounts. The
National Bank Act authorises the SNB to keep interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts
for banks and other financial market participants. Until January 2015, the sight deposit accounts were
non-interest-bearing. Since 22 January 2015, the SNB has charged a negative interest rate on sight
deposits held by banks and other financial market participants at the SNB. However, exemption
thresholds apply. By setting the interest rate on sight deposits and defining other conditions, the SNB
influences the interest rate level on the money market.
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The duty to hold minimum reserves ensures that banks have a minimum demand for base
money. Eligible assets in Swiss francs comprise coins in circulation, banknotes and sight deposits held
at the SNB. The minimum reserve requirement currently amounts to 2.5% of the relevant liabilities,
which are calculated as the sum of short-term liabilities in Swiss francs (up to 90 days) plus 20% of
liabilities towards customers in the form of savings and investments. Since monetary policy in recent
years has provided the banking system with ample liquidity, banks' reserves are currently at a level
that exceeds the statutory minimum reserve requirement several times over. The SNB requires that
the banks and other financial market participants with which it conducts lending transactions provide
sufficient collateral. In so doing, the SNB protects itself against losses and ensures equal treatment
of its counterparties. Since the SNB also admits banks headquartered abroad to its monetary policy
operations and since the stocks of Swiss franc securities are limited, it also accepts securities in foreign
currencies. The SNB sets high minimum requirements with regard to the marketability and credit
rating of securities.
More detailed information can be found in the Guidelines of the Swiss National Bank on
Monetary Policy Instruments and in the five related Instruction Sheets (available on the SNB
website).
The most important unconventional measures taken by the SNB in recent years have been
interventions in the foreign exchange market, the temporary setting of a minimum exchange rate
against the euro (September 2011 until January 2015), and the introduction of a negative interest
rate on sight deposits held by banks and other financial market participants at the SNB.
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14. United Kingdom
Institutional framework
The 1998 Bank of England Act states that, in relation to monetary policy, the Bank of England’s
objectives shall be “to maintain price stability, and subject to that, to support the economic policy of
Her Majesty’s Government, including its objectives for growth and employment.” The Government is
required to specify its definition of price stability and its economic policy objectives at least once
every 12 months. The current definition of price stability is an inflation target of 2% as measured by
the 12-month increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). The government’s current economic policy
objective is for ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth.’
Within the Bank of England, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has responsibility for
formulating monetary policy in order to meet the Bank of England’s objectives. The MPC meets at
least 8 times per year. Decisions are taken by a vote by the members present at the meeting. A
statement and minutes are published as soon as reasonably practicable after each meeting. The Bank
of England is then responsible for using its monetary policy implementation framework (described in
detail on its website) to implement the decisions of the MPC.
The Bank of England’s monetary policy implementation framework provides the MPC with a number
of tools which it can use in order to meet its objectives, including: setting Bank Rate; undertaking
asset purchases; supplying central bank reserves; and providing forward guidance on the future
expected path of monetary policy.
Monetary policy is primarily implemented through the setting of Bank Rate, which is the interest
rate paid on reserves accounts held at the Bank by eligible firms. The Bank currently implements the
MPC’s decisions on Bank Rate using a ‘floor system’, in which almost all reserves held with the Bank
are remunerated at Bank Rate. This floor system was introduced in 2009, when the MPC decided to
start making large-scale asset purchases. This system keeps wholesale market interest rates close to
Bank Rate, because if wholesale rates fell significantly below this level, then eligible firms could
borrow reserves in the market and earn Bank Rate by depositing them at the Bank of England. A key
merit of this ‘floor’ system is its ability to keep overnight interest rates close to Bank Rate in the event
of large changes in the supply of, or demand for, reserves.
Another feature of the framework is that the Bank need not set reserve requirements. This is in
contrast to the Bank’s pre-2009 regime, where reserve targets were set by SMF participants
themselves. This framework and the various operations used to supply and drain participants’
reserves were largely ceased in 2009.
Very short term liquidity needs are met through the Bank’s Operational Standing Facilities
(OSFs), which allow participating firms to borrow reserves directly from the Bank throughout each
business day. The lending facility consists of an overnight lending transaction collateralised against
high-quality, highly-liquid assets, for which participants are required to pay a 25 basis point premium
(0.25%) above Bank Rate.
In response to the 2008 financial crisis the MPC began a large-scale purchase of financial assets
which, at the time, consisted mostly of UK government bonds. 13 These asset purchases were carried
out by a Government-indemnified subsidiary of the Bank - The Bank of England Asset Purchase
13
More details can be found here.
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Facility Fund Limited (BEAPFF). As of end August 2019, asset purchases of UK government bonds
totalled GBP 435 bn.
In August 2016 – the most recent point at which the MPC changed its policy decision on the size
of asset purchases – a GBP 10 bn corporate bond purchase scheme (CBPS) was launched. The
scheme aimed to provide stimulus by lowering the yields on corporate bonds to reduce the cost of
borrowing for companies; encourage asset sellers to rebalance portfolios; and encourage companies
to issue more bonds.
The MPC also introduced a Term Funding Scheme (TFS) in August 2016. The TFS was designed
to address a risk that cuts in Bank Rate to a level approaching the zero lower bound might have less
impact than cuts made when rates were higher, if lenders chose not to pass on the rate cut to
households and businesses in order to protect their margins. It was calibrated such that any reduction
in Bank Rate had a broadly neutral impact on margins in aggregate. The TFS provided four-year
funding for banks and building societies at interest rates close to Bank Rate against a wide range of
collateral. Borrowing allowances were calculated based on a proportion of firms’ stocks of eligible
lending, as well as increases in firm’s net lending over an 18 month reference period. The scheme
closed to new lending in February 2018, as envisaged when it was introduced, having made GBP 127
billion of loans.
Asset purchases under QE have meant that, over recent years, the Bank’s balance sheet has
become much larger than at any other time in recent history. Looking to the future, the balance sheet
is likely to reduce in size again over time. The MPC will decide when to scale back asset purchases
and consideration of this and other related issues is routinely published in MPC minutes. 14 In 2018
the Bank began a process of engagement with the market to understand the implications of changes
in its balance sheet moving forward. 15
The Bank also offers a number of liquidity insurance operations which can supply central bank
reserves. The operations include: Indexed Long Term Repos, which are typically monthly (but
currently weekly) market-wide liquidity operations which provide central bank reserves for a 6-month
term via a competitive auction process; the Contingent Term Repo Facility, which allows the Bank
to provide liquidity against the full range of eligible collateral at any time, term, and price it chooses;
and the Discount Window Facility, which is a bi-lateral, on demand facility where SMF participants
can borrow highly liquid assets (gilts or, in certain circumstances, cash) in return for a wide range of
collateral.
In July 2012, the Bank and HM Treasury launched a Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) in
response to an increase in bank funding costs and interest rates during the crisis in the euro area.
The FLS was designed to incentivise banks and building societies to boost their real economy lending
by providing them with four-year funding at below market rates, with both the price and quantity of
funding provided linked to their performance in lending to the UK real economy. The FLS was a joint
scheme between the MPC and Financial Policy Committee.
14
See, for example, the Minutes of the June 2018 MPC meeting.
15
See here for the 2018 Discussion Paper. See here for a 2019 speech on how the Bank’s Balance Sheet will be used for
future monetary policy implementation.
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15. United States
Institutional framework
The Federal Reserve Act establishes that the Board of Governors and the FOMC should conduct
monetary policy “so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and
moderate long-term interest rates.” This statutory mandate ties monetary policy to the broader goal
of fostering a productive and stable US economy.
The Federal Reserve’s framework for monetary policy implementation features a short-term
interest rate target as its key policy measure to communicate the FOMC’s policy stance and an
operating regime with ample reserves to implement this policy stance. The Federal Reserve uses a
set of administered rates set by the Board of Governors and the FOMC, as well as market operations
directed by the FOMC and conducted by the Open Market Trading Desk at the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York to achieve its monetary policy objective. These tools help promote money market rate
conditions consistent with the policy rate target. The FOMC can also alter the size and composition
of its balance sheet and provide forward guidance about the path of the policy rate as additional
policy measures to achieve its objectives.
The tools used by the Federal Reserve for policy implementation enable the central bank to maintain
short-term interest rate control in an environment of ample reserve balances in the banking system. 16
The FOMC’s key policy rate is a target range for the federal funds rate. The federal funds rate is the
rate at which depository institutions and other eligible entities conduct overnight unsecured
transactions in central bank balances. The width of the target range for the federal funds rate is
25 basis points. 17 The Federal Reserve sets administered rates – the interest rates paid on required
and excess reserves that a bank holds at the Federal Reserve, supplemented by ON RRPs offered at
a specified rate to a wide range of active nonbank lenders in addition to banks – as a means to move
the federal funds rate into the target range and to maintain it in that range without actively adjusting
the supply of reserve balances. 18 The interest on excess reserves (IOER) rate is the primary tool used
to influence overnight interest rates. If a bank can earn interest on the reserve balances it holds at
the central bank, then given the safety and convenience of this investment, little incentive exists for
the bank to lend to private sector counterparties at a rate lower than that offered by the central bank.
Further, if the bank can acquire funds in the wholesale market at rates below the rate paid on reserves,
competition for these funds to earn an arbitrage profit would suggest that banks will bid up these
rates to a level close to the interest rate on reserves.
Both IOER and the ON RRP offering rates have been helpful to guide the levels of the federal
funds and other money market rates. In particular, several years back when market repo rates were
soft, the ON RRP offering rate provided a soft floor to repo rates, which in turn helped maintain
federal funds rates in the target range. More recently, when market repo rates moved above the
FOMC’s target range and put upward pressure on federal funds rates, the Federal Reserve made a
few technical adjustments to lower the IOER rate, which lowered the federal funds rate within the
target range.
16
At the conclusion of the January 2019 FOMC meeting, the Federal Reserve stated that it intends to continue to implement
monetary policy in a regime with an ample supply of reserves and in which control over the level of the federal funds rate
is exercised primarily through the setting of the Federal Reserve's administered rates.
17
This approach to policy implementation was outlined in the FOMC’s September 2014 statement of Policy Normalisation
Principles and Plans, which sets forth the Committee’s strategy for normalising the stance of monetary policy. The
Committee provided additional details about its intended operational approach in its March 2015 meeting minutes.
18
The Federal Reserve also sets the interest rate paid on required reserves (IORR), which has been the same as the IOER rate.
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The Federal Reserve also maintains the discount window, which is a secured lending facility
designed to provide liquidity to commercial banks and other depository institutions. This facility acts
as a ceiling for short-term interest rates: if the cost of obtaining reserve balances in the market
becomes relatively expensive, then banks borrow funds from the discount window to manage reserve
balances. In this way, the rate on discount window loans helps put a ceiling on the private market
rate for reserve balances.
In response to the financial crisis, the FOMC took a series of unconventional monetary policy
measures. In particular, the FOMC conducted large-scale asset purchase programs (LSAPs) in the
Treasury, agency debt, and agency MBS markets, which were designed to ease financial conditions
and support the US housing market, and led to a significantly larger central bank balance sheet.
In October 2017, the FOMC initiated a program to gradually reduce the size of the Federal
Reserve’s securities holdings from elevated levels. At its July 2019 meeting, the FOMC noted that it
would conclude the reduction of its aggregate securities holdings in the System Open Market
Account in August 2019. However, the FOMC has affirmed – most recently following the January 2019
FOMC meeting – that the Committee would be prepared to use its full range of tools, including
altering the size and composition of its balance sheet, if future economic conditions were to warrant
a more accommodative monetary policy than can be achieved solely by reducing the federal funds
rate.
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C. Detailed tables
Table 1 summarises the main institutional features of monetary policy decisions in currency areas represented on the Markets Committee. It summarises which body is
responsible for policy decisions, details about its composition, key parts of the mandate, and the nature of the decision making process (eg whether decisions are made
by a consensus or determined by a majority of vote). Table 1 further indicates the frequency of policy meetings and public announcements of policy decisions. The last
column of the table reports information about the main policy target (oftentimes a particular short-term interest rate, and in some cases, a specific macroeconomic
target such as a certain level of inflation).
Table 1: Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations (as of September 2019)
Policy decision body, size Major mandates1 Decision- Frequency / Frequency of Main policy target
and composition making length of meetings announcements
process
Australia Reserve Bank Board2 by Contribute to price Consensus Monthly Same Target range of 2–3% CPI inflation, on average, over
consensus. stability, full (except January) time; cash rate
employment, and the
economic prosperity
and welfare of the
Australian people
(Reserve Bank Act).
Implemented
through achievement
of inflation target (re-
affirmed in joint
statements between
the Treasurer and the
Governor).
Brazil Monetary Policy Committee Achievement of Majority 8 times a year Same Inflation control target (annual IPCA): 4.25% (2019),
inflation target. 4.0% (2020), 3.75% (2021) and 3.5% (2022), with a
tolerance interval of +/– 1,5%.
Main policy tool: target for the overnight rate.
1
Describe as well the legal status of the mandate and involvement of government. 2 Consisting of the Governor, Deputy Governor, the Secretary of the Treasury (the "Government participant") and six other members. Each
member has a vote. Of the six "other" members, five must not be officers of the RBA or the Australian Public service.
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Table 1 (cont): Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations (as of September 2019)
Policy decision body, size and Major mandates1 Decision-making Frequency / Frequency of Main policy target
composition process length of meetings announcements
Canada Governing Council, which Inflation control target is Consensus 8 times a year Same Policy target: Inflation control target of
consists of the Governor, the agreed with the 2%, midpoint of a 1% to 3% target range,
Senior Deputy Governor and government every 5 years measured as year-over-year change in
four Deputy Governors total CPI. Main policy tool: Target for the
overnight rate.
China PBC makes and implements Maintain the stability of the
monetary policy under the value of the currency and
guidance of the State Council thereby promote economic
growth
Eurosystem Governing Council, which Maintain price stability Majority Every second week Every six weeks Policy target: Price stability, defined as a
consists of the six members of year-on-year increase in the Harmonised
the Executive Board, plus Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the
the governors of the national euro area of below but close to 2%.
central banks of the 19 euro area ECB sets three key interest rates:
countries. i) the interest rate on the main
refinancing operations (MRO);
ii) the rate on the deposit facility, and
iii) the rate on the marginal lending
facility; combined with forward guidance
and non-standard measures related to
the Eurosystem’s balance sheet.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary determines Currency stability in N/A N/A N/A Spot market exchange rate of around
monetary policy objective and accordance with Currency HKD 7.8 = USD 1
structure of monetary system2 Board arrangements
India Monetary Policy Committee Maintain price stability Majority voting Bi-monthly Bi-monthly CPI inflation target of 4 per cent with a
while keeping in mind the band of
objective of growth +/– 2 per cent; policy repo rate
Japan Policy Board3 Achievement of price Majority decision 8 times a year4 Same Policy target: 2 percent in terms of the
stability year-on-year rate of change in the CPI
Policy tools: yield curve control, asset
purchases, and forward guidance.
1
Describe as well the legal status of the mandate and involvement of government. 2 The HKMA is responsible for achieving the monetary policy objective including determining the strategy, instrument and operational
means for doing so. 3 Includin g government participants with no voting powers. 4 The schedule of meetings for the next year is published in the middle of the year.
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Table 1 (cont): Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations (as of September 2019)
Policy decision body, Major mandates1 Decision-making Frequency / Frequency of Main policy target
size and composition process length of meetings announcements
Korea Monetary Policy Board 8 times a year Same Base rate2
Mexico Board of Governors Price stability through an Vote of members 8 times a year Same Target rate: overnight interbank
inflation objective of the Board funding rate
Singapore Monetary and Investment Price stability for sustained Decision by the Fortnightly 2 times a year Nominal effective exchange rate
Policy Meeting economic growth MIPM Monetary policy statement
Sweden Executive Board Maintain price stability Five scheduled Same Repo rate
monetary policy
meetings per year
Switzerland Governing Board The Swiss National Bank The Governing Quarterly, Same SNB policy rate
conducts the country’s Board sets the extraordinary (since 13 June 2019)3
monetary policy as an monetary policy at meetings possible
independent central bank. It its meetings (MPA)
is obliged by the Constitution
and by statute to act in
accordance with the interests
of the country as a whole. Its
primary goal is to ensure
price stability, while taking
due account of economic
developments. In so doing, it
creates an appropriate
environment for economic
growth.
United Kingdom Monetary Policy Maintain price stability within Majority vote of 8 times a year, Same Bank Rate; currently also includes
Committee the United Kingdom and MPC members roughly 6–8 weeks target for Asset Purchases financed
subject to that, to support apart by the creation of central bank
the economic policy of Her reserves.
Majesty’s Government
including its objectives for
growth and employment.
1
Describe as well the legal status of the mandate and involvement of government. 2 The Base rate is the reference rate applied in transactions between the BOK and financial institutions such as repurchase agreements (RPs
and Reverse RPs), the Bank’s lending and deposit facilities, etc. 3 Since 13 June 2019, the SNB has been implementing its monetary policy by setting the SNB policy rate, which took over the function previously performed by
the target range for the three-month Libor.
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Table 1 (cont): Institutional setup of monetary policy decisions and operations (as of September 2019)
Policy decision body, Major mandates1 Decision-making Frequency / Frequency of Main policy target and tools
size and composition process length of meetings announcements
United States Federal Open Market Statutory mandate from Vote of FOMC 8 regularly scheduled Same Fed funds rate target range;
Committee the Congress (outlined in members meetings per year administered rates
the Federal Reserve Act) to (and other meetings
promote maximum as needed)
employment, stable prices,
and moderate long-term
interest rates. Many
commonly refer to the
“dual mandate” of
maximum employment and
price stability.
1
Describe as well the legal status of the mandate and involvement of government.
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2. Overview of key features
Monetary policy operating frameworks comprise several elements and key features, including an operational target and the tools and procedures used to achieve it.
Table 2 provides an overview of key features in each operating framework, followed by more detailed presentations on various elements in the following tables.
• standing facility
• other3
1
RP = reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2 Refers to the main operation shown above. 3 For example, quantity
signals. 4 The Bank of Canada may conduct overnight repo (reverse) operations in which the Bank offers to purchase (sell) Government securities with an agreement to sell (buy) them back on the next business day, with the
difference in price equal to the value of interest for one business day and is determined using a uniform price auction.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
China Eurosystem Hong Kong
Key policy rate Benchmark interest rates Interest rate on MROs HKD 7.8 = USD 1
• maturity (days) 7 Spot
Operating target Excess Reserve and short term interest rate Short term interest rates Market exchange rate of HKD/USD
(not explicit)
• maturity (days) Spot
Standing facilities Lending Lending, deposit Lending
Corridor width (bp) N/A 65
Reserve requirements Yes Yes No
• maintenance period 10 days Around 6/7 weeks
Main operation1 RT RP Convertibility undertaking at HKD 7.75 to USD 1
and HKD 7.85 to USD 1
• functions To maintain spot exchange rate within
HKD 7.75–7.85 to USD 1
• maturity (days) Generally 7 days, other maturity up to 7 Spot
1 year, conducted discretionarily
• regular interval Yes Yes No
• frequency Daily 1xw Irregular, upon banks’ requests
Overall frequency Daily ≈1 x w N/A
Discretion left to No discretion left to operational desks for Market operations within the Convertibility Zone
operational desk standard monetary policy operations. Some between 7.75 and 7.85, in accordance with
discretion left to operational desks for the Currency Board principles, to promote the
implementation of certain asset purchase smooth functioning of the Linked Exchange Rate
operations within the set of non-standard System
monetary policy measures.
Key policy signals via
• announcement √ √
• keynote tender2 √
• standing facility √
• other3 √ (APP purchase pace, full allotment horizon)
1
RP = reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2
Refers to the main operation shown above. 3
For example, quantity
signals.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (September 2019)
India
Discretion left to operational desk Some discretion with respect to choice of instrument, size, tenor and timing of operations with relation to FTOs
• standing facility
• other3 √ (CRR)
1
RP=reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2 Refers to the main operation shown above. 3 For example, quantity
signals. 4 Export credit refinance to banks phased out in February 2015; collateralised liquidity support to primary dealers. 5 Policy corridor around the repo rate narrowed from +/– 100 bps to +/– 50 bps in April 2016 and
further to +/– 25 bps in April 2017.
Source: Participating central banks.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
Japan
Key policy rate (i) Interest rate applied to the Policy-Rate Balances in current accounts,
(ii) JGB yield
• maturity (days) (i) 1 day (ii) 10 years
Operating target (i) Interest rate applied to the Policy-Rate Balances in current accounts,
(ii) JGB yield4
• maturity (days) (i) 1 day (ii) 10 years
Main operation1 (i) JGS purchases (ii) CP/CB purchases (iii) ETFs / J-REITs purchases (iv)Fixed rate lending
• functions Quantitative and Qualitative Monetary Easing with Yield Curve Control
• maturity (days) 1 to 365
• regular interval Yes
• frequency 1–3 x d
Discretion left to operational desk Choice of instruments, size and timing of individual operations, adjustment factor for calculating current account balance which is the interest
rate of 0% is applied to, though the annual pace of amounts outstanding increase of ETFs, J-REITs, CP and corporate bonds are directed by the
policy board.
Key policy signals via…
• announcement √
• keynote tender 2
• standing facility √
• other3
1
RP=reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2 Refers to the main operation shown above. 3 For example, quantity
signals. 4 At the Monetary Policy Meeting in March 2001, the main operating target for money market operations was changed from overnight call rate to the outstanding balance of the current accounts held by financial
institutions at the Bank of Japan. In March 2006, it was changed back to the overnight call rate. In April 2013, the balance of monetary base became the main operating target that increases at an annual pace of about
60–70 trillion yen. In October 2014, the pace of increase in the monetary base was accelerated to about 80 trillion yen. In September 2016, the short-term policy interest rate and the long-term interest rate became the target.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
Korea
• maturity (days) 7
• maturity (days) 1
• functions
• maturity (days) MSBs: 14 d to 2 yrs
RRP: 1-91 days
MSAs:1-91 days
• regular interval Yes
• frequency 2xw/1xw/1xw
Overall frequency ≈2 x w
Discretion left to operational desk Choice of instruments, size and timing of operations
1
RP=reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2 Refers to the main operation shown above. 3 For example, quantity
signals. 4 Monetary Stabilisation Bonds, issued by BoK, used as a structural adjustment tool whose policy effects are long lasting. 5 Monetary Stabilisation Account, introduced in October 2010, is a market-friendly term
deposit facility.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
Mexico
Key policy rate Overnight interbank funding rate (Monetary Policy Rate)
• maturity (days) 1 (overnight)
Operating target Collateralised overnight interbank rate
• maturity (days) 1 (overnight)
Standing facilities Lending, deposit
Discretion left to operational desk Desk has some discretion over certain operational aspects of RPs and Deposits such as tenor and amounts
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
Singapore Sweden
Key policy rate SGD Nominal effective exchange rate Repo rate
• maturity (days) spot 7
Operating target SGD Nominal effective exchange rate No formal target
• maturity (days) spot
Standing facilities Lending, deposit Lending, deposit
Corridor width (bp) 100 150
Reserve requirements Yes No
• maintenance period 2 weeks N/A
Main operation 1
FX intervention Issuance of Riksbank certificates
• functions Monetary policy implementation Liquidity withdrawal
• maturity (days) spot 7 days
• regular interval No Yes
• frequency When necessary Weekly (Tuesdays)
Overall frequency When necessary Weekly
Discretion left to operational desk Choice of size, tactics and timing of intervention. The amount offered to monetary policy counterparties in the weekly
auctions of repos or Riksbank certifcates.
Key policy signals via
• announcement √4 √
• keynote tender2
• standing facility
• other3
1
RP=reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2
Refers to the main operation shown above. 3
For example, quantity
signals. 4 Monetary Policy Statement released twice a year.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
Switzerland
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
United Kingdom
Key policy rate Bank Rate
• maturity (days) 1
Operating target Short-term money market interest rates
• maturity (days)
Standing facilities Collateralised lending, unsecured deposit
Corridor width (bp) Currently 50 (Deposit: Policy rate less 25bps,
Lend: Policy rate plus 25bps)
Reserve requirements No. In the June 2018 MPC minutes, the Bank announced that it was minded to use a variant of the current floor system as and when the stock of
purchased assets was reduced
• maintenance period Six to eight weeks
Main operation 1
In the current floor system there are no regular monetary policy related reserves supplying operations. The quantity of reserves is a result of those
injected via asset purchases, the Term Funding Scheme, indexed long term repos, and other factors.
• functions N/A
• maturity (days) N/A
• regular interval N/A
• frequency N/A
Overall frequency N/A
Discretion left to operational desk N/A
Key policy signals via
• announcement √
• keynote tender 2
• standing facility
• other3
1
RP=reversed purchase (repo, inject liquidity), RS=RRP=reversed sale (reverse repo, absorb liquidity), RT=reversed transaction (repo or reverse repo). 2
Refers to the main operation shown above. 3
For example, quantity
signals.
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Table 2 (cont): Overview of key features (as of September 2019)
United States
Key policy rate Federal Funds Rate
• maturity (days) 1
Operating target (i) Target range for federal funds rate
• maturity (days) 1
(ii) Policy objectives for securities holdings
Standing facilities Lending (discount window), deposit (interest on reserves and ON RRP facility)
Corridor width (bp) Primary credit to interest on reserves 551, Primary credit to ON RRP rate 752
Reserve requirements Yes
• maintenance period 2 weeks
Main operation (i) RS (ON RRP facility)
• functions Reduces reserves, supports interest rate control as administered rate
• maturity (days) 1
• regular interval Yes
• frequency ≈1 x d
(ii) Outright transactions3
Treasury rollovers: ≈1 x q
Agency MBS reinvestments: ≈1–2 x w
Overall frequency Daily
Discretion left to operational desk The Desk is directed to undertake OMOs “as necessary” to maintain the FOMC’s federal funds target range, but most OMOs are executed under
more specific direction. In particular, the FOMC sets policy-sensitive parameters of RRP operations (such as the offering rate and size limits); the
Desk has some discretion over certain operational aspects of RRPs. The aggregate size and asset class composition of securities reinvestment
operations are fixed by the amount of maturities or principal paydowns and redemption caps that are set by the FOMC, but the Desk has some
discretion over the size, timing, and execution of certain types of individual operations.
Key policy signals via
• announcement √
• keynote tender
• standing facility √
• other √ (reinvestments)
1
There are 55 bps between the current setting of interest on required and excess reserves and the primary credit rate of the discount window. Currently, interest on required and excess reserves is set 5 bps below the top of
the target range; primary credit is set at top of policy rate target range plus 50 bps, secondary credit at top of policy rate target range plus 100 bps. 2 ON RRP offering rate set at the bottom of the target range. 3 Current
directive is to roll over maturing Treasury securities at auction and to reinvest principal payments on agency debt and agency MBS in agency MBS only in amounts that exceed a schedule of monthly caps. Operations may also
be conducted in relatively small amounts for the purpose of maintaining operational readiness.
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3. Monetary policy communication
Communication is an important tool used by central bankers to shape expectations, which can help central banks achieve macroeconomic objectives. Additionally,
communication can be viewed as a mechanism to hold independent central banks accountable for their activities. Table 3 summarises the extent of monetary policy
communications, including details about: i) the explicit use of forward guidance, ii) the timing and distribution of a policy announcement, iii) the policy announcement
and documents, iv) communication explaining policy decisions, v) the dissemination of minutes, vi) content of minutes, vii) publication of forecasts, and viii) publication
of projected path of policy rate.
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Table 3 (cont): Monetary policy communication (as of September 2019)
Explicit Timing/media of Policy Explaining policy Dissemination of Content of minutes Publication of Publication of
use of policy announcement and decisions minutes forecasts1 projected path
forward announcement documents (timing/media) of policy rate2
guidance
China Statement on PBC Statement on PBC Press conference,
website, newspaper website, newspaper monetary policy
and official account and official account report, statement
of online social of online social on PBC website,
media like Wechat media like Wechat newspaper and
and Weibo. and Weibo. official account of
online social
media like Wechat
and Weibo.
Eurosystem Yes. Release of monetary Decisions on key Press conference No dissemination of No dissemination of Yes, quarterly No
policy decisions at ECB interest rates starting at 14:30 minutes, but minutes, but the publication of staff
13:45 ECB time on and non-standard ECB time on the accounts of the accounts summarise a macroeconomic
the day of Governing measures. day of Governing monetary policy review of financial, projections.
Council meeting on Council meeting. meetings released economic and monetary
the ECB website. four weeks after the developments and
meeting. policy options as well as
the Governing Council’s
discussion and monetary
policy decisions.
Hong Kong3 No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A No No
1
For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision. 2 If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections. 3 Hong Kong’s Linked Exchange
Rate System is characterised by currency board arrangements. The Currency Board Sub-Committee of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee monitors and reviews issues relevant to the monetary and financial stability of
Hong Kong.
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Table 3 (cont): Monetary policy communication (as of September 2019)
Explicit use of Timing/media of Policy Explaining policy Dissemination Content of minutes Publication of Publication of
forward policy announcement decisions of minutes forecasts1 projected path
guidance announcement and documents (timing/media) of policy rate2
India Yes. 11.45 am IST Policy repo rate Detailed press Yes. On the Description of economic In forecasts of No
on last day of release / media fourteenth day and financial conditions, inflation and
Monetary Policy conferences and after every growth and inflation growth for the
Committee (MPC) teleconference with meeting of the projections, underlying period between six
Meeting when the researchers/analysts MPC. rationale for the policy to eighteen months
Governor’s decision. It also contains from the date of
resolution is put to the vote of each member publication of the
vote; central bank of the MPC and the Monetary Policy
website. statement explaining the Report, ie, in every
rationale for his/her vote. MPC resolution
released twice in a
year (April and
October).
Japan Yes. Forward Yes. Immediately Yield curve Press conference by Yes. Three Economic and financial Yes. Outlook for No
guidance for after each control (guideline the Governor business days developments, and economic activity
policy rates, Monetary Policy for market after the next monetary policy and prices.
continuation of Meeting; central operations); monetary policy decisions.
“Quantitative and bank website. guideline for meeting.
Qualitative asset purchases. Summary of
Monetary Easing opinions is
with Yield Curve released six
Control,” and business days
continuation of after each
expanding monetary policy
monetary base. meeting.
Korea No On day of board Base Rate Detailed press Yes. Description of economic Yes (quarterly) No
meeting; central release / press Approximately and financial conditions
bank website conference two weeks after and the policy
board meeting consideration.
1
For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision. 2
If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections.
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Table 3 (cont): Monetary policy communication (as of September 2019)
Explicit use of Timing/media of Policy Explaining policy Dissemination of Content of Publication of Publication
forward guidance policy announcement and decisions minutes minutes forecasts1 of projected
announcement documents (timing/media) path of
policy rate2
Mexico No Yes. 13:00 pm on Target policy rate All policy decisions Yes. 9:00 am, two Description of No No
the day of the and press release per year include a weeks after the the policy
board meeting via monetary policy monetary policy considerations,
central bank statement meeting voting results,
website and voter’s
identity. In case
there are
dissenting
opinions in the
voting, the
reasons for
such dissents
are included.
General
description of
economic and
financial
conditions.
Singapore No Twice a year; SGD Nominal Monetary Policy No N/A Growth and inflation No
MAS website effective exchange Statement (MPS) forecasts accompany
rate policy stance the MPS
Sweden Yes (repo rate path) Five times a year, Monetary policy Minutes from the Minutes from the Summary of Repo rate path and Yes
Monetary policy report and press monetary policy monetary policy Board inflation
report and press release meeting (published meeting is published members’
release are 2 weeks after the 2 weeks after the discussions
published 9.30 the monetary policy monetary policy during the
day after the meeting) meeting monetary
monetary policy policy meeting
meeting
1
For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision. 2
If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections.
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Table 3 (cont): Monetary policy communication (as of September 2019)
Explicit use of Timing/media of Policy Explaining policy Dissemination of Content of Publication of Publication of
forward guidance policy announcement and decisions minutes minutes forecasts1 projected path
announcement documents (timing/media) of policy rate2
Switzerland No 9:30 am on the day Announcement of Press release, N/A N/A Conditional N/A
of monetary policy SNB policy rate,3 media conference inflation forecast
assessment on interest on sight
central bank deposits and if
website; wire needed further
services, 10:00 am policy measures
media conference
(twice a year)
United Kingdom Yes (introduced in 12 pm on day of MPC meeting MPC meeting Yes / together with Description of Yes. Forecasts for The path for Bank
August 2013) MPC decision; summary and summary and policy decision economic and GDP, Rate implied by
central bank minutes minutes since August 2015; financial unemployment forward market
website Quarterly inflation central bank conditions and and inflation interest rates is
report and press website the policy contained in published in the
conference consideration quarterly Inflation quarterly Inflation
Report. Including Report. The
fan charts of the curves are based
probability of on overnight
various outcomes index swap rates.
for each
indicator.
1
For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision. 2
If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections. 3
Since June 2019.
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Table 3 (cont): Monetary policy communication (as of September 2019)
Explicit use of Timing/media of Policy Explaining policy Dissemination of Content of Publication of Publication
forward guidance policy announcement and decisions minutes minutes forecasts1 of projected
announcement documents (timing/media) path of
policy rate2
United States Explicit forward Via Federal Reserve FOMC statement Press conferences FOMC meeting Minutes record Summary of FOMC
guidance has been website following includes target rate held following minutes released decisions taken Economic participants’
used at times as a conclusion of each decision and any every FOMC policy via website 3 weeks and reasoning Projections (SEP) projections of
monetary policy FOMC policy other policy meeting; ad hoc after date of policy behind incorporating appropriate
measure meeting measures; speeches decision decisions; and projections from policy paths
implementation note summarise FOMC meeting (anonymised)
outlines decisions policy participants released as
about operational discussions produced on part of SEP
settings of tools to related to quarterly basis;
achieve the policy possible future advance table
stance (eg the policy actions. released along with
interest rate paid on post-FOMC meeting
required and excess press conference;
reserves, the ON RRP full summary
rate, the operating included as
objective for addendum to FOMC
securities holdings, minutes.
and the primary
credit rate).
1
For instance, economic and inflation forecasts related to policy decision. 2
If applicable, describe the publication of any fan-charts or uncertainty bands around the forecasts/projections.
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4. Reserve requirements: ratios and size
Many central banks impose reserves requirements, which oblige financial institutions to hold a minimum percentage or amount in reserve against specified deposit
liabilities as deposits with their central bank. Central banks may use reserve requirements for liquidity management purposes, monetary control and/or to support the
functioning of the payments system. The required reserve ratio can vary by the maturity and by the currency of the reservable liabilities. Table 4 summarises the ratios
and size of the reserve requirements.
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Table 4 (cont): Reserve requirements: ratios and size (as of September 2019)
Main functions served Domestic Foreign Average Required Required reserve Actual reserves Actual reserve as
currency currency reserves as % of GDP % of GDP
India Monetary control, Liquidity 4%1 4% 4% INR 5245.10 bn 2.8%2 INR 5390.55 bn 2.8%2
management
Japan Liquidity management 0.05–1.3% 0.15–0.25% 0.85% JPY 10.1 trn3 1.83%3 JPY 341.8 trn3,4 61.8%3
Korea Liquidity management 0–7% 1–7% 4.2%5 KRW 52.6 trn5 2.80%5 KRW 52.9 trn5,6 2.81%5
Mexico Liquidity Management7 Yes7 No N/A MXN 320 bn 1.6%8 MXN 320 bn 1.3%9
Singapore Liquidity management 3% – 3% SGD13.6 bn10 2.78% SGD 23.6 bn10 4.81%
Sweden N/A 0%
Switzerland Stabilise demand for base money 2.5% – 2.5% CHF 17.1 bn11 2.49% CHF 489.3 bn12 70.97%
United Kingdom N/A N/A N/A N/A GBP 487 bn13 23.0%14
United States Predictability of reserve demand 0–10% – 0–10% USD 189.6 bn 0.91% USD 1,896 bn 9.07%16
1
With effect from 9 February 2013. 2 GDP figures as of 31 March 2019 and reserve figures as of 23 September 2019. 3 As of June 2018. As a percent of 2018-2Q GDP. 4 The amount of current account deposits at the BOJ
held by financial institutions, including those that are not subject to reserve requirements. 5 As of October 2018. GDP as of September 2018. 6 Cash in vaults and deposits at the BOK. 7 Monetary Regulation Deposits
(MRDs) determined as a set MXN amount per banking institution based as a percentage of their liabilities at a specific point in time. The amount has not changed since 2014. 8 Includes immediate withdrawal deposits, time
deposits, and banks’ credit instruments. 9 As a percent of seasonally adjusted Q2 2019 nominal GDP. 10 Required and actual reserves with MAS as of 19 August 2019. 11 As of 19 January 2019. 12 Eligible reserves consisting
of sum of banknotes, coins and sight deposits of domestic banks as of July 19, 2018. 13 As of 21 August 2019. 14 Reserves as a percentage of 2018 GDP. 15 Depending on type of liability. 16 Reserves as a percent of 2018
Q4 GDP. Calculated only for domestic currency reserves.
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5. Main features of reserve requirements
Central banks differ in the ways in which reserve requirements are implemented. Table 5 summarises the main features of reserve requirements: i) the length of the
maintenance period (ie period for which reserve requirements are set), ii) the length of the calculation period (ie period for which reservable liabilities are used to calculate
required reserves), iii) the lag between the calculation period and its associated maintenance period, iv) whether financial institutions need to fulfil requirements on a
daily basis or whether averaging over a maintenance period is allowed, v) whether institutions are allowed to carry over some excess or deficiency of reserves to the
following maintenance period, vi) whether institutions are allowed to use vault cash to fulfil reserve requirements, and vii) the remuneration on required reserves (average
and marginal rate).
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Table 5 (cont): Main features of reserve requirements (as of September 2019)
IN JP KR MX3 SG SE CH UK US
Averaging Y Y Y N Y N/A Y N5 Y
Carry-over N N N N N N N6 N
Maintenance period 2 weeks 1 month 1 month Daily 2 weeks 1 month Around six to 2 weeks
eight weeks
• end (day) Fri 15th 2nd Wed Daily Wed 19th MPC-1 Wed
Calculation period 2 weeks 1 month 1 month N/A* 2 weeks 3 months Around six to 2 weeks7
eight weeks
• end (day) Fri end-month end-month N/A* Wed end-month MPC-1 Mon
Lag before maintenance 2 weeks 15 days 5–11 days N/A* 2 weeks 20 days N/A 17 days7
Vault cash N N Y N N Y N Y
• restrictions Y2 N/A*
Remuneration N Y N Y N N Y Y
1
Interest rate of 0.1 percent is applied to the Basic Balance ie average of current account balance of January 2015 to December 2015 minus required reserve per day. 2 Up to 35% of required reserves. 3 Monetary Regulation
Deposits (MRDs) determined as a set of MXN amount per banking institution based as a percentage of their liabilities at a specific point in time. The amount has not changed since 2014. 4 Change in definition of cash balance.
5
With the exception of CCP participants. 6 No carry-over, but reserves are remunerated if on average over a maintenance period they are within a range around the reserves target. 7 For large institutions.
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6. Liquidity position and forecasting
A central bank can manage the liquidity position of the financial system by altering its balance sheet size and composition. Forecasting liquidity involves projecting the
evolution of the balance sheet of the central bank. This may combine forecasts of the various autonomous factors (ie liquidity factors that do not normally stem from the
use of monetary policy instruments) driving the changes in liquidity (eg changes in autonomous factors such as balances held by the Government with the central bank
or fluctuations demand for reserves).
Table 6 presents the current liquidity position in each jurisdiction, and details on the central bank’s forecast – including whether the liquidity forecast is made public
(for details on published forecasts see Table 12). The table also lists which autonomous factors are more volatile or unpredictable in each individual economy.
Brazil Surplus Government sector flows, Reserve Reserve requirements on sight deposit, 6 months Daily Daily No
requirements on sight deposit, Daily Daily adjustment of FX swaps (swap
adjustment of FX swaps (swap cambial)
cambial)
Canada Surplus Large payment flows Government sector flows 1 year Daily Daily Yes (only net
payment system
balances for the
next day)3
China Closing to Government sector flows Government sector flows 3 month Daily Daily No
balanced
Eurosystem Deficit4 Government deposits Government deposits 10–49 working days Daily Daily5 Yes6
Hong Kong Surplus Capital flows Capital flows 3 days7 Daily Daily Yes
1
The Reserve Bank has system liquidity forecasts out to 1 year, based on Government budget forecasts, past outlays patterns and monthly profiles from the Australian Taxation Office. 2 The Reserve Bank publishes its system
cash position for the current day (ie the expected net flows between the Reserve Bank and the private sector) each morning. 3 The Bank of Canada provides general guidance on the level of payment system settlement
balances through the implementation of its monetary policy framework (typically leaving a small level of positive balances), but the Bank reserves the right to adjust this target upwards or downwards. The daily target for the
next day is posted on the Bank’s website, along with the current day’s actual settlement balances. 4 If the effects of the asset purchases for monetary policy purposes are not taken into account. Surplus if such effects are
taken into account. 5 Published forecast is normally revised on announcement day of the weekly Main Refinancing Operation. 6 Published on announcement day of the weekly Main Refinancing Operation and updated on
allotment date. 7 Aggregate Balance positions and changes within the next 3 days are disclosed on Reuters, Bloomberg and the HKMA website.
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Table 6 (cont): Liquidity position and forecasting (as of September 2019)
Structural Most volatile factor(s) Most unpredictable factor(s) Forecast horizon(s) Frequency Frequency Forecast
position of revision published?
India Neutral Capital flows, Government sector Capital flows, Government sector flows 4 weeks Weekly Weekly No
position flows
Japan Deficit Government sector flows, Banknotes Foreign central banks’ deposits, Daily and monthly Daily Daily Yes, daily
Government sector flows,
Korea Surplus Government sector flows Government sector flows 1 month Daily Daily No
Mexico Surplus 1
Government outlays FX interventions 1 year Daily Daily 2
Yes3
Singapore Surplus Public sector flows Public sector flows and FX intervention 3 months Daily Daily No
operations
Sweden Surplus Public demand for Notes and coins 6 months Monthly Monthly No
Switzerland Surplus Treasury account, sight deposits non- Sight deposits non-banks, Treasury 10 days Daily Daily No
banks, banknotes account, banknotes
United Surplus4 Note issue5 Accounts of UK government’s Debt 2 weeks Daily Daily No
Kingdom Management Office and of other central
banks
United Excess Treasury General Account Treasury General Account (Government Approximately 1 year Daily Daily No6
States (Government Deposits), ON RRP, Deposits), ON RRP, Currency, Foreign RP
Currency, Foreign RP Pool, Other Pool, Other Deposits (GSEs, designated
Deposits (GSEs, designated financial financial market utilities)
market utilities)
1
Due to international reserves accumulation originated from USD purchases to PEMEX, the system has had a liquidity surplus position, therefore the Central Bank has a net debtor position against the system. Recently, due to
FX interventions and lack of sales of USD by the oil company, the system´s structural liquidity surplus has decreased. 2 Information for the implementation of daily OMOs is incorporated on a daily basis. However, the longer
term liquidity forecasts are revised on a quarterly basis. 3 The forecast is only published on a daily basis for the day in question approximately half an hour before OMOs start 4 Likely that current reserves levels are a surplus
over banks’ unconstrained reserve demand – but reserves averaging currently suspended. 5 Volatile but not unpredictable. A very cyclical series that can, on the whole, be modelled with a good degree of accuracy. 6 The
Treasury Department publishes its assumed end-of-quarter cash balance in its quarterly marketable borrowing estimates.
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7.a Standing facilities: lending / market ceiling
The lending side in the standing facility – ie the market rate ceiling in an interest rate corridor – is collateralised marginal lending with a short maturity, often overnight;
in a few cases, the maturity is up to 1 week and 1 month. Lending facilities enable counterparties to obtain short-term liquidity from the central bank for liquidity
management. The pre-specified interest rate on the facility also helps to contain market rates among counterparties with access to the central bank. The interest rate
ceiling is created since little incentive exists for the counterparty to borrow from the market at a rate higher than that demanded by the central bank.
Table 7a presents key characteristics of central bank standing lending facilities including: i) the name of the facility, ii) the form of the facility (ie repo, collateralised
lending), iii) the pricing method, iv) the maturity of the facility terms, v) counterparty access, and vi) the facility’s function(s)/objective(s).
Table 7a: Standing facilities: lending / market ceiling (as of September 2019)
Name Form Pricing method Maturity Access limited by/to Function(s)
Australia Overnight repo Reverse repo (=RP) Fixed margin above target cash rate O/N Collateral holders of Marginal liquidity accommodation; limit
Exchange Settlement interest rate volatility; provides liquidity
Accounts insurance (where usage via Committed
Liquidity Facility)
Brazil Standing facility Repo Base rate + 80bps 1 day Financial institutions; Marginal liquidity accommodation; limit
eligible collateral interest rate volatility; short-term
liquidity provision
Canada Standing Liquidity Secured loan Fixed at the upper end of the 1 day Participants in the LVTS To reinforce the upper limit of the
Facility operating band. Target overnight rate payment system, eligible operating band, provide overnight
+ 25 bps (Bank rate) collateral liquidity at the end of the day
China Standing Lending Collateralised loan Fixed rate O/N, 1w, Collateral Liquidity management, smooth interest
Facility 1m rate volatility
Eurosystem Marginal lending Reversed purchase Fixed rate 1 day O/N Collateral Signalling; limit interest rate volatility
facility (RP) or collateralised
credit
Hong Kong Discount Window Repo For the first 50% of collateral holding: O/N Collateral2 Facilitate smooth operation of the
Base rate1 interbank payment system and thus
For the next 50%: either Base Rate preserve systemic stability
plus 5% or the overnight HKD HIBOR,
whichever is the higher
1
Base Rate is set as either 50 basis points above the lower end of the target range for US Fed funds rate or the average of the five-day moving averages of the overnight and 1-month HIBORs, whichever is higher.
2
Exchange Fund paper.
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Table 7a (cont): Standing facilities: lending / market ceiling (as of September 2019)
Name Form Pricing method Maturity Access limited by/to… Function(s)
India Marginal Standing Collateralised loan MSF Rate (25 bps over the Overnight Collateral; scheduled commercial Liquidity management
Facility (MSF)1 policy Repo Rate) banks;
Japan Complementary lending Fixed-term loan Basic loan rate O/N Eligible collateral; BOJ Marginal accommodation; limit
facility counterparties only interest rate volatility
Korea Liquidity adjustment Loan Base rate + 100bps 1 day Eligible collateral; reserve Limit interest rate volatility
loans depository institutions
Mexico Standing Facility Secured Loan and Lending: 2 times the Key O/N Commercial and development Marginal liquidity management.
Intraday Repo (inject Policy Rate (Overnight banks only Lender of last resort, to help alleviate
liquidity - RP)2 Interbank Funding Rate). short-term liquidity bottlenecks
Singapore Standing Facility Repo Reference rate3 + 50bps O/N Collateral; MEPS+ participating Limit interest rate volatility and
banks that have signed a GMRA prevent payment gridlock
with MAS.
Sweden Standing facility Collateralised lending Repo rate plus 75 bp O/N Monetary policy counterparties Provides liquidity insurance
and some participants in the
Riksbank’s payment system RIX
Switzerland Liquidity-shortage Repo (inject liquidity) max(SNB policy rate,0) O/N (1) limit by the SNB, (2) a custody Liquidity management; to bridge
financing facility + 50bps cover account, (3) collateral unexpected, short-term liquidity
eligible for SNB repos covering at bottlenecks
least 110% of the limit must be
held
United Operational Standing Collateralised loan Bank Rate + 25bps O/N Banks, building societies, CCPs Limits interest rate volatility;
Kingdom Lending Facility and broker-dealers,4 unlimited provides liquidity insurance against
size but only against eligible frictional payment shocks
collateral
United States (i) Primary credit facility Secured loan (i) Top of policy rate target (i) O/N PCF for depository institutions in Marginal liquidity accommodation;
(PCF) range + 50 bps (ii) O/N sound financial condition, SCF for lender of last resort; ceiling on policy
(ii) Secondary credit (ii) Top of policy rate target other depository institutions5; rate
facility (SCF) range + 100 bps loans must be fully collateralised.
1
Export credit refinance (ECR) facility phased out in February 2015. 2 Reverse repos started being implemented in 2019. 3 The reference rate is the weighted average of successful bids for MAS’ SGD 500 m overnight
clean borrowing conducted during Money Market Operations on the same day, rounded to two decimal places. 4 The term ‘broker-dealers’ refers to PRA-designated investment firms, see
www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/pages/authorisations/designatedfirmslist.aspx. 5 Depository institutions include: commercial banks, thrifts, credit unions, and US branches and agencies of foreign banks.
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7.b Standing facilities: deposit / market floor
Many central banks maintain standing deposit facilities with short maturities – often overnight – which provide payment of interest on deposits. A standing deposit
facility generally serves as a floor on interest rates: If a counterparty can earn interest on the deposits it holds at the central bank, then given the safety and convenience
of this investment, little incentive exists for the counterparty to lend at a rate lower than that offered by the central bank. Further, if the counterparty can acquire funds
in the wholesale market at rates below the rate paid on reserves, competition for these funds to earn an arbitrage profit would suggest that the counterparty will bid up
these rates close to the interest rate on deposits/reserves. As a result, the deposit rate generally acts as a floor for short-term interest rates.
Table 7b presents key characteristics of central bank standing deposit / market floor facilities including: i) the name of the facility, ii) the form of the facility (ie deposit,
reverse repurchase agreement), iii) the pricing method, iv) the maturity of the facility terms, v) counterparty access, and vi) the facility’s function(s)/objective(s).
Table 7b: Standing facilities: deposit / market floor (as of September 2019)
Name Form Pricing method Maturity Access limited by/to Function(s)
Australia Exchange Settlement Deposit Fixed margin below target cash O/N Exchange settlement account Depository for surplus cash reserves;1 Limit
Account rate rate eligibility interest rate volatility; facilitate settlements
Brazil Standing facility Reverse Base rate – 80bps 1 day Financial institutions that are Marginal liquidity accommodation; limit
repo (=RP) primary dealers; eligible interest rate volatility; short-term liquidity
collateral withdrawal
Canada Deposit facility Deposit Fixed at lower limit of the 1 day Participants in the LVTS To encourage transactions in the market
operating band; Target payment system for overnight funds at rates above the
overnight rate – 25 bps lower limit of the operating band
(Deposit Rate)
China N/A
Eurosystem Deposit facility Deposit Fixed rate 1 day O/N No limit Signalling; Limit interest rate volatility
Hong Kong N/A
India Standing deposit facility
announced; yet to be
operationalised2
1
Refers to cash reserves that are surplus to the Reserve Bank’s reserve requirements designed to support the functioning of the payments system after hours; the required reserves are remunerated at the target cash rate.
2
The standing deposit facility was notified in April 2018. The facility, however, is yet to be operationalised.
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Table 7b (cont): Standing facilities: deposit / market floor (as of September 2019)
Name Form Pricing method Maturity Access limited by/to Function(s)
Japan Complementary deposit Deposit2 Different fixed rates applied 1 day Reserve depository institutions and Lower the short end of the yield
facility1 depending upon the level of some other financial institutions curve
outstanding balance of which have a current account at the
financial institution’s current Bank3
account at the bank
Korea Liquidity adjustment deposits Deposit Base rate – 100bps 1 day Reserve depository institutions Limit interest rate volatility
Mexico Standing facility Deposit 0% O/N Commercial and development banks Marginal liquidity management.
only To help alleviate short-term
liquidity bottlenecks. Depository
for surplus cash reserves.
Singapore Standing facility Deposit Reference rate4 less 50bp O/N MEPS+ participating banks Limit interest rate volatility
Sweden Standing facility Deposit Repo rate minus 75 bp O/N Monetary policy counterparties and Provides liquidity insurance
some participants in the Riksbank’s
payment system RIX
Switzerland N/A
United Kingdom Operational Standing Deposit Deposit Bank Rate minus 25bp O/N Banks, building societies, CCPs and Limits interest rate volatility;
Facility broker-dealers,5 unlimited size provides liquidity insurance
against frictional payment
shocks
United States Standing facility6 Deposit Top of policy rate target range O/N Depository institutions Help manage interest rates
less 5 bps for required reserves
and excess reserves
1
A temporary measure. 2 The interest each institution receives for a reserve maintenance period is calculated by multiplying aggregated excess reserve balances and the rate divided by 365. Aggregated excess reserve
balances are the sum of balances held by an institution at the end of each day during a reserve maintenance period less the product of the amount of required reserve per day of the institution at the month from which the
reserve maintenance period starts and the number of days of month. 3 Financial instruments firms that conduct the first financial instruments business, securities finance companies, and tanshi companies. 4 The reference
rate is the weighted average of successful bids for MAS’ SGD 500 m overnight clean borrowing conducted during Money Market Operations on the same day, rounded to two decimal places. 5 The term ‘broker-dealers’
refers to PRA-designated investment firms, see www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/pages/authorisations/designatedfirmslist.aspx. 6 This table refers to interest on reserves that depository institutions receive on their reserve
balances held at the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve also has an ON RRP facility as a supplementary tool, which is available to a different set of counterparties to also support the floor (see Table 8a).
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8.a Open market operations: repo or reverse repo
Open market operations could take different forms depending on the economic environment and counterparties’ structural liquidity position towards the central bank.
Table 8a presents details regarding two standard open market operations: repurchase agreements (RP) or reverse repurchase agreements (RRP). An RP is a liquidity-
providing transaction initiated by the central bank with the aim to provide liquidity against collateral which is then returned for a slightly higher price (which reflects the
borrowing rate). An RRP is typically a liquidity-absorbing instrument initiated by the central bank with the aim to drain liquidity by agreeing to sell an asset to a
counterparty who simultaneously agrees to re-sell the asset back to the central bank for an agreed price (reflecting the interest rate) after a stated time.
Table 8a: Open market operations: repo or reverse repo (as of September 2019)
Name/Type1 Maturity Frequency Pricing method Access limited by/to…. Function(s)
Australia RP and RRP Up to 1 year; typically At least daily Auction Most members of Reserve Bank’s Liquidity injection and withdrawal
around 1 month RTGS system
Brazil RP and RRP Up to 6 months As needed Auction Primary Dealers and Financial Reinforce target rate, Liquidity
institutions management
Canada Repo / reverse repo 1 day As needed Single price auction Primary Dealers, Government of Reinforce target rate
Canada collateral
China Repo / reverse repo Generally 7 days, other Daily Auction Primary Dealers Liquidity injection and withdrawal
maturity up to
1 year, conducted
discretionarily
Eurosystem (i) RP or (i) 1 week and 3 months Weekly for 1-week (i) Fixed rate Monetary financial institutions Basic refinancing (increased
collateralised credit2 operations; monthly (ii) Varies, no quick fulfilling eligibility criteria emphasis on intermediation)
for 3-month tenders are Fine tuning
operations conducted currently
(ii) RP–Quick tenders (ii) Varies As needed3
Hong Kong N/A
India (i) Repo / reverse repo (i) 1 day, but could be more (i) 1 x day (i) Fixed rate (i) Scheduled commercial banks Liquidity management
under LAF than 1 day due to (ii) Twice a week (ii) Auction (SCBs), select Urban Cooperative
(ii) 14-day Term repo intermittent holiday (every Tuesday and (iii) Auction Banks (UCBs) and primary dealers,
(iii) Fine-tuning Repo or (ii) 14-day Friday) select Scheduled State Cooperative
Reverse repo (iii) Varies (iii) As needed banks (SSCBs).
(ii) SCBs, select UCBs and select
(SSCBs).
(iii) SCBs, select UCBs and select
(SSCBs).
1
RP=Reversed purchase (“repo”), RS=RRP=Revered Sales (“reverse repo”), RT=Reversed transaction (RP or RRP). 2
Standard variable rate tenders. 3
Normally at the end of the maintenance period
Source: Participating central banks.
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Table 8a (cont): Open market operations: repo or reverse repo (as of September 2019)
Name/Type1 Maturity Frequency Pricing method Access limited by/to Function(s)
Japan (i) RRP (i) up to 1 year As needed Auction Financial institutions, financial (i) Liquidity injection
(ii) RP (ii) up to 6 months instruments firms that conduct the (ii) Liquidity withdrawal
first financial instruments business,
securities finance companies, and
tanshi companies
Auction: RP (Target Liquidity management, reinforce
Commercial and development
Mexico RP and deposits2 1 to 25 days in average3 Daily, as needed rate floor), Deposits target rate
banks only
(Target rate ceiling)
Korea (i) RRP i) Mainly 7 days (i) Weekly Auction Banks and investment & securities (i) Liquidity management
(ii) Fine-tuning RP or RRP (ii) Varies (ii) As needed companies selected as eligible (ii) Liquidity management
counterparties
Singapore Repo and reverse repo Up to 6 months Daily, as needed Auction Primary dealers Liquidity injection and withdrawal
Sweden N/A (See table 7b – liquidity surplus is drained by issuance of Riksbank certificates)
Switzerland Repo and Reverse repo 1 week to 1 year As needed Auction (fixed rate All domestic banks with sight Liquidity management
tender) deposits at the SNB; Other
domestic participants in the
financial market, as well as banks
that are domiciled abroad fulfilling
eligibility criteria
United (i) RP – tenders (i) 1W (suspended from (i) Weekly (i) & (iv) Previously (i) & (iv) Banks and active (i) Reserves management
Kingdom (ii) Indexed Long-Term Aug 09) (ii) Monthly variable rate auctions intermediaries (but currently (ii) Liquidity insurance
Repos (ii) 6 month (iii) As needed (but currently suspended) (iii) Liquidity insurance
(iii) Contingent Term (iii) Any term, as (iv) Once a month suspended) (iv) Reserves management
Repo Facility determined by BoE at end of (ii) and (iii) Banks, building societies
(iv) Fine-tuning RP or (iv) O/N or longer maintenance period (ii) & (iii) Uniform and broker-dealers4
RRP (suspended from Aug 09) and/or ad hoc price auctions
United States (i) RP, RRP (i) Up to 65 business days (i) Discretionary RP: Fixed-quantity RP: primary dealers; RRP: primary (i) Liquidity injection and withdrawal
(ii) ON RRP facility (ii) O/N (ii) Daily multi-price auction; dealers plus expanded RRP (ii) Reduces reserves, supports
RRP: Fixed-price or counterparties (including some US interest rate control as administered
fixed-quantity5 government-sponsored rate
enterprises, money market mutual
funds, and depository institutions)
1
RP=Reversed purchase (“repo”), RS=RRP=Reversed Sales (“reverse repo”), RT=Reversed transaction (RP or RRP). 2 For absorbing liquidity, we carry out deposit auctions. The Bank of Mexico does not provide any type of
collateral to banks, hence, we execute these OMOs operations through deposits and not RRPs. 3 The maturity of these operations has been of up to 55 days. 4 The term ‘broker-dealers’ refers to PRA-designated investment
firms, see www.bankofengland.co.uk/pra/pages/authorisations/designatedfirmslist.aspx. 5 ON RRP operations are conducted at a fixed offering rate if total propositions are less than the aggregate limit and are conducted
as a single-price auction if propositions exceed the aggregate limit.
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8.b Open market operations: central bank bills
Central bank bills are unsecured debt securities issued by the central bank for monetary policy implementation. Issuing central bank bills drains excess liquidity in the
banking system, and thus influences market interest rates. Central banks may also issue bills to support liquidity by supplying high-quality debt that can be used for
trading, investment and hedging purposes. Authorised institutions may also use holdings of central bank bills to borrow currency via the central bank’s discount window.
Table 8b shows features of the tool, including the range of maturities, allocation mechanisms, and eligible counterparties. Note that the table only includes information
on central bank bills, and central banks could use treasury bills to manage liquidity.
Table 8b: Open market operations: central bank bills (as of September 2019)
Name Total issuance Maturity Restrictions on Pricing method Access limited by/to Discretion left to
possible maturities operational desk
Australia N/A
Brazil N/A
Canada N/A
India N/A
SBI IDR 28.1 trn (as of 12 months Up to 12 months Auction Banks Maturity, size, timing
end Sep 2018)
Japan Bills drawn by BOJ None as of the 1day – 1week Up to 3 months Conventional Financial institutions, financial instruments Maturity, size and
end of 2019/8 auction firms that conduct the first financial timing of operations
instruments business, securities finance
companies, and tanshi companies
1
The PBC launched central-bank bills issuance in Hong Kong since November 2018. 2 The HKMA does not conduct open market operations. The authority launched the Exchange Fund Bills and Notes programme in 1990.
The programme ensures the supply of a significant amount of high-quality Hong Kong dollar debt papers, which can be employed as trading, investment and liquidity management instruments. At present, bills of 91 days,
182 days and 364 days, and notes of two years to maturity are issued regularly under the programme.
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Table 8b (cont): Open market operations: central bank bills (as of September 2019)
Name Total issuance Maturity Restrictions on Pricing method Access limited by/to Discretion left to
possible maturities operational desk
Korea Monetary KRW 171.1trn 91-day, Up to 2-year Auction Banks and investment & securities Choice of size and
Stabilisation Bond 182-day, companies selected as eligible timing of operations
1-year, counterparties
2-year
Mexico Government MXN 1,013bn Zero-coupon Longest maturity for Multiple or single Banks and Bank of Mexico eligible Some discretion related
bonds1 bonds: up to a Zero-coupon bonds price competitive counterparties (ie pension funds, to the choice of tenors,
year capped at 1 year auctions investment funds, brokerage houses) issue size, and
FRN: Up to 5 years and for FRN instruments used.
currently capped at Always with upper
5 years management approval
Singapore MAS bills SGD 123.7bn 4 weeks, 12 weeks Up to 6 months Uniform price All institutional investors Yes
outstanding2 auction
Sweden Riksbank An amount up to 1 week No Fixed rate auction, Monetary policy counterparties Choice of amount
certificates the banking pro rata allocation offered
systems net
position towards
the Riksbank is
offered
Switzerland SNB bills Less than 1 year Auction, variable All parties who have a sight deposit Maturity, marginal rate
rate tender with account with the SNB and who are and amount issued
American allocation authorised to participate in the SIX Repo
Ltd ‘CH Repo Market’ and ‘OTC Spot
Market’ are eligible to participate in
auctions (also on behalf of their
customers ie non-banks)
United Bank of England Not currently 1 week ≤1 week Variable rate Banks and active intermediaries
Kingdom bills being issued
United States N/A
1
The Bank of Mexico uses government bonds for its outright securities sell/purchase open market operations. However, it should be stressed that these securities do not finance the government and that the financial costs
are completely covered by the Central Bank. 2 As of 19 August 2019.
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8.c Open market operations: FX swaps
Foreign exchange swaps are a contract between two parties to exchange one currency for another, and then reverse that transaction later at a specific future date. Central
banks generally use FX swaps to manage domestic liquidity, implement monetary policy, manage foreign exchange reserves, and to stimulate domestic financial markets.
Table 8c details the maturity of FX swap contracts used, if any, and the pricing methods. FX swaps can often be used on a case-by-case basis, eg as part of temporary
measures to ease foreign currency shortages during times of financial market stress.
Australia Up to 3 months Several times per month1 Bilateral with counter parties FX counterparty panel Liquidity injection & withdrawal
Brazil N/A
Canada N/A
China
Japan
Korea
Mexico N/A
1
The RBA offers to undertake outright transactions daily, but only transacts when attractive relative to repo. FX swaps are used to manage large, lumpy flows and to help manage the size of the domestic repo book. The RBI
has introduced FX swap auctions as liquidity management tool in March 2019.
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Table 8c (cont): Open market operations: FX swaps (as of September 2019)
Singapore Up to 6 months Daily, as needed Auction Primary dealers Liquidity injection & withdrawal
Sweden N/A
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9. Other significant liquidity management means
Besides the open market operations listed in table 8, central banks can also manage liquidity using tools such as outright transactions, direct borrowing, and direct
lending. Central banks may use these operations to affect market liquidity, to provide monetary policy accommodation, and/or to improve market functioning. Table 9
summarises the form, frequency, maturity, pricing method, counterparty access, and functions of these type of operations.
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Table 9 (cont): Other significant liquidity management means1 (as of September 2019)
Name/Type2 Form Frequency Maturity Pricing method Access limited by/to Function(s)
Eurosystem Targeted Longer-term 8 operations, 48 months MRO + 10 bps for ECB eligible monetary policy Improving bank lending to the
Refinancing Operations last one maximum first 2 TLTROs / MRO counterparties that have euro area non-financial
(TLTROs) conducted in flat for subsequent submitted required statistical private sector, excluding
June 2016 6 TLTROs. data to calculate allowances household loans for house
purchase
Targeted-Longer-term 4 operations, 48 months Between MRO and ECB eligible monetary policy Improving bank lending to the
Refinancing Operations last one to be DF rates depending counterparties that have euro area non-financial
(TLTROs-II) conducted in on lending behaviour submitted required statistical private sector, excluding
March 2017 data to calculate allowances household loans for house
purchase
Targeted-Longer-term 7 operations, to 36 months Between MRO and ECB eligible monetary policy Preserving favourable bank
Refinancing Operations be conducted DF rates depending counterparties that have lending conditions and
(TLTROs-III) between on lending behaviour submitted required statistical stimulate bank lending to the
September data to calculate allowances real economy
2019 and
March 2021
Asset Purchase Daily (i) 1–30 years (i) buying alongside ECB eligible monetary policy (i) monetary policy
Programme (APP), (ii) not specified market counterparties and Eurosystem accommodation
including: (iii) not specified (ii) buying alongside investment counterparties (ii and iii) monetary policy
(i) OT purchases of bonds (iv) 0.5–30 years market accommodation and
issued by euro area central (iii) buying alongside enhancement of monetary
and regional governments, market transmission mechanism by
agencies and European (iv) buying alongside supporting market segments
institutions (PSPP) market that play key role in credit
(ii) OT purchases of ABS provision to broad economy
(ABSPP) (iv) monetary policy
(iii) OT purchases of accommodation and further
covered bonds (CBPP3) strengthening of the pass-
(iv) OT purchases of through of the Eurosystem’s
corporate bonds (CSPP) asset purchases to the
financing conditions of the
real economy
1
For example, other liquidity management operations or other accounts held at the central bank that affect market liquidity. 2
OT = Outright Transaction, DB = Direct Borrowing, DL = Direct Lending.
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Table 9 (cont): Other significant liquidity management means1 (as of September 2019)
Name/Type2 Form Frequency Maturity Pricing method Access limited by/to Function(s)
Hong Kong Liquidity Facilities Term repo, As and when Determined case Determined case Authorised institutions Maintenance of financial
Framework3 FX swap, need, upon banks’ by case by case stability
credit facilities requests
India Open market outright Outright As and when Varies from (i) Auction No restriction. Entities having Durable liquidity management
purchase/sales purchase and needed, at the auction to auction (ii) Market securities account and funds
sales discretion of the clearing price account with the RBI can
Reserve Bank participate.
No restriction
OT (purchase and sales) OT (purchase As needed – Auction/Bilateral Banks Liquidity management
and sales)
Japan (i) OT purchases of JGS, (i) OT purchases (i) 1 x day (i) up to 40Y i) Auction / Financial institutions, financial (i) To encourage a decline in
CP/CB, ETF/J-REIT (ii) Auction (ii) 1–3 x day (ii) Auction Bilateral / Fixed instruments firms that conduct longer-term interest rates and
(ii) Funds – supplying lending and (iii) 1–2 x day lending: up to rate the first financial instruments various risk premiums
operations against pooled fixed rate 1 year, fixed rate (ii) Auction / Fixed business, securities finance (ii) Gross tuning
collateral lending lending: up to rate companies, and tanshi (iii) To provide a temporary
(iii) Loan support program (iii)RP 10 years (iii) Auction rate companies. and secondary source of JGBs
(iv) SLF (Securities lending (iii) 1 day to the markets
facility)
Korea (i) Monetary Stabilisation (i) Term deposit (i) weekly (i) Mainly 28-day (i) Auction (i) Banks selected as eligible RP (i) Liquidity management
Account (ii) As needed (ii) varies (ii) Auction counterparties (ii) Liquidity management
(ii) OT (ii) Banks and investment &
(iii) As needed (iii) varies (iii) Auction (iii) Liquidity management
securities companies selected as
(iii) Securities lending eligible counterparties
/borrowing
(iii) Banks and investment &
securities and life insurance
companies selected as eligible
counterparties
1
For example, other liquidity management operations or other accounts held at the central bank that affect market liquidity. 2
OT = Outright Transaction, DB = Direct Borrowing, DL = Direct Lending. 3
Details of the
Liquidity Facilities Framework can be found on the HKMA website.
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Table 9 (cont): Other significant liquidity management means1 (as of September 2019)
Name/Type2 Form Frequency Maturity Pricing method Access limited by/to Function(s)
Fixed rate (same
Alternative for small banks
as 91-day Cete
without MRD to maintain as a
(zero-coupon
Commercial banks and source of collateral for
Mexico Voluntary deposits Liquidity deposit Every 3 months 91 days bond) alloted in
development banks operations of liquidity
government
provision carried out by the
securities primary
Central Bank.
auction)
Singapore DB Overnight to Daily, as needed Up to 6 months Auction Primary dealers Liquidity injection and
term deposits withdrawal
6 month treasury bills 6 months Fortnightly, as 6 months Auction Individuals and institutions Liquidity injection and
needed withdrawal
Sweden OT Reverse auctions Weekly May include all Multi price Monetary policy counterparties Monetary policy
Purchase of Swedish on electronic maturities auction
government bonds trading platform
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10. Settlement systems and intra-day liquidity facilities
Central banks play a critical role in maintaining an economy’s payment infrastructure by operating systems used to settle generally large-value interbank funds and
securities transfers. Central bank intra-day liquidity facilities are designed to help ensure the smooth functioning of payment, clearing, and settlement activities that occur
in the financial system by temporarily extending credit to institutions that have insufficient funds to meet payment obligations during the day.
Table 10 presents information about: i) the settlement system over which payments occur, ii) the type of intra-day liquidity facility, iii) the charge for central bank extension
of intra-day credit, iv) whether the central bank has a foreign currency settlement system, v) whether the country’s banks participate in the CLS (Continuous Linked
Settlement) bank, and vi) any other settlement systems operated by the central bank.
Table 10: Settlement systems and intra-day liquidity facilities (as of September 2019)
Settlement system Intra-day liquidity Charge Foreign currency CLS participation by Other settlement
facility settlement system banks system(s)
Australia RTGS, since 1998 Intra-day repo No charge for repo No Yes Yes1
operations
Brazil RTGS, since 2002 Federal Bonds Repo No charge N/A N/A N/A
Canada LVTS, since 1999 Intra-day pledged No charge No Yes CDSX (securities
collateral settlement system)
China RTGS, since 2005 Intra-day collateral loan Charge at interest rate of No Yes
and overdraft SLF(Standing Lending
Facility)
Eurosystem RTGS, since 1999 Intra-day repo and No charge if against No Yes Ancillary systems2
overdraft, depending on collateral
country
Hong Kong RTGS, since 1996 Automatic intraday repo3 No charge, with haircut RMB, USD and EUR RTGS Yes Yes4
applied
1
Cheques, Government direct entry and card based payments systems settle on a deferred net basis. Some changes were implemented to non-Government same-day DE on 25 November 2013, requiring the provision of
Open RBA Repos. The settlement system for debt securities trades settles on an RTGS basis. The settlement system for equities settles on a deferred multilateral net basis (though an unused RTGS option exists). 2 Ancillary
systems are those systems in which payments or securities are exchanged and/or cleared while the ensuing monetary obligations are settled in TARGET. 3 Intraday repo transaction will be automatically entered between the
HKMA and a bank when a bank's clearing account has insufficient fund to effect its payment obligations. 4 CMU system – a clearing and settlement system for debt securities.
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Table 10 (cont): Settlement systems and intra-day liquidity facilities (as of September 2019)
Settlement system Intra-day liquidity facility Charge Foreign currency CLS participation by Other settlement
settlement system banks system(s)
India RTGS Intra-day liquidity facility No charge Yes; netting through a No. CLS services to Government Securities
central counterparty with Indian banks provided by settlement through
Settlement on delivery Clearing Corporation of central counterparty
versus payment (DvP India Ltd (CCIL) as third (CCIL)
basis) party1
Japan RTGS, since 2001 Collateralised intra-day No charge No Yes Yes2
overdraft
Korea RTGS, since 1994 Collateralised intra-day No charge unless the intra- No Yes
Hybrid, since 2009 overdraft day credit amount is more
than 25% of financial
institution’s equity capital
Intra-day repo No charge
Mexico RTGS Intra-day repo and intra-day No charge Yes Yes, some commercial N/A
overdraft through secured loans banks
Singapore RTGS, since 1998 Intra-day repo facility for all No charge unless otherwise No Yes Securities settlement
eligible MEPS+ participants that announced system
have signed a GMRA with MAS
Sweden RTGS, current Intra-day collateralised loan Lending against collateral No Yes Securities settlement
platform launched without interest rate system
2009
Switzerland RTGS, since 1987 Intra-day repo No charge (110% collateral) EUR RTGS Yes Securities settlement
system
United Kingdom RTGS, since 1996 Intra-day collateralised loan No charge No Yes Yes3
United States RTGS, since 1970 Daylight overdraft caps. Fee if No charge if against collateral; No Yes Yes4
uncollateralised. Fee if uncollateralised
No charge
1
CCIL started the settlement of cross currency deals of banks in India through the CLS Bank in April 2005. Through this arrangement, CCIL aggregates trades reported by all Member banks and enables banks to collectively
enjoy the benefits of cross currency settlement through CLS Bank. This is a unique experiment whereby cross border settlement of an entire country is being achieved through a third party arrangement. Settlement through
the CLS mechanism is on a payment versus payment basis. 2 The Bank of Japan operates the JGB Book-Entry Transfer System as a book-entry transfer institution for the Japanese government bond. 3 Retail clearings not
relevant to the money market or monetary policy implementation – those for standing orders etc, for cheques and giro credits, for credit and debit cards, and for automated teller machines. Also payment systems embedded
within CREST, the UK securities settlement system – used for market repos and Bank of England repos of securities held in CREST. 4 Other settlement systems include those not relevant to monetary policy implementation,
including securities settlement systems, large value payment systems and retail payment systems.
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11. Collateral
Central bank’s credit operations often include collateralised lending to central bank counterparties. This approach is designed to protect central banks from financial risk.
Table 11 summarises which assets are deemed eligible as collateral in various central bank credit operations, as well as the difference in the types of collateral used to
secure loans from standing facilities (see Table 7) and in open market operations (see Table 8).
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank on collateral1 List of eligible collateral Discretion of
central bank on
collateral1
Australia AAA-rated AUD long-term debt securities (including Complete discretion, subject to notice AAA-rated AUD long-term debt securities Complete discretion
asset-backed) issued in Australia (can apply to use self- periods under Committed Liquidity Facility (including asset-backed) issued in Australia.
securitised asset-backed securities in standing facilities Additionally, all short-term debt and long-
only). Additionally, all short-term debt and long-term debt term debt (subject to a minimum credit
(subject to a minimum credit rating) issued by authorised rating) issued by authorised deposit-taking
deposit-taking institutions is eligible. Full list available at: institutions is eligible. Full list available at:
http://www.rba.gov.au/mkt-operations/resources/tech- http://www.rba.gov.au/mkt-
notes/eligible-securities.html operations/resources/tech-notes/eligible-
securities.html
Brazil Domestic Federal Bonds No Domestic Federal Bonds No
Canada Only Canadian-dollar assets are eligible to be pledged as Notwithstanding the eligibility criteria, the Directly issued Government of Canada The operations are
collateral with the exception of securities issued by the US Bank of Canada retains the right to reject or marketable securities denominated in discretionary, but
Treasury in US dollars. accept any asset at its discretion, and/or to Canadian dollars once offered, the
A wide range of securities from public and private sector impose additional risk mitigants such as Bank will accept the
issuers are eligible. Full list available at: higher margins or further concentration specified collateral
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/markets/market- limits. up to the amount
operations-liquidity-provision/browse-collateral-policies/. available to the
counterparty.
1
Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary
collateral changes.
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Table 11 (cont): Collateral (as of September 2019)
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank on collateral1 List of eligible collateral Discretion of
central bank on
collateral1
China High quality bonds and loans The PBC has expanded LPP (Loan Pledged Program) and Government bonds, None
ICR(Internal Credit Rating) programs nationwide on the basis of Central Bank bills and
the pilot experience on December 2017. The loans of the corporate Policy Bank bonds,
borrowers who meet the ICR standards could be brought into the Government Sponsored
eligible pool of collateral of PBC. Bonds and other High
quality bonds
Eurosystem No distinction is made between collateral eligible The Governing Council has the possibility to expand the list of (See entry for standing (See entry for
for Marginal Lending Facility / Open Market eligible assets; only limited by Article 18.1 of the Statute of the facilities) standing facilities)
Operations /Intraday credit. ESCB, which defines that all Eurosystem credit operations need to
Two categories: be based on adequate collateral; concept of “adequate” has two
dimensions, ie Eurosystem protection from incurring losses and
1. Marketable assets, representing around
availability of sufficient collateral to a broad set of counterparties;
14 trillion euros (not all available on the banks’
eligibility criteria are laid down in the “General framework;
balance sheets). Full list available on ECB Website
additional temporary measures on collateral eligibility are laid
(-> Collateral).
down in “Temporary framework”;
2. Non marketable assets. By contrast with
marketable assets, the amount of non-marketable Euro area credit institutions can receive central bank credit not
assets which are eligible as collateral only only through monetary policy operations, but exceptionally also
becomes known to the Eurosystem upon through emergency liquidity assistance (ELA), which can be
submission, ie once effectively used as collateral. collateralised by assets other than the assets which are eligible for
Eligibility tables for both categories available on monetary policy credit operations. ELA means the provision by a
the ECB’s Website (Home -> Monetary Policy -> Eurosystem NCB of 1) central bank money and/or 2) any other
Collateral -> Eligibility criteria and assessment). assistance that may lead to an increase in central bank money to a
Amounts eligible and used as collateral are also solvent financial institution, or group of solvent financial
published on the ECB’s Website. institutions, that is facing temporary liquidity problems, without
such operation being part of the single monetary policy.
Hong Kong Exchange Fund paper No N/A
India Government securities including State Yes 2
Liquidity Adjustment Yes3
Government securities Facility : Central and State
Government securities
1
Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary collateral
changes. 2 The discretion over collateral to be accepted as a part of monetary policy operations is only limited by what is provided in the RBI Act, 1934. 3 RBI has the discretion but it has so far not diluted the collateral.
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Table 11 (cont): Collateral (as of September 2019)
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank List of eligible collateral Discretion of central
on collateral1 bank on collateral1
Japan Government Bonds, Treasury Discount Bills, Government-guaranteed Bonds, Categories of collateral are Same as those of standing Same as those of
Municipal Bonds, Fiscal Investment and Loan Program Agency Bonds, directed by the policy board facilities standing facilities
Corporate Bonds, CP, Bills drawn by companies, ABSs, ABCP, Foreign
Government Bonds, Bonds issued by Real Estate Investment Corporations,
Bill drawn by Real Estate Investment Corporations, International Financial
Institution Bonds, Electronically Recorded Monetary Claims on Companies,
Loans on Deeds to Companies, Electronically Recorded Monetary Claims on
the Government (including Government's Special Accounts), Loans on Deeds
to the Government (including Government’s Special Account, Electronically
Recorded Monetary Claims with Government Guarantees, Loans on Deeds
with Government Guarantees, Electronically Recorded Monetary Claims on
Real Estate investment Corporations, Loans on Deeds to Real Estate
investment Corporations, Electronically Recorded Monetary Claims on
Municipal Governments, Loans on Deeds to Municipal Governments, Foreign
Government Bonds of US, UK, Germany or France, denominated in local
currency, Loans on Deeds to Companies Denominated in the US Dollar,
Beneficial Interest of a Trust in Housing Loans.2
Korea Credit securities including bills acquired by financial institutions through Monetary Policy Board decides Treasury securities, Monetary Policy Board
lending. The remaining maturities of the credit securities must be reached collateral types for standing Government-guaranteed decides collateral types
within one year of their acquisition by the BOK. facilities, if necessary securities, for OMOs if necessary
Bonds issued by government or bonds whose principal and interest are MSBs only applicable to repo
guaranteed by government. (liquidity supply)
Monetary stabilisation bonds (MSBs)
1
Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary
collateral changes. 2 The BOJ has requirements for some types of collateral such as external credit ratings and residual maturity. The BOJ established "Temporary Rules regarding the Eligibility Standards for Debt of Companies
and Municipal Governments" in June 2019, and temporarily expanded the range of eligible collateral. For more information, please see https://www.boj.or.jp/en/announcements/release_2019/rel190620a.pdf.
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Table 11 (cont): Collateral (as of September 2019)
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank on collateral1 List of eligible collateral Discretion of central
bank on collateral1
Mexico Monetary regulation deposits (MRDs), deposits executed Complete discretion. For regular standing Government bonds, central bank Complete discretion.
through OMOs, voluntary deposits (3-month deposits), facilities the list of eligible collateral is already bonds, and IPAB2 bonds. Also, For regular OMOs the
deposits carried out in the determination of the TIIE rate, and set; still, it could change under the Central monetary regulation deposits list of eligible collateral
USD deposits are eligible. Government bonds, central bank Bank´s discretion. Also, the Bank of Mexico (MRDs), deposits carried out in is already set; still, it
bonds, IPAB bonds.2 has the possibility to expand the list of the determination of the TIIE could change under
eligible assets through emergency standing rate, voluntary deposits (3- the Central Bank´s
facilities. Eligibility criteria is laid down in month deposits), and USD discretion.
current regulation. deposits are eligible.
Singapore 1. Singapore Government Securities Yes Singapore Government Yes
2. MAS Bills Securities, US dollars (FX swap)
3. SGD debt securities, including sukuk, issued by any
Singapore statutory board and AAA-rated or AA-rated public
sector entity, supranational, sovereign, sovereign-guaranteed
company or non-financial company.
4. Foreign currency denominated securities and cash specified
in a bilateral arrangement involving the provision of liquidity
entered into between MAS and the foreign central bank or
monetary authority.
Sweden Government bonds, Treasury bills, Municipal bonds, The Riksbank can decide on a security’s Same as for standing facilities. Same as for standing
Supranational bonds, Covered bonds and Corporate bonds creditworthiness regardless of any external facilities.
(minimum rating A-/A3). rating.
Own-name securities as well as securities issued by closely The Riksbank can always change the rules on
related entities are not accepted. However, this does not apply eligible collateral. This would normally require
for covered bonds or bonds guaranteed by central government, a consultation process with counterparties.
but then the rating requirement is AA-/Aa3.
Securities issued by credit institutions are only accepted if they
are covered or guaranteed by central or local government.
For own-named covered bonds as well as securities will rating
lower than AA-/Aa3, there are concentration limits with regard
to the share of total collateral.
1
Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary
collateral changes. 2 IPAB: Refers to Instituto para la Protección al Ahorro Bancario and is an institution dedicated to protect depositors´ money at a commercial bank in Mexico. Among its main functions, IPAB guarantees
bank deposits of up to 400,000 investments units (Udis) or approximately 2.4 million pesos, it implements measures to resolve any solvency problems from banks, manages assets from banks with solvency problems, and
manages its own debt through the issuance of Savings Protections Bonds (BPAs).
Source: Participating central banks.
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Table 11 (cont): Collateral (as of September 2019)
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank
on collateral1 on collateral1
Switzerland Only those securities included in the list of collateral eligible for SNB repos The SNB can expand the See entry for standing See entry for standing
may be used as collateral for repo transactions. This list is continuously collateral universe at its facilities facilities
updated and published on the SNB's website (www.snb.ch > Financial markets discretion beyond the
> Monetary policy operations > Repos). current baskets, assuming
The criteria that must be met in order for securities (debt certificates) to be the additional collateral
eligible for SNB repos include the following: meets its standards set, eg,
for credit quality and
(i) The securities are issued by central banks, public sector entities,
liquidity.
international or supranational institutions, multilateral development banks
and private sector entities. Securities issued by financial institutions are, as
a rule, not eligible as collateral for SNB repos. However, covered bonds
issued by financial institutions are admissible, provided the issuer is not a
domestic financial institution or its foreign subsidiary. Also admissible are
securities issued by the mortgage bond bank of the Swiss mortgage
institutions and the mortgage bond institute of the Swiss cantonal banks.
(ii) The securities have a fixed-principal amount with unconditional
redemption.
(iii) The securities have a fixed rate, floating rate or zero coupon.
(iv) The securities are traded on a recognised stock exchange or a
representative market in Switzerland or a member state of the European
Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) with price data
published on a regular basis.
(v) The securities can be delivered through SIX SIS Ltd (SIS); intermediate and
ultimate depository in Switzerland or an EU or EEA member state.
(vi) The country and securities ratings are based on credit ratings of at least
one of the rating agencies – Standard & Poor's, Moody's or Fitch.
In addition to the general criteria, further criteria apply. Those criteria vary
between securities denominated in Swiss Francs and securities denominated in
foreign currency. Details can be found in the "Instruction sheet on collateral
eligible for SNB repos" published on the SNB website.
1
Discretion of the central bank to expand collateral types, and list of additional collateral types that the central bank can take on a discretionary basis. Also, additional information such as delays required if discretionary
collateral changes.
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Table 11 (cont): Collateral (as of September 2019)
List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank on List of eligible collateral Discretion of central bank
collateral1 on collateral1
United Gilts (including gilt strips) The Bank sets out public Collateral split according to liquidity characteristics The Bank sets out public
Kingdom Sterling Treasury bills eligibility criteria, though has the Level A (eg highly liquid high-quality sovereign debt) eligible eligibility criteria, though has
discretion to change those for intra-day liquidity, short-term OMOs, Indexed Long-Term the discretion to change
Bank of England securities
criteria as required Repo (ILTR), Discount Window Facility (DWF), Contingent those criteria as required.
HM Government non-sterling marketable
Term Repo Facility (CTRF), Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS)
debt
and Term Funding Scheme (TFS): The Bank does not normally
Sterling, euro, US dollar and
1. Gilts (including gilt strips) accept equities as collateral
Canadian dollar denominated securities
2. Sterling Treasury bills under the SMF but has put in
(including associated strips) issued by
place (as of August 2018) the
the governments and central banks of 3. Bank of England securities
technical measures to allow
Canada, France, Germany, the 4. HM Government non-sterling marketable debt it to do so at its discretion,
Netherlands and the United States
5. Sterling, euro, US dollar and Canadian dollar should the need arise.
denominated securities (including associated strips)
issued by the governments and central banks of Canada,
France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States
Level B (eg liquid high quality sovereign, supranational,
mortgage and corporate bonds) eligible for ILTR, DWF, CTRF,
FLS and TFS.
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12. Dissemination of operational information: liquidity forecast
As explained in Table 6 above, forecasting liquidity involves projecting the evolution of the balance sheet of the central bank. Publishing liquidity forecasts may allow
individual institutions to better judge their own liquidity position relative to the overall supply and demand in the market, and estimate the likely amount of open market
operations.
Table 12 lists some of the channels central banks use to publish forecasts. The ex-ante publication of forecasts can be combined with ex-post publication of
operations (see Table 13).
Table 12: Dissemination of operational information: liquidity forecast (as of September 2019)
Forecast Channel(s) Timing Remarks
published?
Australia Yes Reuters, Bloomberg, Shortly before operations Forecast for current day only
RBA website in Statistical Table A3 after
operations
Brazil No
Canada Yes BOC Website 4:20 pm Same-day final level of excess settlement
balances in the payment system and the
target level for the following business day
China No
Eurosystem Yes ECB website, Market Information Together with announcement and allotment of weekly Forecasts for daily averages during the
Dissemination (MID) main refinancing operations and (possibly) fine-tuning length of the main refinancing operation
operations and not daily values are published
Hong Kong Yes Reuters, Bloomberg, and HKMA website Real time on Reuters and Bloomberg and daily release on Forecast on changes in the Aggregate
website Balance
India No
Japan Yes Current account balance (with Current account balance: around 18:00 on the previous
autonomous factors and OMOs): working day
BOJ website, 6 info vendors (Reuters,
Bloomberg, Nikkei-Quick, Dow Jones,
Jiji-Tsushin, Kyodo-tsushin)
Korea No
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Table 12 (cont): Dissemination of operational information: liquidity forecast (as of September 2019)
Forecast Channel(s) Timing Remarks
published?
Mexico Yes Bank of Mexico website and through a Same day actual level of liquidity
Shortly before morning OMOs (around 7:15 am)
dedicated broadcast system for banks surplus/deficit
Singapore No
Sweden No
Switzerland No
United Kingdom No
United States No
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13. Dissemination of operational information: open market operations
Central banks often provide ex-post transparency into open market operations, including information about the volume and price of the transactions, as well as
disclosures about the central bank’s security holdings. The optimal degree of central bank transparency is influenced by the market context in which the central bank
operates; in some cases, “too much” transparency can contribute to market dysfunction by facilitating market segmentation or manipulation. 19 Some central banks
provide ex-ante transparency into open market operations, including details about operational calendars, security types, maturities, and purchase amounts in advance,
especially when auctions are the primary method of purchase. This approach presents key trade-offs between certainty and flexibility. Ex-ante transparency could
potentially lead to less volatility and more efficient monetary policy transmission; however, it could also reduce central bank flexibility and discretion in conducting open
market operations.
Table 13 shows: i) whether the volume and price of central bank open market transactions are published, ii) through which channel(s) operational information is
disseminated, and iii) the timing of the release of operational information.
Table 13: Dissemination of operational information: open market operations (as of September 2019)
Volume and price published? Channel(s) Timing
Australia Yes Reuters, Bloomberg, Website On Reuters and Bloomberg at the conclusion of auction.
On website within two hours of operations (published at 11:30).
Brazil Yes BCB website Immediately after operations
Canada Yes BOC website Cash value of open market operations announced shortly after each operation.
19
For more discussion, see the forthcoming Markets Committee Study Group report, “Large Central Bank Balance Sheets and Market Functioning”.
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Table 13 (cont): Dissemination of operational information: open market operations (as of September 2019)
Volume and price published? Channel(s) Timing
India Yes Press release on RBI website (i) Repo injection by 4 pm on the same day and information on complete LAF
operation (including reserve repo and MSF) on next working day at 9 am.
(ii) Press release on the same day after the operation for variable rate fine-tuning
operations (FTOs) and outright purchase/sale auctions.
Japan Yes – all types BOJ-NET, BOJ website, 6 info vendors Volume: simultaneously with the offer of each operation
Price results: Simultaneously with the notification of the result of each operation to
counterparties
Korea Yes Electronic tender system in BOK-wire, Immediately upon finishing operations
BOK Website, Reuters, K-Bond
Mexico Yes Bank of Mexico website and auctions Volume and Price (minimum and/or maximum bid): Shortly before operations with
system auction announcement
Volume and Pricing Allotment: Immediately upon finishing operations
Singapore Yes to Primary Dealers only – Direct Reuters FXT system Each morning1
borrowing; repo / reverse repo; FX
swaps
Sweden Yes Reuters, Bloomberg Results of Riksbank certificates auctions are published on Tuesdays 15 minutes after
closed auction
Switzerland Yes Auction announcement: wire services, SIX Repo:
Repo Ltd electronic trading platform (i) Price is published at the time auction starts (auction announcement)
Results: SNB website (ii) Results (volume, allotment) are available on the SNB’s website
SNB Bills:
(iii) Price (marginal rate) is published on the day of payment
(iv) Results (volume, allotment, outstanding volume) are published on the SNB’s
website
United Kingdom Yes Wire services, BoE website Between 5 minutes and 10 minutes after the close of the auction depending on the
complexity of the operation
1
Issuances of 6-month T-bills and MAS bills are announced on a fixed schedule in advance on the SGS and MAS website respectively, as are the results of 6-month T-bills and MAS bills auctions.
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Table 13 (cont): Dissemination of operational information: open market operations (as of September 2019)
Volume and price published? Channel(s) Timing
United States Yes Trade system, central The following information is available on the FRBNY website:
bank website, wire
Repo/RRPs:
services
- Prior to operation: schedule of repo / reverse repos, start and close time, settlement date, term of
trade, auction method, collateral type
- Post-operation: amount submitted/accepted, stop-out rate per collateral type, weighted average
rate per collateral type, high/low rate per collateral type
- Quarterly: Aggregate take-up by counterparty type
- Dodd Frank Act: transaction details on OMO trades made public quarterly with a two-year lag.
MBS purchases:
- Prior to operation: date and time of operations, specific securities and maximum amount to be
purchased/sold, settlement date
- Post-operation: Amount bought/sold per security and total amount of bids/offers received and
accepted
- Monthly: Individual transaction information, including trade date, securities purchased/sold, trade
price, settlement date, and operation type
- Dodd Frank Act: transaction details on OMO trades made public quarterly with a two-year lag.
Treasury Rollovers:
- Treasury Department reports amount of SOMA holdings maturing ahead of auction and amount of
SOMA tenders and awards in auction results (no info published on FRBNY website).
Source: Participating central banks.
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14. Dissemination of operational information: standing facilities
Disseminating information on central bank operations, including the use of standing facilities, is an important feature in informing external stakeholders about central
bank transactions. However, reporting central bank lending (and deposit) activity should avoid creating market dysfunction, for example through stigma effects.
Table 14 presents the channel(s) the central bank uses to inform the public on lending and deposit activity and its timing.
Table 14: Dissemination of operational information: standing facilities (as of September 2019)
Lending facility usage Deposit facility usage
Brazil BCB website Weekly - every Wednesday at 12:30 BCB website Weekly - every Wednesday at
Brasília time 12:30 Brasília time
Canada BOC website Monthly average and actual Wednesday BOC website Monthly average and actual Wednesday
amounts published at a weekly amounts published at a weekly
frequency with a 1-week lag frequency with a 1-week lag
China PBC website Monthly N/A
Eurosystem ECB website, Market Information Daily between 09:10 and 09:15 ECB time ECB website, Market Information Daily between 09:10 and 09:15 ECB time
Dissemination (MID) Dissemination (MID)
Hong Kong No1 N/A
Japan2 BOJ website, 6 info vendors Daily at around 6 pm BOJ website Monthly
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Table 14 (cont): Dissemination of operational information: standing facilities (as of September 2019)
Lending facility usage Deposit facility usage
United Kingdom Wire services, BoE website Average use over the maintenance Wire services, BoE website Average use over the maintenance
period is published on the third period is published on the third
Wednesday after the relevant Wednesday after the relevant
maintenance period maintenance period
United States FRB website Weekly (every Thursday afternoon as of FRB website Weekly – every Thursday afternoon as
COB Wednesday) – aggregate volume, of COB Wednesday
FR System and by FR district
Quarterly (with a two-year lag) –
individual loan details (borrower name,
facility, rate, loan amount, amounts of
collateral by type)
Source: Participating central banks.
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15. Other information dissemination
Besides information on the liquidity forecast (Table 12), open market operations (Table 13), and standing facilities (Table 14), some central banks disseminate additional
information related to their monetary policy operating procedures, such as information on the amount of FX interventions. Table 15 summarises the main types of other
information disseminated, the channels and the timing.
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Table 15 (cont): Other information dissemination (as of September 2019)
Type Channel(s) Timing
Eurosystem FX intervention Press release, possibly; weekly financial After intervention has taken place
statements
Asset Purchase Programme outstanding book values ECB website, Market Information Weekly at the time of the MRO announcement
Dissemination (MID)
Outstanding book value of the Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) ECB website Monthly
per country of issuance of the assets purchased and weighted average of
the remaining maturity of the holdings.
Weekly list of ISINs of PSPP securities available for lending under the ECB website Weekly
securities lending programme.
Split of Covered Bond Purchase Programme holdings between primary ECB website Monthly
and secondary market purchases.
List of eligible marketable assets ECB website Daily
Amounts of assets that are eligible and used as collateral by asset ECB website Quarterly publication of monthly data
category
Hong Kong FX operations1 Reuters, Bloomberg, HKMA website Daily
India (i) Cash balances of scheduled commercial banks with RBI (i) Press release (i) 9.00 AM, Daily
(three-day lag); volume and average rate in call / CBLO / market repo / (ii) Press release (ii) 9.00 AM, Daily
notice / term segments of the money market (one-day lag) (iii) Weekly Statistical Supplement (WSS) (iii) Weekly
(ii) Government of India surplus cash balance reckoned for auction to the RBI Bulletin (iv) Monthly
(iii) Level and Variation in FX Reserves (one-week lag)
(iv) RBI Bulletin
(iv) FX Intervention during a month (about one-month lag)
(i) to (iv) placed on the RBI website
1
FX operation refers to market operations due to the triggering of the Convertibility Undertaking and operations within the Convertibility Zone.
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Table 15 (cont): Other information dissemination (as of September 2019)
Type Channel(s) Timing
Singapore (i) FX operations (net purchase of foreign exchange on a six-month (i) MAS website (i) Every 6 months, starting from the second half
aggregated basis, and with a six-month lag from end of the period) of 2019
(ii) Review of MAS Money Market Operations (ii) MAS Macroeconomic Review (ii) April and October
(iii) Issuance size and auction results of central bank bills (iii) MAS website (iii) Upon issuance or announcement
(iv) Outstanding FX swaps (iv) MAS website (iv) Monthly
Sweden N/A
Switzerland Amount of FX intervention / income from negative rates charged on Accountability report Yearly
sight deposit account balances SNB website Weekly
Average of sight deposits in CHF at the SNB SNB and SIX Ltd. Website Daily
Swiss Average Rate Overnight (SARON)
1
Detailed information released every 3 months on MOF website. Information released on the BOJ website is as an item behind the changes to the amount of current account balance.
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Table 15 (cont): Other information dissemination (as of September 2019)
Type Channel(s) Timing
United Kingdom The Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA), a widely used interest Bloomberg, Reuters 9am daily
rate benchmark and the reference rate for sterling Overnight Indexed
Swaps (OIS). The BoE became its administrator in April 2016 taking on BoE website By 10am daily
the end to end process in April 2018.
Aggregate total stock of APF corporate bonds purchased BoE website, Reuters, Bloomberg Weekly – every Thursday at 3.00pm
The Bank’s holdings of APF corporate bonds by sector BoE website, Reuters, Bloomberg Monthly – first Thursday of the month at 3.00pm
Results of gilt APF auctions, including offers received and accepted, BoE website Post-operation
weighted average price, highest accepted price and lowest accepted
price for each stock offered
Aggregate total stock of APF gilts purchased that week and to date BoE website, Reuters, Bloomberg Weekly – every Friday at 10.00am
The total amount of TFS lending outstanding BoE website, Reuters, Bloomberg Weekly – every Friday at 10.00am
The amount of TFS lending outstanding, broken down by counterparty BoE website Quarterly – with a 5 week lag
United States (i) Effective federal funds rate (EFFR) (i) FRBNY website (i) Daily
(ii) Overnight bank funding rate (OBFR) (ii) FRBNY website (ii) Daily
(iii) Treasury Repo Reference Rates (SOFR, BGCR, TGCR) (iii) FRBNY website (iii) Daily
(iv) Balance sheet data (iv) Board of Governors website (iv) Weekly
(v) Reserves data (v) Board of Governors website (v) Weekly
(vi) Treasury account balances (vi) Daily Treasury Statement (vi) Daily
(vii) FX intervention1 (vii) Treasury website, press release, (vii) Press release possibly the day of or day
FRBNY’s FX Quarterly Report after. Quarterly Report released approximately
1.5 months following quarter-end
1
Treasury and Federal Reserve contributions accounted for separately. Intervention sizes could potentially be estimated from the Treasury’s weekly release of the US International Reserve Position, and the Federal Reserve’s
weekly balance sheet statement.
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