Abstract Payment cards have been a perennial source of debate among economists. That debate received additional fodder in 2010 with passage in the US of the Durbin Amendment, which targets debit card interchange fees. I assess the Durbin Amendment, testing the interchange fee cap it imposes...

The Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 alters the competitive structure of the debit card payment processing industry and caps debit card interchange fees for banks with over $10 billion in assets. Market participants predicted that debit...

The Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) Data Module provides an assessment of Bolivia’s macroeconomic statistics against the recommendations of the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS). The report reveals that the quality of Bolivia’s macroeconomic statistics...

This paper highlights the Saudi Arabia’s Detailed Assessment of Observance of the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems Core Principles for systemically important payment systems. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) is working to establish its payment system oversight function...

This paper discusses the Financial System Stability Assessment for South Africa, and reviews the Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Securities Regulation. The assessment reveals that South Africa’s sophisticated financial system is fundamentally sound and has so far...

The Financial System Stability Assessment found the financial sector to be vibrant, resilient, highly competitive, and well supervised and regulated. Stress tests showed credit institutions and insurers to be highly resilient to a variety of shocks. It also found a high degree of observance of...

This paper presents key findings of the Third Review under the Policy Support Instrument (PSI) in Rwanda. Program performance was broadly satisfactory. All end-June quantitative assessment criteria were met. Structural benchmarks were partially met as the pace of implementation of structural...

The discussions centered on the needed steps to tighten monetary conditions, curb banks’ external borrowing, and reduce banks’ vulnerability to a sharp deterioration in the quality of loan portfolios. Strong expansion in oil and non-oil receipts in 2005 permitted continued rapid...

The Canadian Depository for Securities (CDS) is the operator of the securities settlement system. The design and operations of the CDS are covered by a solid legal basis. The regulatory framework is clear and transparent to market participants. The risk management procedures of the CDS as a...