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Summary of the Press Conference by Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services Katayama following the Cabinet Meeting (September 29, 2026) AIAI translation
AI At the post-Cabinet press conference on September 29, 2026, Finance Minister Katayama said the Cabinet approved the use of reserve funds totaling 1,119 billion yen (781 billion yen for register support and related measures, 338 billion yen for tax system modifications and related work) to prepare for the reduction of the consumption tax rate on food and beverages and the introduction of a support payment to ease the burden on workers, both scheduled for April 2027. He also reported that the fourth project under the Payment Innovation Project (PIP), a proof-of-concept trial of blockchain-based trade settlement, had been selected for support. In the Q&A he addressed the September 25 phone call with US Treasury Secretary Bessent, long-term interest rates, the requested inspection planning office at the FSA, and the role of the RCC.
Summary of Finance Minister Katayama's Press Conference Following the Cabinet Meeting (September 25, 2026) AIAI translation
AI At his post-cabinet press conference on 25 September 2026, Finance Minister Katayama said that, while the specific methods of monetary policy should be left to the Bank of Japan, he regards its 18 September raising of the policy rate from about 1.0% to about 1.25% as a step toward achieving the 2% price stability target. He declined to comment on exchange rate and long-term interest rate movements or on any rate check, but disclosed that at the Japan-US summit President Trump voiced concern about the weak yen and Prime Minister Takaichi said in general terms that undervaluation of the yen is a problem, and that he will continue close discussions with Treasury Secretary Bessent, including on exchange rates.
Hosting of Overseas Authority Officials at the Global Financial Partnership Center (29th Session: 15 Insurance Supervisory Authority Officials) AIAI translation
AI The Financial Services Agency's Global Financial Partnership Center (GLOPAC) invited 15 officials from overseas insurance supervisory authorities from 25 August to 3 September 2026 for its 29th training program, which presented the FSA's approach to key issues in insurance regulation and supervision and included an exchange of views on policy challenges. As of September 2026, including activities under its predecessor AFPAC, it has run 29 training programs and similar activities for overseas financial authority staff, hosting a total of 281 participants as researchers and in other capacities.
Regulatory thresholds set to shift to automatic increases
Results of the September 2026 survey on credit terms and conditions in euro-denominated securities financing and OTC derivatives markets (SESFOD)
AI The ECB's September 2026 SESFOD survey, covering June to August 2026 and based on responses from 26 large banks, found that overall credit terms and conditions eased slightly for all counterparty types for a fourth consecutive quarter, mainly through price terms. Demand for securities financing rose for equities and most other collateral types, haircuts decreased, and initial margins fell slightly for several non-centrally cleared OTC derivative types, while valuation disputes increased for several derivative types, particularly credit derivatives.
Summary of the Press Conference by Minister of Finance Katayama following the Cabinet Meeting (Tuesday, October 6, 2026) AIAI translation
AI At the press conference after the Cabinet meeting on October 6, 2026, Finance Minister Katayama explained that funding for the consumption tax rate cut on food and beverages will be secured without relying on special deficit-financing bonds, as set out in the outline approved by the Cabinet on September 15. He also answered questions on the possible leak of about 220,000 Daiwa Securities customer records, the surge in low-value import parcels, the review of unlisted share valuation, the Park24 personal data leak and tax-law record-keeping obligations, and sovereign wealth funds.
Approval of Retail Prices of Manufactured Tobacco AIAI translation
AI This Ministry of Finance page, titled "Approval of Retail Prices of Manufactured Tobacco," lists PDFs for each approval and change approval of manufactured tobacco retail prices, from the latest dated 6 October 2026 (Reiwa 8) back to around October 2024 (Reiwa 6).
Gold between continuity and change
Opportunity and trust - Europe’s capital market and the Irish funds sector
The US economy and monetary policy
AI Speech by Philip N Jefferson, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, on the US economy and monetary policy, delivered at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, on 1 October 2026. Only the speech's bibliographic details are provided; the text of the remarks is not included.
More momentum for the economy
The data version of Godzilla versus Kong - FRED takes on AI
AI Speech by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher J Waller, delivered on 1 October 2026 at FRED Con 2026 at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, on the theme "Navigating trust, AI and storytelling in a world of data". The title indicates it addresses FRED, the Fed's economic data service, and artificial intelligence; only the title and event details are provided, so the speech's specific arguments are not stated.
Canada’s housing affordability dilemma
Monetary policy in a world of overlapping shocks
AI Speech by Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, titled "Monetary policy in a world of overlapping shocks", delivered on 30 September 2026 at the 8th Capital Markets Seminar in Luxembourg, co-hosted by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the European Stability Mechanism. Only the speech's bibliographic details are provided; the text of the speech itself is not included.
Modernizing financial regulation - initial observations from eSLR
AI Michelle W Bowman, Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve Board, gave this speech at the Atlantic Council 2026 CEO & Senior Management Summit in Washington DC on 1 October 2026. Under the title "Modernizing financial regulation - initial observations from eSLR", it offers initial observations on the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (eSLR); only the speech's heading and delivery details are provided, not its full text.
The Czech koruna 50 years after the beginning of the post-Bretton Woods system and the Czech National Bank 100 years after the establishment of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia
AI Opening remarks by Jan Frait, Deputy Governor of the Czech National Bank, at the "New challenges in central banking" conference in Prague on 6 October 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of the Czech National Bank. The remarks are titled as addressing the Czech koruna 50 years after the start of the post-Bretton Woods system and the Czech National Bank 100 years after the establishment of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia.
Diagnostic challenges for ECB monetary policy
AI This is a keynote speech by Philip R Lane, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, titled "Diagnostic challenges for ECB monetary policy", delivered on 5 October 2026 at the 9th "ECB Conference on Monetary Policy 2026: bridging science and practice" in Frankfurt am Main. Only the speech's heading and delivery details are provided, so its substantive content is not available.
From commitment to execution - mobilizing the financial sector for Uganda's tenfold growth opening
AI Remarks by Bank of Uganda Governor Michael Atingi-Ego at the 9th Annual Uganda Bankers' Association Conference in Kampala on 18 September 2026, on the conference theme of the role of Uganda's financial institutions in facilitating tenfold GDP growth, under the title "From commitment to execution - mobilizing the financial sector for Uganda's tenfold growth opening".
Preserving financial stability in an evolving world
Status of Foreign Reserves and Related Assets (as of End of September, Reiwa 8 [2026]) AIAI translation
AI The Ministry of Finance announced that Japan's foreign reserves at the end of September 2026 stood at USD 1,178,396 million, a decrease of USD 29,128 million from the end of August. The reserves comprised foreign currency assets of USD 976,913 million, an IMF reserve position of USD 11,344 million, SDRs of USD 60,783 million, gold of USD 113,592 million (27.20 million troy ounces) and other reserve assets of USD 15,764 million; other foreign currency assets were USD 35,110 million.