Media Release Number 2013-27: On 2 October 2013, the Reserve Bank published for consultation new eligibility criteria for commercial mortgage backed (CMBS) and other asset-backed securities (ABS), alongside measures to strengthen borrower privacy under the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) reporting arrangements. The consultation period closed on 28 October 2013.

Media Release Number 2013-26: The Payments System Board has initiated a consultation on possible changes to access arrangements for the MasterCard credit, Visa credit and Visa Debit systems, including draft variations to the Reserve Bank’s Access Regimes for those systems. This follows a preliminary consultation on the issue which began in May.

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent.

Media Release Number 2013-24: Starting from 25 November, the settlement of Direct Entry (DE) obligations between payments system participants is occurring on a same-day, rather than next-day, basis. At its 15 November meeting, the Payments System Board welcomed the imminent commencement of same-day settlement of DE payments. It noted that the achievement meets one of the objectives set by the Board in its June 2012 Strategic Review of Innovation in the Payments System.

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent.

Media Release Number 2013-22: The Reserve Bank and the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA) are initiating a joint consultation on a proposal to establish a new payments industry coordination body, the Australian Payments Council. The proposed Council will be a senior-level body capable of taking a strategic perspective on issues of importance to the payments system, as well as engaging in a dialogue on those issues with the Payments System Board. In conjunction with the establishment of the Payments Council, the Reserve Bank will also launch a new User Consultation Group. This will provide a more structured mechanism for users of the payments system to express views on payments system issues as an input to the Reserve Bank’s policy formulation process.

Media Release Number 2013-21: In October 2012 the Bank indicated that it would release draft reporting templates for commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) and other asset backed securities (ABS) to be eligible for repurchase agreement at the Reserve Bank. These templates are now being made available for consultation.

Media Release Number 2013-20: The Reserve Bank is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 RBA/ESA Economics Competition for Australian undergraduate university students. The essay competition was run in conjunction with the Economic Society of Australia (ESA) and the UNSW Economics Society.

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent.

Media Release Number 2013-18: In April 2013, the Reserve Bank conducted a survey of activity in foreign exchange and over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate derivatives markets in Australia. This was part of a global survey of 53 countries, coordinated by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Similar surveys have been conducted every three years since 1989.