Although officially state owned in most countries, the central bank is an autonomous entity responsible for the stability of the national currency (see also money) and the national financial system as a whole. Furthermore it implements the country's monetary policy, which is often in conflict with the govenment's fiscal measures. Other duties might include providing financial services to governments (eg. storing other countries' monetary reserves) and supervising of banking institutions (eg. in the case of mergers and acquisitions) in order to protect the consumers.
Below is a list of several central banks and their countries:
- Banca d'Italia - Italy
- Bank of England - United Kingdom
- Deutsche Bundesbank - Germany
- European Central Bank - European Union
- Federal Reserve - United States
- Sveriges Riksbank - Sweden - the world's oldest central bank
- Reserve Bank of Australia - Australia
- Banco de Mexico - Mexico
- Monetary Authority of Singapore - Singapore
- South African Reserve Bank - South Africa
- Norges Bank - Norway
see also Macroeconomics