Central bank

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