Central banks facing some of the most challenging circumstances in history: QCB Governor

London: The Governor of Qatar Central Bank (QCB) HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al-Thani today addressed the inaugural annual conference of the Qatar Centre for Global Banking and Finance at King's Business School, London. He highlighted the extent to which the Covid-19 crisis has intensified the challenges facing central banks, which must now not only address sharp economic downturns but also take on board the emergence of new technologies and changing societal expectations.

In his opening remarks His Excellency said: "One year into the pandemic, global growth prospects once again appear to be uncertain after showing some signs of recovery in the beginning of the year. The recent projections by the IMF indicate that growth will rebound to 6% in 2021, after taking into account the concerted efforts on vaccination and support measures." He observed that, "the actions and voices of each one of us be it regulators, policymakers and academics - can have significant impact towards developing a stable and more resilient financial system."