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Banking

1990s Finnish banking crisis

The 1990s Finnish banking crisis was a deep systemic crisis of the entire Finnish financial sector that took place mainly in the years 1991–1993, after several years of debt-based economic boom in the late 1980s. Its total taxpayer cost was roughly 8% of the Finnish GNP, making it the most severe of the contemporary Nordic banking crises. The crisis has been attributed to a combination o

Finance

Accredited investor

An accredited or sophisticated investor is an investor with a special status under financial regulation laws. The definition of an accredited investor (if any), and the consequences of being classified as such, vary between countries. Generally, accredited investors include high-net-worth individuals, banks, financial institutions, and other large corporations, who have access to complex

Trading basics

Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive 2011

Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive 2011 (2011/61/EU) is a directive of the European Union on the financial regulation of hedge funds, private equity, real estate funds, and other "Alternative Investment Fund Managers" (AIFMs) in the European Union. The Directive requires all covered AIFMs to obtain authorisation, and make various disclosures as a condition of operation. It fo

Trading basics

Ascension (healthcare system)

Ascension is a large private Catholic healthcare system in the United States. Ascension had 142,000 employees, 90 hospitals, and 40 senior living facilities operating in 17 states and the District of Columbia as of July 1, 2025. Ascension is one of the largest nonprofit and one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States. It also operates a number of for-profit firms, in

Finance

Asset location

Asset location (AL) is a term used in personal finance to refer to how investors distribute their investments across savings vehicles including taxable accounts, tax-exempt accounts (e.g., Tax-free savings accounts (TFSA), Roth IRA, Individual savings accounts (ISA), Tax-exempt special savings accounts (TESSA)), tax-deferred accounts (e.g., Canadian registered retirement savings plan (RR

Trading basics

Asset protection

Asset protection (sometimes also referred to as debtor-creditor law) is a set of legal techniques and a body of statutory and common law dealing with protecting assets of individuals and business entities from civil money judgments. The goal of asset protection planning is to insulate assets from claims of creditors without perjury or tax evasion.

Finance

Atanu Chakraborty

Atanu Chakraborty (born 5 April 1960) is a retired 1985 batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, who served as the Chairman of HDFC Bank until 18th March 2026. He was appointed by the Reserve Bank of India in April 2021. He previously served as the Economic Affairs Secretary in Ministry of Finance Government of India until his retirement in April 2020. His participation in the economic po

Banking

Big Five banks of Canada

Big Five is the name colloquially given to the five largest banks that dominate the banking industry of Canada: Bank of Montreal (BMO), Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD).

Trading basics

Buffer stock scheme

A buffer stock scheme (commonly implemented as intervention storage, the "ever-normal granary") is a price stabilization scheme in which surplus commodities are bought and stored for later sale during shortages, usually for an individual commodity market or an entire economy.

Finance

Canadian Tire Financial Services

Canadian Tire Services Ltd. (CTSL), doing business as Canadian Tire Bank (French: Banque Canadian Tire), is the financial services subsidiary of the Canadian Tire retail chain. The bank is based in Oakville, Ontario, and has additional business operations in St. Catharines and Welland, Ontario. Between 1968 and 2016 (with some branding continuing until 2018), Canadian Tire Services Ltd.

Finance

Car costs

A car's internal costs are all the costs consumers pay to own and operate a car. Normally these expenditures are divided into fixed or standing costs and variable or running costs. Fixed costs are those which do not depend on the distance traveled by the vehicle and which the owner must pay to keep the vehicle ready for use on the road, like insurance or road taxes. Variable or running c

Trading basics

Civil Servants Pension Fund

Civil Servants Pension Fund (CSPF) is an Iranian independent legal entity under the governance of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security, and run as an insurance company. This organization is responsible for the affairs related to the retirement of Iran's civil servants. The regular military, law enforcement agencies, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's second major mi

Fiat currencies

Classical Monetary System of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay

The Classical Monetary System of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay includes the coins minted by the Oriental Republic of Uruguay between the years 1840 and 1855 in the national territory. These coins were minted entirely within the city of Montevideo, first at the "Taller y Armería Jouve" owned by a French artisan named Agustín Jouve and later at the Casa de Moneda de Montevideo (Montevid

Banking

Collective trust fund

A collective trust fund or collective investment trust (CIT) is a legal trust administered by a bank or trust company that combines assets for multiple investors who meet specific requirements set forth in the fund's declaration of trust. Typically, a collective trust pools assets from corporate and governmental profit sharing, pension and stock bonus plans, and charitable and other tax

Trading basics

Corporation

A corporation or body corporate is an individual or other entity such as a company that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of statute"; a legal person in a legal context) and recognized as such in law for certain purposes.

Finance

Cost of living

The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Cost-of-living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a given standard of living across different geographic areas. Differences in the cost of living between locations can be measured using purchasing power parity rates.

Finance

Coverdell education savings account

A Coverdell education savings account (also known as an education savings account, a Coverdell ESA, a Coverdell account, or just an ESA, and formerly known as an education individual retirement account), is a tax advantaged investment account in the U.S. designed to encourage savings to cover future education expenses (elementary, secondary, or college), such as tuition, books, and unifo

Banking

Credit Union National Association

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA, pronounced "Cue-Nuh"), was a national trade association for both state- and federally chartered credit unions located in the United States. CUNA provided member credit unions with trade association services, such as lobbying, regulatory advocacy, professional development, and professional services management. The organization operated out of i

Trading basics

Debt consolidation

Debt consolidation is a form of debt refinancing that entails taking out one loan to pay off many others. This commonly refers to a personal finance process of individuals addressing high consumer debt, but occasionally it can also refer to a country's fiscal approach to consolidate corporate debt or government debt. The process can secure a lower overall interest rate to the entire debt

Trading basics

Defined benefit pension plan

A defined benefit (DB) pension plan is a type of pension plan in which an employer/sponsor promises a specified pension payment, lump-sum, or combination thereof on retirement that depends on an employee's earnings history, tenure of service and age, rather than depending directly on individual investment returns. Traditionally, many governmental and public entities, as well as a large n

Trading basics

Defined contribution plan

A defined contribution (DC) plan is a type of retirement plan in which the employer, employee or both make contributions on a regular basis. Individual accounts are set up for participants and benefits are based on the amounts credited to these accounts (through employee contributions and, if applicable, employer contributions) plus any investment earnings on the money in the account. In

Payments & settlement

Electronic benefit transfer

Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) is an electronic system used in the United States that allows state welfare departments to issue benefits via a magnetically encoded payment card. It reached nationwide operations in 2004.

Finance

Empower (financial services)

Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America is a retirement plan recordkeeping financial holding company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States. It is the second-largest retirement plan provider in the United States.

Finance

Farm Credit Canada

Farm Credit Canada (FCC, French: Financement agricole Canada; known as Farm Credit Corporation until 2001) is a Canadian Crown corporation and agricultural term lender.

Assets

Financial cryptography

Financial cryptography is the use of cryptography in applications in which financial loss could result from subversion of the message system. Financial cryptography is distinguished from traditional cryptography in that for most of recorded history, cryptography has been used almost entirely for military and diplomatic purposes.

Finance

Financial gerontology

Financial gerontology is a multidisciplinary field of study encompassing both academic and professional education, that integrates research on aging and human development with the concerns of finance and business. Following from its roots in social gerontology, Financial gerontology is not simply the study of old people but emphasizes the multiple processes of aging. In particular, resea

Finance

Financial independence

Financial independence is a state in which an individual or household has accumulated sufficient financial resources to cover its cost-of-living expenses without depending on active employment to earn money to maintain its current lifestyle. These financial resources can take the form of investments or personal-use assets, passive income, side-jobs income, inheritance, pension, retiremen

Finance

Financial planner

A financial planner or personal financial planner is a qualified financial advisor. Practicing in full service personal finance, they advise clients on investments, insurance, tax, retirement and estate planning.

Finance

FIRE movement

The Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement is a personal finance phenomenon characterized by high savings rates—often exceeding the 10–15% typically recommended by financial planners—and aggressive investment, with the goal of accumulating sufficient assets to cover living expenses without traditional employment. The movement gained traction among millennials in the 2010s,

Finance

Future value

Future value is the value of a current sum of money or stream of cash flows at a specified date in the future, given an assumed rate of return or interest rate. It reflects the time value of money, which holds that a sum of money has different value at different points in time because it can earn a return if invested.

Trading basics

Gender lens investing

Gender lens investing (also known as gender-smart investing or gender finance) is the practice of investing premised on the understanding that gender is material to financial, business, and social outcomes The term was coined around 2009 and became an increasingly popular practice in the mid-2010s as part of reducing gender inequality.

Finance

Gender pension gap

The gender pension gap (also known as the sex pension gap) is the percentage difference in pension income between women and men. It is often calculated as the difference between the average man's pension and the average woman's pension, expressed as a percentage of the man's. The gap averages 26% across OECD countries.

Payments & settlement

Google Checkout

Google Checkout was an online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases. The web checkout service was combined with the NFC mobile payments app launched in September of 2011 called Google Wallet under a platform brand of the same name. On November 20, 2013, the web checkout part of the service was fully retired.

Fiat currencies

Hans Hoogervorst

Johannes Franciscus "Hans" Hoogervorst (born 19 April 1956) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and economist. He is the former chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) from 1 July 2011 through 30 June 2021.

Banking

Henry Oberlander

Henry Oberlander (born c. 1927) was the leader of the Hungarian Circle, a gang that defrauded international banks of hundreds of millions of pounds. Following a global investigation, the gang were arrested in 1978 at their headquarters in West London, England. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the gang "could have wrecked the entire banking system of the Western World". Th

Assets

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is a 2024 satirical thriller novel by Jason Pargin, published by St. Martin's Press. The standalone novel follows Abbott Coburn, a Lyft driver in Los Angeles, who is hired to transport a passenger and a sealed black box across the United States. The novel deals with internet rumour, paranoia, social media, and isolation.

Finance

Individual savings account

An individual savings account (ISA or Isa; ) is a class of retail investment arrangement available to residents of the United Kingdom. Introduced in 1999 as an Individual Special Savings Account (ISSA), the accounts are exempt from income tax and capital gains tax on the investment returns, and no tax is payable on money withdrawn from the scheme.

Finance

Internal Revenue Code section 1031

A Section 1031 exchange, commonly known as a like-kind exchange, is a transaction under the 26 U.S.C. § 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code that allows owners of investment or business real estate to defer certain taxes when selling property and reinvesting the proceeds into other qualifying real property. It is most commonly used by real estate investors and property owners with low tax b

Banking

Islamic banking and finance in Canada

The demand for Islamic banking and finance has grown in Canada due to the growing Muslim population in the country who want to avoid riba and other financial practices in violation of sharia. These sharia-compliant financial products are not offered by main financial institutions and, thus, small financial companies are major players. However, major companies like WealthSimple are start

Finance

Manulife Bank of Canada

Manulife Bank of Canada (operating as Manulife Bank; French: Banque Manuvie du Canada) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manulife. As a direct bank, it offers high-interest chequing & savings accounts, credit cards, lines of credit, and mortgages, including Manulife One. Since it was established in 1993, Manulife Bank has grown to more than $29 billion in assets and serves customers across

Trading basics

Market neutral

An investment strategy or portfolio is considered market-neutral if it seeks to avoid some form of market risk entirely, typically by hedging. To evaluate market neutrality requires specifying the risk to avoid. For example, convertible arbitrage attempts to fully hedge fluctuations in the price of the underlying common stock. A portfolio is truly market-neutral if it exhibits zero corre

Trading basics

Market Rules to Remember

Market Rules to Remember is a list of ten cautionary rules for investors that was written in 1998 by the then-retired Chief Market Analyst at Merrill Lynch, Bob Farrell. The rules became iconic on Wall Street and are frequently reprinted in leading financial advisory publications.

Banking

Molsons Bank

The Molsons Bank was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William (1793–1875) and John Molson, Jr. (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate John Molson.

Trading basics

Mortgage underwriting in the United States

Mortgage underwriting is the process a lender uses to determine if the risk of offering a mortgage loan to a particular borrower under certain parameters is acceptable. Most of the risks and terms that underwriters consider fall under the three C's of underwriting: credit, capacity and collateral.

Finance

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is an American financial planning trade organization created in 1983 to expand the use of fee-only financial advisors by individual consumers. NAPFA established the first set of professional standards for fee-only financial advisors and has updated them to reflect changes in industry practices.

Finance

National debt of Turkey

The national debt of Turkey is the entire stock of direct, fixed-term, contractual, financial obligations of the state of the Republic of Turkey that are outstanding on a particular date.

Finance

National Social Security Fund (Uganda)

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF; also NSSF Uganda), is a quasi-government agency responsible for the collection, safekeeping, responsible investment, and distribution of retirement funds from employees of the private sector in Uganda who are not covered by the Government Retirement Scheme. Participation for both employers and employees is compulsory. The Uganda National Social Se

Securities & exchanges

Net capital rule

The uniform net capital rule is a rule created by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in 1975 to regulate directly the ability of broker-dealers to meet their financial obligations to customers and other creditors. Broker-dealers are companies that trade securities for customers (i.e., brokers) and for their own accounts (i.e., dealers).

Fiat currencies

Nominal rigidity

In economics, nominal rigidity, also referred to as price stickiness or wage stickiness, describes a situation in which a nominal price is slow to adjust or resistant to change. Complete nominal rigidity occurs when a price remains fixed in nominal terms for a relevant period of time. For example, the price of a good may be contractually set at $10 per unit for an entire year, regardles

Trading basics

Nonrecourse debt

Nonrecourse debt or a nonrecourse loan (sometimes hyphenated as non-recourse) is a secured loan (debt) that is secured by a pledge of collateral, typically real property, but for which the borrower is not personally liable. If the borrower defaults, the lender can seize and sell the collateral, but if the collateral sells for less than the debt, the lender cannot seek that deficiency ba

Finance

Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI; French: Bureau du surintendant des institutions financières, BSIF) is an independent agency of the Government of Canada reporting to the Minister of Finance created "to contribute to public confidence in the Canadian financial system". It is the sole regulator of banks, and the primary regulator of insurance companies, tru

Fiat currencies

Onno Ruding

Herman Onno Christiaan Rudolf "Onno" Ruding (born 15 August 1939) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and businessman.

Fiat currencies

Optimum currency area

In economics, an optimum currency area (OCA) or optimal currency region (OCR) is a geographical region in which it would maximize economic efficiency to have the entire region share a single currency.

Trading basics

Pan-European Pension

The Pan-European Pension Product (PEPP) or Pan-European Personal Pension Product is a proposed pension which will be available to residents of the European Union. The PEPP is designed to give the 240 million savers in the EU a better choice in the fragmented and uneven European market, where options are nearly non-existent in some member states. PEPPs are regulated by the Regulation 2019

Finance

Pavlov Reform

Monetary reform of 1991 (known also as Pavlov Reform) was the last such reform in the Soviet Union. The reform retired and confiscated large-denomination bills to attempt to dampen inflation and combat the black market within the Soviet Union. It began on January 22, 1991. Its architect was Minister of Finance Valentin Pavlov, who was to become the last prime minister of the Soviet Union

Payments & settlement

Pay at the pump

Pay at the pump is a system used at many filling stations, where customers can pay for their fuel by inserting a credit card, debit card, or fuel card into a slot on the pump, bypassing the requirement to make the transaction with the station attendant or to walk away from one's vehicle. A few areas have gas stations that use electronic tolling transponders as a method of payment, such a

Trading basics

Pension

A pension (; from Latin pensiō 'payment') is a fund or pay-as-you-go scheme into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a "defined benefit plan", where defined periodic payments are made in retirement and the contributions to the pension are ad

Trading basics

Pensions crisis

The pensions crisis, or pensions time bomb is the predicted difficulty in paying for corporate or government pension benefits in various countries, due to a mismatch between pension obligations and the resources set aside to fund them. The basic difficulty of the pension problem is that institutions must be sustained over far longer than the political planning horizon. Shifting demograph

Finance

Pensions in Denmark

Pensions in Denmark consist of both private and public pension programs, all managed by the Agency for the Modernisation of Public Administration under the Ministry of Finance. Denmark created a multipillar system, consisting of an unfunded social pension scheme, occupational pensions, and voluntary personal pension plans. Denmark's system is a close resemblance to that encouraged by the

Finance

Pensions in Ukraine

Pensions in Ukraine provide income for retirees in Ukraine. They are provided pursuant to the Law of Ukraine on Compulsory State Pension Insurance (statements of the Ukrainian Supreme Council, 2003, No. 49–51, art. 376) that specifies a three-tiered pension provision system.

Trading basics

Performance fee

A performance fee is a fee that a client account or an investment fund may be charged by the investment manager that manages its assets in addition to its management fee.

Finance

Portfolio manager

A portfolio manager (PM) is a professional responsible for making investment decisions and carrying out investment activities on behalf of vested individuals or institutions. Clients invest their money for future growth, such as a retirement fund, endowment fund, or education fund. PMs work with a team of analysts and researchers and are responsible for establishing an investment strateg

Trading basics

Private pension

A private pension is a plan into which individuals privately contribute from their earnings, which then will pay them a pension after retirement. It is an alternative to the state pension. Usually, individuals invest funds into saving schemes or mutual funds, run by insurance companies. Often private pensions are also run by the employer and are called occupational pensions. The contribu

Finance

Quick ratio

In finance, the quick ratio, also known as the acid-test ratio, is a liquidity ratio that measures the ability of a company to use near-cash assets (or 'quick' assets) to extinguish or retire current liabilities immediately. It is the ratio between quick assets and current liabilities.

Finance

Resource allocation

In economics, resource allocation is the assignment of available resources to various uses. In the context of an entire economy, resources can be allocated by various means, such as markets, or planning.

Trading basics

Retirement age

This article lists the statutory retirement age in different countries. In some contexts, the retirement age is the age at which a person is expected or required to cease work. It is usually the age at which such a person may be entitled to receive superannuation or other government benefits, like a state pension.

Trading basics

Retirement spend-down

At retirement, individuals stop working and no longer get employment earnings, and enter a phase of their lives, where they rely on the assets they have accumulated, to supply money for their spending needs for the rest of their lives. Retirement spend-down, or withdrawal rate, is the strategy a retiree follows to spend, decumulate or withdraw assets during retirement.

Banking

Routing number (Canada)

A routing number is the term for bank codes in Canada. Routing numbers consist of eight numerical digits with a dash between the fifth and sixth digit for paper financial documents encoded with magnetic ink character recognition and nine numerical digits without dashes for electronic funds transfers. Routing numbers are regulated by Payments Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Payment

Payments & settlement

Scrip

A scrip is any substitute for legal tender.

Trading basics

Season ticket

A season ticket or season pass is a ticket valid for multiple events, typically providing access to an entire season of games or performances at a specific venue or within a particular activity, such as sports matches or public transportation services. Season tickets are commonly issued by sports organizations, theaters, and transit authorities to ensure customers have secured access for

Securities & exchanges

Securities lending

In finance, securities lending or stock lending refers to the lending of securities by one party to another.

Trading basics

Sherman Silver Purchase Act

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was a United States federal law enacted on July 14, 1890, which increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase on a recurrent monthly basis to 4.5 million ounces, roughly the entirety of the American output.

Payments & settlement

Speedpass

Speedpass was a keychain radio-frequency identification (RFID) device introduced in 1997 by Mobil (which merged with Exxon to become ExxonMobil in 1999) for electronic payment. It was originally developed by Verifone. By 2004, more than seven million people possessed Speedpass tags, which could be used at approximately 10,000 Exxon, Mobil and Esso gas stations worldwide.

Finance

Stash (company)

Stash Financial, Inc., or Stash, is an American financial technology and financial services company based in New York, NY. The company operates both a web platform and mobile apps, allowing users to incrementally invest small amounts, commonly known as micro-investing. It also provides robo advice.

Finance

Systemic risk

In finance, systemic risk is the risk of collapse of an entire financial system or entire market, as opposed to the risk associated with any one individual entity, group or component of a system, that can be contained therein without harming the entire system. It can be defined as "financial system instability, potentially catastrophic, caused or exacerbated by idiosyncratic events or co

Finance

Tangerine Bank

Tangerine Bank (operating as Tangerine) is a Canadian direct bank that is a subsidiary of Scotiabank. It offers no-fee chequing and savings accounts, guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), mortgages and mutual funds (through a subsidiary). Many savings and investment products are eligible for registration under a tax-free savings account (TFSA), registered retirement savings plan (RR

Securities & exchanges

Terminal value (finance)

In finance, the terminal value (also known as “continuing value” or “horizon value” or "TV") of a security is the present value at a future point in time of all future cash flows when we expect stable growth rate forever. It is most often used in multi-stage discounted cash flow analysis, and allows for the limitation of cash flow projections to a several-year period; see Forecast period

Fiat currencies

The Great Debasement

The Great Debasement (1544–1551) was a currency debasement policy introduced in 1544 England under the order of Henry VIII which saw the amount of precious metal in gold and silver coins reduced and in some cases replaced entirely with cheaper base metals such as copper. Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited

Finance

Trust company

A trust company is a corporation that acts as a fiduciary, trustee or agent of trusts and agencies. A professional trust company may be independently owned or owned by, for example, a bank or a law firm, and which specializes in being a trustee of various kinds of trusts.

Trading basics

Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive 2009

The Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive (Directive 2009/65/EC, "UCITS") is a directive of the European Union (EU) that allows collective investment schemes to operate freely throughout the EU on the basis of a single authorisation from one member state. EU member states are entitled to have additional regulatory requirements for the benefit of inve

Finance

United States House Committee on Financial Services

The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking and housing industries. The Financial Services Committee als

Banking

Vancity

Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, commonly referred to as Vancity, is a member-owned financial co-operative headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. By asset size, Vancity is the largest community credit union in Canada as of 2019, with CA$28.2 billion in assets plus assets under administration, 60 branches and more than 543,000 members.

Finance

Volume (finance)

In capital markets, volume, or trading volume, is the amount (total number) of a security (or a given set of securities, or an entire market) that was traded during a given period of time. In the context of a single stock trading on a stock exchange, the volume is commonly reported as the number of shares that changed hands during a given day. The transactions are measured on stocks, bon

Payments & settlement

Voucher

A voucher is a bond which is worth a certain monetary value and which may be redeemed only for specific reasons or on specific goods.

Fiat currencies

Warren Coats

Warren L. Coats Jr. (born May 19, 1942), is an economist specializing in monetary policy. He retired from the International Monetary Fund in May 2003 to join the board of directors of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. He is president of Economic Consulting, providing technical assistance to central banks, and until recently was adviser to the central banks of Afghanistan (for the IM