Malaysia’s central bank will crack down on wrongdoing in the foreign-currency market, such as fixing of the exchange rate, to ensure stability in the ringgit, Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Muhammad Ibrahim said.
Authorities plan to name and shame banks from next year that have been found guilty of misconduct, Muhammad told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
In addition to naming the institution, the central bank will also disclose the amount of penalty imposed and the reason for the fine, Muhammad said.
“We will always clamp down if we think that it’s not based on trade transaction,” the governor said. “We will be very strict.”
Banks were told about the new measure — which takes effect in January next year — earlier on Thursday, he said.
In January, Bank Negara Malaysia said it imposed a 1.4 million ringgit (US$316,000) fine on a lender — which it did not name — related to a case of currency fixing.
The central bank has also clamped down on foreign banks using offshore forwards to bet against the ringgit.
The ringgit has dropped about 5 percent against the US dollar since a rally in the US currency following Donald Trump’s election as US president and amid a slump in sentiment against emerging markets.
The currency was little changed at 4.4255 against the US dollar in Kuala Lumpur trading yesterday.
The ringgit’s volatility has dropped by half since the bank imposed its measures to curb currency speculation, helping small enterprises in making business transactions, the governor said.
The central bank will introduce new steps to further help business owners, including plans to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to hedge their exposure, he said.
The financial market committee will make the announcement once those measures are discussed with the companies, he said.
To bring more stability to the Malaysian currency, the central bank also imposed rules in December that capped the amount of foreign-currency proceeds exporters can hold at 25 percent.
Muhammad said these measures are permanent unless there are reasons to change it.
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