Jul.18.2022, Shanghai ------ The Banque de France today officially inaugurated its Asia Pacific Representative Office in Singapore, which opened in 2020. Governor François Villeroy de Galhau of the Banque de France officiated the event, which was attended by the Ambassador of France to Singapore, and senior officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), foreign central banks and French financial institutions. Banque de France’s office in Singapore is its second overseas office, following the opening of a Representative Office in New York office in 2010.
- François Haas, Chief Representative Asia-Pacific, Banque de France Singapore Office
- Ravi Menon, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
- François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor, Banque de France
- Marc Abensour, Ambassador of France to Singapore
At the inauguration event, Mr Villeroy de Galhau and Mr Ravi Menon, MAS Managing Director, reaffirmed the warm and long-standing relationship between the Banque de France and the MAS, which has yielded valuable bilateral collaborations in the areas of central bank digital currency (CBDC) experimentation, cybersecurity and green finance.
The Banque de France is a member of the Eurosystem, which groups together the European Central Bank and the national central banks of all countries that have adopted the euro. The Bank is a sui generis public entity governed by the French Monetary and Financial Code. The conditions whereby it conducts its missions on national territory are set out in its Public Service Contract.
With regard to monetary strategy, it plays a crucial role as its teams of economists and market operators help to prepare and implement the decisions of the ECB’s Governing Council, As guardian of the currency, the Bank is charged with delivering price stability and maintaining public confidence in cash. It's economic services are targeted at households and businesses, the Banque de France plays a dual role of protection and supervision for financial stability.
The MAS is Singapore’s central bank and integrated financial regulator. MAS also works with the financial industry to develop Singapore as a dynamic international financial centre.
As central bank, MAS promotes sustained, non-inflationary economic growth through the conduct of monetary policy and close macroeconomic surveillance and analysis. It manages Singapore’s exchange rate, official foreign reserves, and liquidity in the banking sector.
As an integrated financial supervisor, MAS fosters a sound financial services sector through its prudential oversight of all financial institutions in Singapore – banks, insurers, capital market intermediaries, financial advisors, and stock exchanges. It is also responsible for well-functioning financial markets, sound conduct, and investor education.
MAS also works with the financial industry to promote Singapore as a dynamic international financial centre. It facilitates the development of infrastructure, adoption of technology, and upgrading of skills in the financial industry.