Agustín Carstens

Former General Manager

Agustín Carstens was the General Manager of the BIS from 1 December 2017 to 30 June 2025.

Prior to this, Mr Carstens was Governor of the Bank of Mexico from 2010 to 2017. A member of the BIS Board from 2011 to 2017, he was chair of the Global Economy Meeting and the Economic Consultative Committee from 2013 until 2017. He also chaired the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the IMF's policy advisory committee from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Carstens began his career in 1980 at the Bank of Mexico. From 1999 to 2000, he was Executive Director at the IMF. He later served as Mexico's deputy finance minister (2000-03) and as Deputy Managing Director at the IMF (2003-06). He was Mexico's finance minister from 2006 to 2009.

Mr Carstens was a member of the Financial Stability Board from 2010-2025 and was a member of the Group of Thirty.

Mr Carstens holds an MA and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

All BIS publications (4)

BIS Working Paper No 1178 15 Apr 2024

Finternet: the financial system for the future

This paper lays out a vision for the Finternet: multiple financial ecosystems interconnected with each other, much like the…

Agustín Carstens

and

Nandan Nilekani

Non-bank financial sector: systemic regulation needed

Publication 6 Dec 2021

Non-bank financial sector: systemic regulation needed

This foreword discusses how non-bank financial intermediaries can make the financial system more efficient but also more…

Agustín Carstens

BIS Bulletin No 45

BIS Bulletin No 45 2 Aug 2021

Regulating big techs in finance

BIS Bulletin No 45 - Regulating big techs in finance - Big tech firms entering financial services can scale up rapidly with…

Agustín Carstens

,

Stijn Claessens

,

Fernando Restoy

and

Publication 1 Mar 2020

Shaping the future of payments

Technology is transforming payment systems. The pace of change and potential for disruption to incumbent service providers have…

Agustín Carstens

All external publications (1)

External publication 1 Sep 2022

A foundation of trust

in IMF Finance & Development Magazine

,

Agustín Carstens

and

All speeches (143)

Speech 29 Jun 2025

Sustaining trust and stability

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, on the occasion of the Bank's Annual General Meeting, Basel, 29 June…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 27 Jun 2025

Navigating economic challenges: reflections on 45 years of policymaking

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, at the 24th BIS Annual Conference, Basel,…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 27 May 2025

Trust and macroeconomic stability: a virtuous circle

Mayekawa Lecture by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the Bank of Japan, Institute for Monetary and Economic…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 6 Feb 2025

Lessons learned and challenges ahead for central banks in the Americas

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, at the BIS Chapultepec Conference, Mexico…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 4 Feb 2025

Monetary policy frameworks: lessons learned and challenges ahead

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, at the 2025 Homer Jones Memorial Lecture,…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 17 Jan 2025

Origins and foundations of central bank independence

Presentation by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, prepared for an event hosted by the Bank of Spain, "Central…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 31 Oct 2024

The future of finance

Remarks by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in a fireside chat at the Santander International Banking…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 29 Oct 2024

A test of resolve: credible resolution following the 2023 banking turmoil

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the FSB-FSI-IADI Resolution conference, Basel, 29 October 2024.

Agustín Carstens

Speech 22 Oct 2024

Risks facing the global economy

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the Geneva Association Chief Investment Officer Conference 2024,…

Agustín Carstens

All videos (97)

00:55:00

How far should central banks intervene?

Video 3 Jul 2021

How far should central banks intervene?

Agustín Carstens participated in a debate at the Rencontres Économiques d'Aix-en-Provence and talked about inflation, policy…

By

Agustín Carstens

00:20:32

Pandexit challenges

Video 29 Jun 2021

Pandexit challenges

Agustín Carstens lays out the issues for policymakers in exiting the pandemic and ensuring sustainable growth.

By

Agustín Carstens

00:01:51

Covid and beyond

Video 29 Jun 2021

Covid and beyond

Agustín Carstens explains the challenges thrown up by an uneven economic recovery and the complications on the path to…

By

Agustín Carstens

00:51:31

BIS Media Briefing - Annual Economic Report 2021

Video 28 Jun 2021

BIS Media Briefing - Annual Economic Report 2021

Carstens, Pereira, Borio and Shin brief the media on the main messages of the Annual Economic Report.

By

,

,

Agustín Carstens

and

Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva

00:14:45

The state of the global economy

Video 9 Jun 2021

The state of the global economy

Agustín Carstens says the global economy has rebounded strongly after Covid-19, but the recovery is uneven and incomplete.

By

Agustín Carstens

01:45:00

Concluding panel - Green Swan Conference 2021

Video 4 Jun 2021

Concluding panel - Green Swan Conference 2021

Central banks and climate change: how to manage expectations, balance actions and communication and contribute to coordinate…

By

,

Agustín Carstens

,

Jerome H Powell

,

François Villeroy de Galhau

and

Christine Lagarde

01:00:00

Introduction and opening panel

Video 2 Jun 2021

Introduction and opening panel

The heads of the organising institutions discuss how in practice the financial sector can take immediate action against climate…

By

Agustín Carstens

,

,

Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva

,

François Villeroy de Galhau

and

Kristalina Georgieva

01:00:46

Central banks and inequality

Video 6 May 2021

Central banks and inequality

Agustin Carstens says that inequality is not a monetary phenomenon, but by fulfilling their mandates, central banks can support…

By

Agustín Carstens

03:39:40

Conferencia Iberoamericana de Bancos Centrales

Video 12 Apr 2021

Conferencia Iberoamericana de Bancos Centrales

Agustin Carstens (00:48:20-01:01:00) participates in a panel on monetary policy in the context of the pandemic, organized by…

By

Agustín Carstens

and

Pablo Hernández de Cos

All podcasts (12)

21:23:00

Podcast 30 Jun 2020

The central bank response to the Covid-19 crisis

Agustin Carstens discusses the monetary and fiscal response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges facing central banks…

By

and

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

13:12:00

Podcast 25 Oct 2019

Agustín Carstens on the global economy, the role of fiscal policy and digital currencies

Agustín Carstens discusses whether fiscal policy coordination can help slowing global growth and how Libra sparked an important…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

00:15:25

Podcast 30 Jun 2019

Risks to the global economy and the path to higher interest rates

Agustín Carstens speaks about the risks to the global economic outlook, the path to higher interest rates and the best way to…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

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