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 3 Sep 2024

Strong together: the benefits of international cooperation

Dinner speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the joint European Banking Authority and European Central…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 27 Aug 2024

Cross-border payments - unlocking new frontiers

Address by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, to the Reserve Bank of India Global Conference on "Digital Public…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 19 Jul 2024

An integrated approach to a safer and more resilient banking system

Keynote address by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the conference on "Exploring Conventional Bank Funding…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 30 Jun 2024

Laying a robust macro-financial foundation for the future

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, on the occasion of the Bank's Annual General Meeting, Basel, 30 June…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 22 May 2024

Central banking: embracing change

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the People's Bank of China, Beijing, 22 May 2024.

Agustín Carstens

Speech 6 May 2024

Technological innovation: small steps and giant leaps

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the BIS Innovation Summit, Basel, 6 May 2024.

Agustín Carstens

Speech 29 Apr 2024

Balancing reserve management objectives in the current economic and financial environment

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the Regional High-level Reserve Management Conference, Riyadh,…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 24 Apr 2024

The Basel Committee at 50

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the 23rd International Conference of Banking Supervisors, Basel,…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 19 Apr 2024

The Finternet: A giant leap for the financial system

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the Peterson Institute for International Economics event on "A…

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)

00:23:47

Podcast 29 Jun 2025

Stability amid uncertainty

Agustín Carstens and Hyun Song Shin discuss the trade disruptions and policy uncertainty that are clouding the global economic…

By

and

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

Podcast 26 Jun 2025

BIS Media Briefing - Annual Economic Report 2025

Agustín Carstens, Andréa M Maechler and Hyun Song Shin brief the media on the main messages of the Annual Economic Report.

By

,

Agustín Carstens

and

Andréa M Maechler

0:00 0:00

00:12:29

Podcast 30 Jun 2024

Laying the foundations

Agustín Carstens outlines the ideal policy constellation for the fastest growth with the lowest inflation and issues a call to…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

00:47:38

Podcast 6 May 2024

Finternet: the financial system for the future

BIS General Manager Agustín Carstens and Siddharth Shetty, from the Foundation for Interoperable Digital Economy, discuss a…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

00:20:05

Podcast 25 Jun 2023

Navigating the disinflation journey

The last mile to price stability will be most challenging, says Agustín Carstens, discussing the risks to the global economy…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

00:37:08

Podcast 22 Feb 2023

Innovation and the future of the monetary system

In a speech, Agustín Carstens argues that central banks need to think big to reap the greatest benefits from innovation. He…

By

Agustín Carstens

and

Sopnendu Mohanty

0:00 0:00

00:12:03

Podcast 26 Jun 2022

Old challenges, new shocks

High inflation and mounting growth headwinds raise the prospects of global stagflation and call for quick and decisive action…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

00:45:24

Podcast 26 Apr 2022

What are the challenges for central banks in a digital world?

Agustín Carstens speaks with Andrew Bailey from the Bank of England, Jerome Powell from the Federal Reserve Board, Joachim…

By

,

Agustín Carstens

,

Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus

and

Jerome H Powell

0:00 0:00

00:17:26

Podcast 29 Jun 2021

Covid and beyond

Agustín Carstens discusses the uneven economic recovery from Covid-19, the challenges for normalising fiscal and monetary…

By

Agustín Carstens

0:00 0:00

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