Skip to main content

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 speeches (143)

All videos (97)

Video 13 Nov 2019
Innovation and the future of central banks: a policy fireside chat
Carstens discusses the challenges posed by technology to central banks, regulators etc.
Video 7 Nov 2019
Libra needs to make a better case for itself, says BIS
Carstens discusses central bank digital currencies and why there's no clear case for an e-franc in Switzerland. On Libra, he…
Video 17 Oct 2019
BIS Chief Carstens on monetary policy, global growth
Carstens discusses monetary policy and its impact on global growth with Bloomberg's Kathleen Hays on the sidelines of the IMF…
Video 30 Jun 2019
No clear skies yet
Agustín Carstens speaks about the risks to the global economic outlook, the path to higher interest rates and the best way to…
Video 30 Jun 2019
Annual Economic Report highlights
Watch highlights of the Annual Economic Report 2019, presented to BIS shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in Basel on 30…
Video 30 Jun 2019
Time to ignite all engines
Agustin Carstens outlines why four key policy drivers must run together to support sustainable growth.
Video 30 Jun 2019
Innovation BIS 2025: the Bank's new medium-term strategy
Agustín Carstens discusses Innovation BIS 2025 - what it means, what's being done and what's to come.
Video 6 Jun 2019
Conversation with Agustín Carstens
Carstens speaks with Adams about the global economy and how central banks are positioning themselves.
Video 22 May 2019
A conversation with Agustín Carstens
Bank for International Settlements General Manager Agustín Carstens talks with Dallas Fed President Robert S Kaplan about the…

All podcasts (12)

00:23:47
ar2025e.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
sp250626_briefing_podcast.jpg
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. 
0:00 0:00
00:12:29
ar2024e1_podcast.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
00:47:38
240507_finternet.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
00:20:05
ar2023e1.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
00:37:08
230222_speech_new.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
00:12:03
ar2022e1_podcast.jpg
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…
0:00 0:00
00:45:24
220426_innovationsummit.png
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…
0:00 0:00
00:17:26
ar2021e1.jpg
Podcast 29 Jun 2021
Covid and beyond
Agustín Carstens discusses the uneven economic recovery from Covid-19, the challenges for normalising fiscal and monetary…
0:00 0:00

You might also be interested in