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 9 Aug 2018

Keeping a close watch

Interview with Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in LatinFinance, conducted by Mr Kevin Gray and published…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 4 Jul 2018

The banks' bank is looking to open up

Translation of an interview with Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in the Basler Zeitung, 25 June 2018. The …

Agustín Carstens

Speech 4 Jul 2018

"My message to young people: stop trying to create money"

Translation of an interview with Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in the Basler Zeitung, 25 June 2018. "San…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 25 Jun 2018

It's when markets are running hot that flags need raising

Column by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in the Financial Times, 25 June 2018. At first glance, the skies…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 24 Jun 2018

Sustaining the momentum

Speech by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, on the occasion of the Bank's Annual General Meeting, Basel, 24 June…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 25 May 2018

Central banking: trending and cycling

Panel remarks by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, at the Sveriges Riksbank's 350th anniversary conference on …

Agustín Carstens

Speech 23 May 2018

Agustín Carstens interview with Börsen-Zeitung

Interview with Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, in Börsen-Zeitung, conducted by Mr Mark Schrörs and published…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 23 May 2018

Technology is no substitute for trust

Op-ed by Mr Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements, published in Börsen-Zeitung under the…

Agustín Carstens

Speech 26 Mar 2018

Banker to central bankers

Interview with Agustín Carstens, General Manager of the BIS, conducted by Vikram Khanna from the Business Times and published…

Agustín Carstens

All videos (97)

01:01:20

Per Jacobsson Foundation Lecture - Panel discussion 2022

Video 26 Jun 2022

Per Jacobsson Foundation Lecture - Panel discussion 2022

Panel discussion chaired by Agustín Carstens (General Manager, BIS) with panellists Haruhiko Kuroda (Governor, Bank of Japan),…

By

,

Agustín Carstens

,

Lesetja Kganyago

,

Haruhiko Kuroda

and

Pablo Hernández de Cos

00:02:35

Old challenges, new shocks

Video 26 Jun 2022

Old challenges, new shocks

High inflation and mounting growth headwinds call for quick and decisive action by central banks, says Agustín Carstens,…

By

Agustín Carstens

00:56:26

BIS Media Briefing - Annual Economic Report 2022

Video 23 Jun 2022

BIS Media Briefing - Annual Economic Report 2022

Agustín Carstens, Claudio Borio and Hyun Song Shin brief the media on the main messages of the Annual Economic Report.

By

,

and

Agustín Carstens

01:31:50

Central banks and the green transition: what's next?

Video 1 Jun 2022

Central banks and the green transition: what's next?

In the closing high-level panel of the Green Swan 2022, the heads of the BIS, Central Bank of Brazil, European Central Bank,…

By

,

Agustín Carstens

,

François Villeroy de Galhau

,

Christine Lagarde

and

Roberto de Oliveira Campos Neto

00:11:45

Welcome address - Views on money and finance

Video 4 Apr 2022

Welcome address - Views on money and finance

Opening speech by BIS General Manager Agustín Carstens

By

Agustín Carstens

00:23:05

Welcome and opening speech at the BIS Innovation Summit 2022

Video 22 Mar 2022

Welcome and opening speech at the BIS Innovation Summit 2022

Agustín Carstens (General Manager, Bank for International Settlements) and François Villeroy de Galhau (Chair, BIS Board of…

By

Agustín Carstens

and

François Villeroy de Galhau

01:01:16

Finance for an Equitable Recovery - World Development Report 2022

Video 15 Feb 2022

Finance for an Equitable Recovery - World Development Report 2022

The interconnected risks faced now by households, businesses, banks and governments could trigger a global financial chain…

By

Agustín Carstens

00:08:24

Models of digital inclusive finance and stories of success

Video 26 Jan 2022

Models of digital inclusive finance and stories of success

This session discusses the frontier in digital payments and digital credit in achieving financial inclusion. What models are…

By

Zeti Akhtar Aziz

and

Agustín Carstens

00:32:12

Digital currencies and the soul of money

Video 18 Jan 2022

Digital currencies and the soul of money

What holds the monetary system together at its core? In a speech at @goetheuni, Agustín Carstens takes inspiration from Germany…

By

Agustín Carstens

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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