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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 10 Jul 2020
The economic-policy response to COVID 19
Agustín Carstens joins Ben Bernanke, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Janet Yellen to discuss the economic-policy response to Covid…
Video 1 Jul 2020
2020 Central Banking in the Age of Covid-19 summit
2020 Central Banking in the Age of Covid-19 summit organised by the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
Video 30 Jun 2020
BIS says government debts may hold monetary policy hostage
Carstens discusses takeaways of the Annual Economic Report 2020, saying central banks mustn’t get strong-armed into keeping…
Video 30 Jun 2020
In the face of an unexpected adversary: the crucial role for central banks
Carstens explains why the Covid-19 pandemic is a defining moment for the global economy and for policymakers.
Video 30 Jun 2020
AER 2020
Once again, the world’s central banks were at the forefront of the policy defence during a severe crisis. Agustín Carstens and…
Video 29 Jun 2020
Media briefing on the Annual Economic Report 2020 and Annual Report 2019/20
Carstens, Pereira, Borio and Shin brief the media on the main messages of the BIS's Annual Economic Report and Annual Report…
Video 27 May 2020
Carstens at UBS panel with Jordan and Weber
A debate of key macro questions: What are the biggest macroeconomic/financial market risks in the pandemic crisis? Are current…
Video 5 Jan 2020
ASSA 2020 panel session: Monetary policy frameworks in a world of low interest rates
Discussants analyse whether monetary policy frameworks are still adequate to cope with the challenges central banks are…
Video 5 Dec 2019
The future of money and the payment system: what role for central banks?
Central bank public goods are the foundation for more efficient and inclusive payments, says Agustín Carstens.

All podcasts (12)

21:23:00
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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…
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13:12:00
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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…
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00:15:25
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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…
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