Notes |
The National Bank of Belgium (NBB; Dutch: Nationale Bank van België, French: Banque nationale de Belgique, German: Belgische Nationalbank) has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850. The National Bank of Belgium was established with 100% private capital by a law of 5 May 1850 as a Société Anonyme (SA). It is a member of the European System of Central Banks.
The Governor of the National Bank is a member of the Governing Council, the main decision-making body of the Eurosystem, particularly as regards monetary policy; the National Bank of Belgium participates in the preparation and execution of its decisions.
Apart from monetary policy, the National Bank of Belgium takes on other tasks which can be classified as follows:
the issuing of euro banknotes
the printing of euro banknotes and the placing in circulation of euro coins
the management of foreign currency reserves
the collection, circulation and analysis of economic and financial information
the stability of the Belgian financial sector – see also CBFA
the role of financial ambassador to international economic institutions
services for the Belgian State
services for the Belgian financial sector
services for the general public
50% of the NBB stock is freely traded on Euronext Brussels, the other 50% of the shares are owned by the Belgian government. |