Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept monetary policy unchanged, just hours after the Federal Reserve became the latest central bank to signal a willingness to cut interest rates in the face of rising threats to global growth. The BOJ maintained its interest rates and asset purchases, it said in a statement. All 50 economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted …

Bloomberg Brazil held its benchmark interest rate at a record low and signaled it can cut borrowing costs to help a frail economy once a key austerity measure advances further in Congress. The bank’s board, led by its President Roberto Campos Neto, kept the Selic unchanged at 6.50 percent in a decision expected by all but one of the 39 …

Bloomberg In the Ivory Coast, Standard Chartered Plc may have found its template for the future of banking. Didier Drogba, the retired Ivorian soccer star, was drafted as a “digital bank ambassador” on social media. Fifteen months later, more than 18,000 of his compatriots have signed up for digital-only accounts, outstripping the London-based lender’s early targets. Ivory Coast is just …