Since the last monetary policy assessment, the exchange rate and interest rate conditions have changed substantially. This has considerable repercussions for the inflation and growth outlook in Switzerland. Global economic outlook I will now present our assessment of the global economy. The international economic environment is developing largely in line with our previous expectations. The global economic recovery is continuing. In the fourth quarter of 2014, growth in the US remained above potential. The favourable momentum of the economy there is also reflected in the sound growth in employment. The economy picked up somewhat in the euro area. This was primarily due to strong quarterly growth in Germany. In Japan, too, demand increased. By contrast, economic developments in the major emerging economies were mixed. Consumer price inflation edged down worldwide due to lower oil prices. In many advanced economies, inflation moved into negative territory at the beginning of 2015. During the course of the year, the growth of the global economy is likely to firm gradually. Several factors are supporting this growth. First, the significant decline in oil prices is helping to increase demand. Second, monetary policy in the advanced economies remains very expansionary. The euro area, in particular, is likely to benefit from the further decline in interest rates as well as the marked depreciation of the euro. Recently, an easing in European banks’ lending conditions, which were very restrictive, has also been observed. BIS central bankers’ speeches  1  Despite these favourable developments, the outlook for the global economy is still uncertain.

To ensure that Thailand reaps the benefits of the changing landscape and is in the position to mobilize resources for investment and support economic growth, the Bank of Thailand is set to launch the second phase of our financial sector Master Plan this year to further enhance efficiency, robustness, and competitiveness of the Thai banking system. Our Financial Master Plan Phase II aims to promote financial system efficiency so that financial institutions can perform their functions more efficiently, becoming more competitive, with increased financial access to the public. The plan essentially comprises three pillars. The first pillar is to improve the regulatory environment and to reduce the unnecessary regulatory and legacy costs. The focus in this pillar will be on streamlining regulation, and on promoting measures and incentives to deal with legacy NPA and NPL, without compromising prudential oversight or good risk management. The second pillar is to enhance efficiency by injecting more competition into the financial system. The focus will be on financial liberalization, increasing competition from the current and new players, and promoting greater financial access. The latter will give importance to expanding the retail banking businesses and promoting new microfinance business models and players. And the third pillar is to substantially improve the economy’s financial infrastructure in the areas of risk management, credit information system, legal reform, information technology, and upgrading the quality of human resource. Such infrastructure is crucial for banks so that they can attain greater efficiency and more effective risk management at a lower cost.