Bank of Finland


The Bank of Finland is the central bank of Finland. It is the fourth oldest central bank in the world.

History

The precursor of Bank of Finland, Waihetus-, Laina- ja Depositioni-Contori Suomen Suuren-ruhtinaanmaassa, was established on 1 March 1812 in the city of Turku by Alexander I of Russia. In 1819 it was relocated to Helsinki. Until 1840 the main purpose of the bank was to carry out currency reform to introduce Imperial ruble. The Bank created and regulated the Finnish Markka from its inauguration in 1860 until Finland adopted the euro in 1999.

Functions and ownership

The Bank of Finland is Finland's central bank and a member of the European System of Central Banks and of the Eurosystem. It is Finland's monetary authority, and is responsible for the country's currency supply and foreign exchange reserves.
The Bank of Finland is owned by the Republic of Finland and governed by the Finnish Parliament, through the Parliamentary Supervisory Council and the Board of the bank. The Board is responsible for the administration of the bank, and the Parliamentary Supervisory Council for supervising the administration and activities of the bank and for other statutory tasks. The bank is governed under the provisions of the Act on the Bank of Finland, passed in 1998.
The bank has branch offices in Kuopio, Tampere, and Oulu. The bank has a staff of about 380 persons.

Organisation

The highest official in the bank is the Governor who also chairs the board. Members of the Board in August 2018 were Olli Rehn, Marja Nykänen and Tuomas Välimäki.

Governors of the Bank of Finland

Source:

Chairmen of the Parliamentary Supervisory Council