Ignazio Visco
OMRI
Governor of the Bank of Italy
In office
1 November 2011 – 31 October 2023
Preceded byMario Draghi
Succeeded byFabio Panetta
Deputy Director General of the Bank of Italy
In office
9 January 2007 – 1 November 2011
GovernorMario Draghi
Preceded byPierluigi Ciocca
Succeeded bySalvatore Rossi
Personal details
Born (1949-11-21) 21 November 1949 (age 74)
Naples, Italy
EducationSapienza University
University of Pennsylvania

Ignazio Visco OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [iɲˈɲattsjo ˈvisko]; born 21 November 1949) is an Italian economist and central banker and Governor of the Bank of Italy fromn 2011 to 2023.[1][2]

Early life and education

Visco was born in Naples on 21 November 1949.[3] He obtained a summa cum laude degree in economics from the Sapienza University of Rome[3] in 1971 with Federico Caffè as supervisor and continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania (Economics Department), where he obtained an MA in 1974 and a PhD in Economics in 1981.[3]

Career

In 1972, Visco began his career at the Bank of Italy and in 1990 he was named head of the research department; from 1997 to 2002 he was chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and on 9 January 2007 he was named deputy director-general of the Bank of Italy (alongside Giovanni Carosio) and a member of its Direttorio (Board of Directors).[4]

On 24 October 2011, Visco was named to succeed Mario Draghi as governor of the Bank of Italy by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.[2][5]

Starting from 1 January 2013, in accordance with Legislative Decree 95/12 (converted into law, with modifications, from Law no.135/2012), he also holds the position of chairman of the joint governing board of the Italian Insurance Supervisory Authority (IVASS).[citation needed]

On 28 January 2015,[6] Visco was placed under investigation by the Prosecutor of Spoleto as part a probe into the special administration of Banca Popolare di Spoleto.[7] In September 2016, the case was definitively dropped by a judge, upholding the prosecutor's request.[8]

During his time in office, Visco came under fire for failing to effectively tackle Italy's banking woes. In October 2017, the country's ruling centre-left Democratic Party submitted a motion in Parliament calling for new leadership at the Bank of Italy, casting doubt on Visco's chances of being reappointed to a second term.[9] Following a proposal made by Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and his cabinet to renominate Visco and the endorsement of the Bank of Italy's high council, President Sergio Mattarella signed a decree to reappoint Visco for a second six-year term.[10][11][12]

Other activities

European Union institutions

International organizations

Non-profit organizations

Works

Awards and honors

Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 2 June 1991[17]
Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 27 December 1993[17]
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 2 June 2002[17]
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 2 June 2007[17]
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 25 October 2011[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ d'Italia, Banca. "Bank of Italy – Ignazio Visco". bancaditalia.it. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Bankitalia, alla fine l'outsider: Berlusconi sceglie Ignazio Visco". La Repubblica (in Italian). 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Berlusconi chooses Ignazio Visco to head Bank of Italy". AFP Global Edition. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  4. ^ Bocciarelli, Rossella (20 December 2006). "Giovanni Carosio e Ignazio Visco nel Direttorio di Bankitalia". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  5. ^ Donovan, Jeffrey (24 October 2011). "Italian President Signs Decree to Name Visco Bank of Italy Head". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Atti Procura di Spoleto, Visco indagato. Bankitalia: non entriamo in merito vicenda Bps". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  7. ^ Elli, Stefano (21 October 2015). "Bank of Italy Governor Visco investigated for sale of troubled bank after shareholders' legal action". ItalyEurope24 by Il Sole 24 Ore. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Case against Visco shelved". ANSA news agency. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  9. ^ Politi, James (17 October 2017). "Italy's ruling party looks to oust central bank chief". Financial Times.
  10. ^ Zampano, Giada (27 October 2017). "UN's $61 Billion Pension Fund Gets New Chief After Shortfalls". Bloomberg.
  11. ^ Politi, James (27 October 2017). "Italian president approves Visco second term as Bank of Italy governor". Financial Times.
  12. ^ Scherer, Steve; Jones, Gavin (27 October 2017). "Bank of Italy's Visco gets second term despite Renzi dissent". Reuters.
  13. ^ Members European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).
  14. ^ Members Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee.
  15. ^ Board of Governors World Bank.
  16. ^ International Advisory Board Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori.
  17. ^ a b c d e web, Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". Quirinale (in Italian). Retrieved 24 February 2018.

External links

Media related to Ignazio Visco at Wikimedia Commons

Government offices Preceded byPierluigi Ciocca Deputy Director General of the Bank of Italy 2007–2011 Succeeded bySalvatore Rossi Preceded byMario Draghi Governor of the Bank of Italy 2011–2023 Succeeded byFabio Panetta
Members of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank
Central bank governors of the Group of Seven
Central bank governors of the G20
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