Levente Koroes
@lkoro.es
Reporter for Central Banking covering Europe, reserves management, ESG, cybersecurity and fintech. I also like running, coffee and photography. Opinions are my own unless otherwise indicated.
Reposted by Levente Koroes
Betting on Jesus returning by 2027 and the Backstreet Boys singing about crypto are kind of the same thing. Speculation and nostalgia are both exit strategies from the present, and neither provides answers.
New piece on what happens when the economy grows without… people.
New piece on what happens when the economy grows without… people.
February 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Betting on Jesus returning by 2027 and the Backstreet Boys singing about crypto are kind of the same thing. Speculation and nostalgia are both exit strategies from the present, and neither provides answers.
New piece on what happens when the economy grows without… people.
New piece on what happens when the economy grows without… people.
Checking in on Bulgaria...
a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire .
ALT: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire .
media.tenor.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:49 AM
Checking in on Bulgaria...
ESG is far from dead - central bank reserve managers are, by and large, happy with their investments and are looking for more. The green asset market has clearly matured enough and produces quantifiable results, so the focus shifted to them. My latest for @centralbanking.bsky.social.
Reserve managers focus on the ‘E’ in ‘ESG’ - Central Banking
Central banks continue buying green assets while largely eschewing governance and social elements
www.centralbanking.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:56 AM
ESG is far from dead - central bank reserve managers are, by and large, happy with their investments and are looking for more. The green asset market has clearly matured enough and produces quantifiable results, so the focus shifted to them. My latest for @centralbanking.bsky.social.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the meaning of "doomscrolling" seems to have changed from "reading apocalyptic news and feeling unable to break away from it" (circa 2020-2021) to just "scrolling for a long time".
February 6, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the meaning of "doomscrolling" seems to have changed from "reading apocalyptic news and feeling unable to break away from it" (circa 2020-2021) to just "scrolling for a long time".
By the way, to the rail-heads here: I rode and reviewed the Travelski Night Express. voyages.substack.com/p/travelski-...
Travelski Night Express: a review
Some melancholic thoughts on the state of European night trains
voyages.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM
By the way, to the rail-heads here: I rode and reviewed the Travelski Night Express. voyages.substack.com/p/travelski-...
Reposted by Levente Koroes
Austrian and German central bank heads say EU fully disconnecting from the US is not a viable proposition www.centralbanking.com/central-bank...
EU cannot fully disconnect from US, say Kocher and Nagel - Central Banking
German and Austrian governors say bloc can take steps to gain more sovereignty
www.centralbanking.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Austrian and German central bank heads say EU fully disconnecting from the US is not a viable proposition www.centralbanking.com/central-bank...
Worth the click for the Martin Lewis-iathan alone
On British state slowly becoming Martin Lewis with nukes
The cost of the cost-of-living obsession
economist.com/britain/2026...
from The Economist
The cost of the cost-of-living obsession
economist.com/britain/2026...
from The Economist
January 29, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Worth the click for the Martin Lewis-iathan alone
Nothing quite like organising the meeting with someone in GMT (Good Meeting TIme) +11 and them no-showing.
January 22, 2026 at 6:22 AM
Nothing quite like organising the meeting with someone in GMT (Good Meeting TIme) +11 and them no-showing.
"If GPUs deteriorate too quickly for AI in data centres, then we can just use them for the cloud" is the current position of high finance.
January 21, 2026 at 9:42 AM
"If GPUs deteriorate too quickly for AI in data centres, then we can just use them for the cloud" is the current position of high finance.
I've stumbled upon a five-post series of summer skiing in France and it's a fascinating read. www.skipass.com/news/antholo...
Pour qui sonne le glas(cier) ? : anthologie du ski d'été en France
L'histoire du ski d'été en cinq épisodes
www.skipass.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:19 PM
I've stumbled upon a five-post series of summer skiing in France and it's a fascinating read. www.skipass.com/news/antholo...
Very cute.
❄️🐻❄️ Finally some positive news from Hungary. As record cold and snow hit Central Europe, polar bear cubs at Nyíregyháza Zoo are seeing real snow for the very first time in their lives. (Video by the zoo.)
January 7, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Very cute.
Good thread!
On Sunday, Trump said that "We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence".
But similar to how Venezuela wasn't just about drugs, Greenland is about more than defence.
Let's unpack the US-DK-Greenland situation… A thread👇
(Pic of the Eqi Glacier from this summer)
#Greenland #US #dkpol
But similar to how Venezuela wasn't just about drugs, Greenland is about more than defence.
Let's unpack the US-DK-Greenland situation… A thread👇
(Pic of the Eqi Glacier from this summer)
#Greenland #US #dkpol
January 5, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Good thread!
Just in time for a bit of Christmas reading: Central Bank of Luxembourg governor Gaston Reinesch publishes the ninth edition of his "On political economy" essay. It's 6,050 pages long, written in four languages, and seems to tackle... Everything?
www.bcl.lu
December 17, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Just in time for a bit of Christmas reading: Central Bank of Luxembourg governor Gaston Reinesch publishes the ninth edition of his "On political economy" essay. It's 6,050 pages long, written in four languages, and seems to tackle... Everything?
More on the ECB's post-excess liquidity operating framework from Finland's Tuomas Valimaki. He envisions structural long-term lending and a securities portfolio alongside the MRO to provide liquidity to eurozone banks. Great follow-up after @isabelschnabel.bsky.social's speech earlier this month.
ECB in no hurry with new structural operations – Välimäki - Central Banking
Portfolio will first need to be reduced ‘considerably’, says ECB’s alternate board member
www.centralbanking.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:06 PM
More on the ECB's post-excess liquidity operating framework from Finland's Tuomas Valimaki. He envisions structural long-term lending and a securities portfolio alongside the MRO to provide liquidity to eurozone banks. Great follow-up after @isabelschnabel.bsky.social's speech earlier this month.
Great. It isn’t even the real WLF.
November 27, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Great. It isn’t even the real WLF.
I would just like to know how Cycle to Work is getting knee-capped at this point.
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I would just like to know how Cycle to Work is getting knee-capped at this point.
But where's the seahorse?
Happy Unicode 17.0 Day!
Includes seven new emoji that are rolling out on your phones and computers in the coming year:
treasure chest, trombone, avalanche, big foot, bulging face, fight cloud, orca
@jenniferdaniel.bsky.social has the lowdown:
jenniferdaniel.substack.com/p/tomorrows-...
Includes seven new emoji that are rolling out on your phones and computers in the coming year:
treasure chest, trombone, avalanche, big foot, bulging face, fight cloud, orca
@jenniferdaniel.bsky.social has the lowdown:
jenniferdaniel.substack.com/p/tomorrows-...
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
But where's the seahorse?
Reposted by Levente Koroes
We timed the launch to coincide with our autumn conference, which is currently taking place in the famously Spanish-speaking nation of [checks notes] Brazil
I am pleased/slightly apprehensive to announce that we have found the button that activates Spanish mode on our website: www.centralbanking.com/es-la
buzz lightyear and jessie are standing next to each other in the dark .
Alt: Buzz Lightyear in Spanish mode dancing around Jessie
media.tenor.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:24 PM
We timed the launch to coincide with our autumn conference, which is currently taking place in the famously Spanish-speaking nation of [checks notes] Brazil
1. I need @dieworkwear.bsky.social to tell me if his outfit makes sense (even if his tie is horrendously tied)
2. We’ve come a long way since the *tips fedora* meme of the early 2010s
2. We’ve come a long way since the *tips fedora* meme of the early 2010s
"Fedora man" is a 15yo boy who takes sartorial inspiration from Poirot and other mid-20th century detectives. “When something unusual happens, you don’t imagine a normal detective,” he said. “You imagine someone different.”
Gem of an interview by AP's Thomas Adamson, who's also a fashion writer
Gem of an interview by AP's Thomas Adamson, who's also a fashion writer
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:05 AM
1. I need @dieworkwear.bsky.social to tell me if his outfit makes sense (even if his tie is horrendously tied)
2. We’ve come a long way since the *tips fedora* meme of the early 2010s
2. We’ve come a long way since the *tips fedora* meme of the early 2010s
I’ve heard good things about Masa tortilla chips but £21.50 for a bag seems excessive.
November 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I’ve heard good things about Masa tortilla chips but £21.50 for a bag seems excessive.
Reposted by Levente Koroes
Really interesting Schnabel speech today on the future of the ECB balance sheet. Here's @lkoro.es's write-up: www.centralbanking.com/central-bank...
ECB to tilt future QE to shorter-term bonds – Schnabel - Central Banking
Collateralised lending to play key role in Eurosystem asset composition
www.centralbanking.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Really interesting Schnabel speech today on the future of the ECB balance sheet. Here's @lkoro.es's write-up: www.centralbanking.com/central-bank...
Checking in on Europe's pro-natalist policies: Montenegrin central bank uses monetary financing to encourage childbirth this week
First Savings for Babies Born During Savings Week Increased to 2,000 euros - CBCG
In cooperation with commercial banks, the CBCG will grant all babies born between 31 October and 6 November a first savings deposit of 2,000 euros. This join...
www.cbcg.me
November 3, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Checking in on Europe's pro-natalist policies: Montenegrin central bank uses monetary financing to encourage childbirth this week
USDC/USDT create an "unprecedented level of concentration" in the stablecoin market, says ESRB
October 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
USDC/USDT create an "unprecedented level of concentration" in the stablecoin market, says ESRB
Reposted by Levente Koroes
I think this is the weirdest story I've ever reported. www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball...
The snail farmer of London, his mafia friends, and a £20m vendetta against the taxman
Terry Ball runs elaborate mollusc-based tax avoidance schemes that are costing London councils millions of pounds. Yet when London Centric tracks him down, an even stranger story emerges.
www.londoncentric.media
October 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM
I think this is the weirdest story I've ever reported. www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball...