Notable examples were in the UK and Australia, and serious consideration was also given to moving bank supervision out of the South African Reserve Bank in the early 2000s. The focus of central banks appeared to be narrowing. Today things have changed quite dramatically.
Monetary policy and central banking in general has become anything but boring, and rather than taking a back seat in the economy, central banks are now at the forefront of attempts to stabilise and repair the damaged global economy. The mandates of central banks have been extended in numerous countries, including in our own, bringing with it new and difficult challenges.