The board of directors of the Bank for International Settlements announced that it has extended the term of office of the general manager, Malcolm Knight, to mid-2009.

Knight, a former Bank of Canada official, assumed his responsibilities as BIS general manager on April 1 2003, for a term of five years to end-March 2008. Jean-Pierre Roth, chairman of the BIS board, said that, following a request by the board, Knight agreed to an extension of his term of office until end-June 2009. Knight will reach the normal BIS retirement age of 65 in April 2009.

On behalf of the members of the board, Roth thanked Knight for his valuable contributions during his first four years at the BIS and welcomed his continued service to the organization.