Launched in 2005, the Americas Center of the Federal Reserve Bank 
of Atlanta was established to better coordinate the activities of the bank's Supervision and Regulation, Research, and Financial Services Divisions as they relate to the Americas. This collaboration enables the Atlanta Fed to direct its outreach within the financial, regulatory, and research communities and to our constituency in the Americas and to promote these efforts in regional, national, and international forums.
Despite its relatively short history, the Americas Center was recognized as one of five areas
of "distinguished historical strength" that are regarded as high-priority activities in the Sixth Federal Reserve District's 2008-2012 strategic plan. This recognition is an acknowledgment
of not only the center's accomplishments to date but also its ongoing importance to the
Atlanta Fed's central missions.
During 2008 the Americas Center tackled an array of ambitious projects. The center supported expanded research on key economic and policy challenges through conferences on remittances and the macroeconomy, the changing landscape of wealth management in the hemisphere, and international economic development. Americas Center staff shared their expertise in a range of foreign technical assistance programs and worked with colleagues throughout the region to improve payment systems in the hemisphere. The center's Web page added new trilingual content, including new research papers, publications, resource links, and podcasts.
The Americas Center's accomplishments in 2008 added value to the Atlanta Fed's initiatives and helped us better serve our constituents. We hope you will find this Americas Center annual review an informative overview of our past year and a commitment to broaden our outreach.
Patrick K. Barron
March 2009