By Orathai Sriring, Thanadech Staporncharnchai and Devjyot Ghoshal BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's economic growth may falter at under 2.9% this year after a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter despite a vaunted government cash handout aimed at firing up sluggish growth,

After a combined 1 percentage point of interest rate cuts over the central bank’s previous three meetings, the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee has signalled that it believes it now needs to pause and look for “further progress” towards hitting its 2 per cent inflation goal.

The European Central Bank is widely expected to cut interest rates for the fifth time since it began easing monetary policy.

Brazil's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points for the second straight meeting on Wednesday and signaled another hike of that size in March, leaving the door open for subsequent moves amid mounting inflationary pressures.

India's central bank on Thursday said it has filed an application with a company tribunal to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against Aviom India Housing Finance.

The bank’s monetary policy committee increased the benchmark rate by a full percentage point to 13.25%.

The head of the Czech National Bank wants to plough billions of euros’ worth of the country’s reserves into bitcoin, a groundbreaking move that could make it the first western central bank known to hold crypto assets.

The head of the Czech central bank is about to propose that the institution add Bitcoin to the country's reserves.

Thailand's economic growth may falter at under 2.9% this year on the back of a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter where consumption cratered despite a government cash handout aimed up firing up sluggish growth,

The fifth ECB rate cut since June, which had been well telegraphed to the market, lowered the rate that the central bank pays on deposits to 2.75% from 3.0%.