Economics news: The stories to read this week

The Swiss National Bank is set to keep the world's lowest interest rate – minus 0.75% – when it gives its latest monetary policy update on 24 March. Other global central banks have raised rates in recent weeks.

Central banks in Argentina and Paraguay both raised interest rates on 22 March.

China's Evergrande Group, which made headlines last year after warning it could default on its debts, will unveil a debt restructuring proposal for its creditors by the end of July.

Russia's central bank has kept its key interest rate at 20% after February's emergency increase. It also plans to start buying Russian government bonds again, but warned of a spike in inflation and the prospect of economic contraction.

HSBC is buying a plot of real estate in an online space called The Sandbox, marking the bank's first major activity in the metaverse. Learn more about real estate in the metaverse in our explainer.

Thailand is set to ban the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, warning that the broader use of such digital assets threatens its financial system and economy.

The US and UK have reached a deal to ease tariffs on British steel and aluminium. This will allow 500,000 tonnes a year of duty-free steel imports, the US Commerce Department said. In response, the UK will lift tariffs on $500 million of US exports – on products including distilled spirits and agricultural products.

Meanwhile, inflation in the UK has hit a 30-year high of 6.2%. The country's central bank is warning of a risk of double-digit inflation by the end of 2022.

The IMF has warned about the impact of rising food prices and the potential effects on vulnerable populations.

Financial regulators around the globe are keeping a close eye on the use of cryptoassets during the war in Ukraine, amid concerns they could be used to bypass Western sanctions on Russia.

The $1.8 trillion crypto sector is on the defensive amid warnings from US and European lawmakers that digital asset companies are not up to the task of complying with Western financial sanctions imposed on Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Some crypto exchanges have rejected calls to cut off all Russian users, raising concerns that crypto could be used as a way to circumvent sanctions.

Ukraine has also raised more than $100 million in cryptocurrencies after posting appeals on social media for donations for military and humanitarian needs in bitcoin and other digital tokens.

"We at the FSB [Financial Stability Board] are monitoring the situation, the conflict situation relative to cryptos," FSB secretariat member Patrick Armstrong told a City & Financial conference in London.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to lower its global growth forecast for this year as a result of the war in Ukraine, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told Foreign Policy magazine. She also warned of recession risks in a number of countries.

The global economy is still set to expand this year, but by less than the 4.4% previously anticipated.

Some economies are in a better position to cope with the economic shocks of the Russian invasion, but "those that were not yet coming out of the COVID crisis, that were falling further behind, they're going to be bit even harder", she said.

And as central banks respond to rising inflation, any tightening of financial conditions could be a "big shock" to many emerging markets, Georgieva warned.

A new survey by Fidelity shows that almost half of next-generation Americans don't see a point in saving for retirement until things return to normal.

Wondering about the impact of working from home on productivity? New research looks at Japan.

A new report looks at three major future economic challenges – and some possible solutions.

The impact of air pollution on "non-health" outcomes from labour productivity to decision making? A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper explores.