FORMER Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor Richard Byles has received another ‘A’ grade fromGlobal Finance magazine, putting him among the world’s top-rated central bankers in the publication’s 2026 Central Banker Report Cards.

The rating comes less than a month after Byles ended his seven-year tenure at the central bank, handing over to Dr R Brian Langrin on August 19.

It is also the second consecutive ‘A’ grade for Byles, who received the same rating in 2025 after improving from an A- in 2024.

In 2025, he was among several central bank governors in Latin America and the Caribbean to receive an A grade.

Global Finance, which released its latest top-rated governors on September 8, assesses central bankers on an A+ to F scale, examining their performance in areas including inflation control, economic growth objectives, currency stability, interest rate management and political independence.

The publication evaluates the governors of nearly 100 countries, territories and districts as well as several regional central banks.

“Central bank governors face a complex balancing act, navigating persistent inflation pressures, uncertain growth, and rapidly changing economic conditions, while maintaining the confidence of markets and the public,” Global Finance founder and editorial director Joseph Giarraputo said.

He said governors receiving A-range grades had demonstrated “discipline, independence, and sound judgment” in navigating an unpredictable global environment.

Byles took over at the BOJ in August 2019 and subsequently steered monetary policy through the COVID-19 pandemic, the inflation surge that followed and several major external and domestic shocks. His tenure also coincided with the BOJ’s transition to an independent central bank and the adoption of a more formal inflation-targeting framework.

During its assessment last year, Global Finance highlighted Jamaica’s progress in bringing inflation back towards the BOJ’s four to six per cent target and the central bank’s decision to begin easing monetary policy after holding its policy rate at seven per cent for an extended period.

The full 2026 Central Banker Report Cards, covering governors outside the top A-range group, will be published in Global Finance’s October print and digital editions.