Former central bank governor Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南) worked hard to keep Taiwan financially stable through the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2001 dotcom bubble, the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and the 2012 European debt crisis, before he retired in February 2018 after 20 years in the position. Under Perng, the central bank kept interest rates relatively low to benefit economic growth and made frequent interventions in the market to stem appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar.
Perng’s efforts were often talked about by economists and businesspeople before his retirement, and they still stir up a lot of discussion.