ASTANA / Reuters Kazakhstan hopes to settle a profit sharing dispute with global energy companies developing the Karachaganak gas condensate field by June, its deputyenergy minister said, after talks were repeatedly extended. Eni and Shell have the biggest stakes in the Karachaganak project, which they jointly operate. “Negotiations on the Karachaganak project are rather active, we meet almost daily, our ...

Bloomberg Singapore’s state-owned natural gas importer brought in its first cargo of a super-chilled form of the fuel for domestic use. Pavilion Energy Pte, owned by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte, unloaded the liquefied natural gas cargo from the tanker Al Oraiq. Pavilion last year became one of two companies, along with Royal Dutch Shell Plc, to be granted a license ...

Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese technology giant, used its stake in online retailer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as collateral for an $8 billion loan from a group of banks in what is one of the biggest deals of its kind, according to people familiar with the matter. Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. ...

Bloomberg Chinese peer-to-peer lender Weidai Hangzhou Financial Information Service Co. is planning an initial public offering that could raise about $400 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Weidai, which means “microlending” in Chinese, aims to sell shares in the US as soon as this year, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariff threats have left China’s Xi Jinping with a tricky balance to strike. He’s got to show he’s ready to retaliate against US trade threats while demonstrating China’s commitment to opening up. The Chinese president’s first chance to hit back in person comes in a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia— China’s answer ...

Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co. reported a 58 percent surge in profit, topping projections as demand for its memory chips remained strong enough to outweigh concerns about display supplies to Apple Inc. Operating income rose to 15.6 trillion won ($14.7 billion) in the three months ended March, according to preliminary results released from the Suwon, South Korea-based company. That compares with ...

Bloomberg Indonesia’s economy may be cushioned by its huge domestic market as a trade dispute between the US and China poses risks to the global economic recovery, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Southeast Asia’s largest economy relies less on exports compared with others in the region, with consumption accounting for more than half of gross domestic product, Indrawati ...

Bloomberg Foxconn Technology Group grew into the world’s largest electronics manufacturer for hire by churning out best-selling products such as iPhones, Kindles and PlayStations. Now, it’s deploying that power to bring cryptocurrencies to the masses. A subsidiary of Foxconn has agreed to help develop and produce a blockchain phone from Sirin Labs, according to the startup. The new device, called ...

LONDON / Reuters Britain’s financial watchdog said that firms offering services linked to cryptocurrency derivatives must meet all relevant rules in the regulator’s handbook or could face sanctions. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not currently regulate cryptocurrencies. But it said that dealing or arranging transactions in, advising on or providing other services related to derivatives referencing cryptocurrencies or tokens ...

LONDON / Reuters Britain recorded its strongest productivity growth in more than a decade in the second half of 2017, helped by a strong fourth quarter, but economists said the improvement was unlikely to prove a turning point for one of the economy’s key weak spots. Productivity growth in most advanced economies has been poor since the 2008 financial crisis ...