BEIRUT / Reuters Lebanon’s government plans to swap $5 billion of new foreign currency bonds for Lebanese pound debt with the central bank, in an operation its finance minister suggested would slash the cost of servicing its huge debt pile by as much as $1.5 billion. Ali Hassan Khalil, speaking in parliament, said 218 billion pounds ($145 million) of the ...

Bloomberg Japanese banks must move forward with consolidation by using everything from mergers to informal tie-ups to tackle declining profitability, according to the new chief of the industry’s main lobby group. “Consolidation has to advance from here, and the formats for doing this are going to get more diverse,” Koji Fujiwara, who starts as chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association ...

Bloomberg Pakistan’s central bank unexpectedly left its benchmark interest rate unchanged after a second currency devaluation in four months. The target policy rate will stay at 6 percent, the State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement. The move was predicted by only three of 22 economists in a Bloomberg survey with rest expecting a hike. The central bank unexpectedly ...

Bloomberg John Thain, a former chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch, is expected to join Deutsche Bank AG’s supervisory board in May, according to a person with knowledge of the German lender’s plans. News of the board’s shakeup follows speculation that Deutsche Bank is seeking to replace Chief Executive Officer John Cryan. The CEO, who has been trying to restructure ...

Bloomberg Mario Draghi has six months left to prepare a retreat from ultra-loose monetary policy, and he has a ready-made roadmap on hand. The US Federal Reserve’s experience of halting quantitative easing, raising interest rates and starting to shrink its balance sheet provides both a blueprint and a cautionary tale for the European Central Bank president. It’s an easy example ...

HARVARD / WAM The International Conference on Humanitarian Crises, which was held at Harvard Club of Boston, has hailed the UAE’s pioneering role in humanitarian field. The participants praised HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, for her role ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Following the launch of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), First Gulf Properties, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the bank, has changed its name to ‘FAB Properties’. The real estate service provider, which specialises in end-to-end property solutions, has launched a new logo, inspired by the look and feel of the FAB brand identity. FAB Properties’ mission and ...

SHARJAH / WAM Gulftainer, a privately-owned independent port operator, headquartered in the UAE, has announced that its subsidiary GT USA has inked an agreement on terms with the State of Delaware, USA, which would grant GT USA exclusive rights to operate and develop the Port of Wilmington for 50 years. Terms of the agreement are to be formally approved by ...

NEW YORK / WAM United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent and transparent investigation into clashes at the Gaza fence between Palestinians participating in the ‘Great Return March’ and Israeli security forces which resulted in at least 15 deaths and a large number of injured. The UN chief’s call for a probe came as the Security Council ...

DUBAI / WAM The Dubai Water and Electricity Authority’s (DEWA) Managing Director and CEO met with a UNDP representative to discuss cooperation. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, who is also the Chairman of the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO) welcomed Mourad Wahba, Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States. The meeting was attended by Waleed Salman, Vice Chairman of ...