Bloomberg Asian governments are watching with some anxiety the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement as the Trump administration kicks off a review of the pact. “All of us are keen to know whether America is committed to have an open, liberal trading environment,” Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said in an interview on the sidelines of the ...

Bloomberg Ant Financial, China’s largest provider of internet financial services, will continue investing in mobile-payment providers around the world to boost offshore revenue and buttress itself from rising competition and tighter regulation at home. Controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, the Hangzhou-based firm will announce more “partnerships” this year with a focus on Asia and is also “actively assessing” other markets, ...

LONDON / Reuters Indian gold imports will drop back sharply after jumping in the first quarter, the World Gold Council said on Wednesday as the launch of a new tax regime and restrictions on refiners’ ability to import gold dore take their toll. Full-year imports will be little changed from 2016’s 524 tonnes, gold industry-funded WGC’s managing director for India ...

Bloomberg Italy’s plan for an 8.8 billion-euro ($9.8 billion) bailout of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA faces resistance from the European Central Bank, which is concerned the lender may struggle to maintain capital buffers as it tries to get back on its feet, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The ECB’s oversight arm has signaled that ...

Bloomberg State Bank of India, (SBI) the country’s largest lender by assets, more than doubled fourth-quarter profit as loan growth accelerated and bad-debt provisions fell. The stock climbed to a two-year high. Net income climbed to 28.1 billion rupees ($430 million) in the three months ended March 31 from 12.6 billion rupees a year earlier, the Mumbai-based lender reported. Outstanding ...

Bloomberg Banco Popular Espanol SA’s decade-old crisis may finally be coming to a head. For years, the Spanish lender managed to hold onto a mountain of soured real-estate loans made before the global financial crisis, tapping shareholders for new capital three times in the last five years. Now, with the stock down 98 percent from its 2007 peak and a ...

Bloomberg S&P Global Ratings raised Indonesia’s credit rating to investment grade, bringing it in line with the other two main rating companies and paving the way for more fund inflows into Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Stocks surged to a record and the rupiah advanced. The sovereign rating was lifted to BBB- from BB+ with a stable outlook, S&P said, citing ...

Bloomberg East West Banking Corp., the Philippine lender that took over some of Standard Chartered Plc’s local operations last year, plans to sell a minority stake to a strategic investor, according to people familiar with the matter. The retail-focused bank is working with an adviser to sell about a 20 percent stake, the people said, asking not to be identified ...

Bloomberg Singapore Airlines Ltd. shares plunged the most in almost six years after reporting a surprise loss because of intense competition, prompting Southeast Asia’s biggest carrier to kick off a review of its business. The stock slumped 7.3 percent to S$9.98, erasing S$922 million ($663 million) in market value. Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said he would leave “no ...

Bloomberg Billionaire Richard Branson signaled he may jump back into the US airline business after tussling with Alaska Air Group Inc. over how long the carrier must pay royalties on his Virgin America brand. Alaska has to keep paying ‘unless we decide to start another airline. So, we’ll see what happens,” Branson said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. When ...