Banking

BLOOMBERG  The Bank of Korea (BOK) kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged and said it intends to keep policy restrictive to combat inflation even with the economy set to slow more than previously expected this year. The central bank held its seven-day repurchase rate at 3.5%, as forecast by economists. Unlike in February, the latest decision was unanimous, an outcome ...

BLOOMBERG Some smaller Chinese lenders cut interest rates for time deposits over the weekend, following a similar move by their larger rivals last year, after several lending rate reductions by policy makers started to squeeze their margins. Rural lenders in provinces including Henan and Hubei lowered deposit rates by as much as 45 basis points on some tenors, according to ...

BLOOMBERG BNP Paribas SA raised the bonus pool for its top investment bankers last year after the employees’ unit posted revenue gains on increased market volatility. The variable compensation pool for what it calls “material risk takers” at its investment banking operation rose 14% to €504.3 million ($550 million), according to a filing. Since the number of such bankers slightly ...

BLOOMBERG Kazuo Ueda took over the reins at the Bank of Japan (BOJ), replacing Haruhiko Kuroda, whose decade-long aggressive easing efforts made the central bank capable of jolting global financial markets with just a small tweak to its policy. Ueda began his five-year term, inheriting a monetary stimulus program from Kuroda after $11.7 trillion was spent in the pursuit of ...

BLOOMBERG US bank lending contracted by the most on record in the last two weeks of March, indicating a tightening of credit conditions in the wake of several high-profile bank collapses that risks damaging the economy. Commercial bank lending dropped nearly $105 billion in the two weeks ended on March 29, the most in Federal Reserve data back to 1973. ...

BLOOMBERG Mastercard Inc wants the plastic in consumers’ wallets to do less damage to the environment. Starting in 2028, the company will require all banks issuing one of its payment cards to use sustainable materials as it seeks to remove first–use, PVC plastics from its network, according to a statement. Acceptable alternatives include recycled or bio-sourced plastics. The move comes ...

BLOOMBERG  The Bank of England (BOE) Chief Economist Huw Pill said officials may need to raise interest rates even as inflation falls to prevent resurgence in prices caused by households and companies trying to claw back their lost income. Inflation is set to drop sharply from the current 10.4% level in the coming months due to lower energy prices and ...

BLOOMBERG  The US bank crisis that rattled global markets in March is probably nearing the end, even if more unforeseen failures occur, JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jamie Dimon said. Only a handful of lenders have the problems that toppled Silicon Valley Bank, and when the industry starts reporting quarterly earnings, the numbers will probably be good, ...

BLOOMBERG  Credit Suisse AG was hit by renewed outflows over several days in March that took it to the brink of bankruptcy, even when it was supposed to have enough funds to cover a month of deposit flight. As Swiss officials and Credit Suisse executives emphasised that the firm’s emergency sale staved off imminent collapse, they highlighted how sharp the ...

BLOOMBERG Signature Bank insiders sold a total of more than $100 million of company stock in the past three years, after the company began attracting cryptocurrency clients, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported. Chairman Scott Shay, Chief Executive Officer Joseph DePaolo and Chief Operating Officer Eric Howell accounted for about half of the total, the newspaper said, citing its ...