Banking

Bloomberg European regulators lifted their de facto ban on bank dividends while imposing strict limits on payout levels to help lenders maintain financial strength during the pandemic. The European Central Bank (ECB) said that the continent’s banks should keep dividends and share repurchases to less than 15% of profit for 2019 and 2020, or 0.2% of their key capital ratio, ...

Bloomberg Swiss National Bank (SNB) President Thomas Jordan has reason to expect a less intense 2021 after a multi-billion currency battle this year that put Switzerland in the crosshairs of US authorities. The combination of a landmark European Union fiscal package and the anticipated global economic recovery driven by the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will likely dampen demand for haven ...

Bloomberg Nordea Bank is winding down what’s left of its operations in Russia, after years spent cutting back its business there as part of a plan to minimise its risks. The Helsinki-based bank had already axed its Russian retail business, but previously indicated it would keep some services open for corporate clients. Late on Thursday, it said its decision to ...

Bloomberg China injected cash into the financial system by offering medium-term loans, in the government’s latest effort to ensure the country’s banks have sufficient liquidity. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added 950 billion yuan ($145 billion) of one-year cash via the medium-term lending facility, more than offsetting the 600 billion yuan that matures in December. That’s the fifth straight ...

Bloomberg Bank of Canada (BOC) Governor Tiff Macklem warned the nation’s economy could temporarily shrink again amid a second wave of virus cases, tempering good news on the start of inoculations against Covid-19. In his last speech of the year, Macklem said uncertainty remains elevated and new restrictions could trigger a small contraction at the start of 2021. On the ...

Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG — Switzerland’s second largest lender — cut 10 percent of the staff at its asset management business this year as it seeks to turn around a unit that has been hit by fund implosions in the wake of the pandemic. Switzerland’s second largest lender made the reductions as it closed some investment vehicles and wrote ...

Bloomberg DBS Group Holdings Ltd will set up a digital exchange for cryptocurrencies for firms and wealthy clients, while allowing fund raising via asset tokenisation on a platform run by the largest bank in Southeast Asia. The planned setup is in partnership with Singapore Exchange Ltd, which will hold 10% in the new bourse, the Singapore-based lender said in an ...

Bloomberg Barclays Plc is looking to reduce its real estate expenses in the UK, US and India as the shift to remote working adds fuel to its cost-cutting ambitions. The bank could announce changes early next year although the board has not taken a final decision on the extent and timing of any measures, people with knowledge of the matter ...

Bloomberg The US Treasury Department said it hasn’t identified any banks or other financial institutions linked to a group of people sanctioned in October over China’s crackdown on Hong Kong. The decision, announced in a report required by Congress, is likely to come as a relief to major banks that had sought to unwind any connection to those sanctioned for ...

Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc’s Black employees are paid about 20% less than their colleagues as British lenders struggle with their representation across senior positions. The median pay gap between Black employees and other peers was 19.7%, while the bonus gap was 37.6%, according to the bank’s April 2019-2020 report. “For our Black colleagues, the pay and bonus gap is ...