Bloomberg Stimulus measures like bond purchases are more effective than interest rate cuts to support the economy at this point in time, Riksbank Governor Stefan Ingves said. “Altogether, these measures entail a monetary policy that is aimed in full at attempting to alleviate the negative effects of the corona pandemic on the Swedish economy,†Ingves said, according to minutes of ...
Read More »Banking
Yes Bank sets 55% discount for $2 billion share offering
Bloomberg Yes Bank Ltd. set a large discount in the price range for its $2 billion public offering scheduled for next week. The Mumbai-based lender plans to sell the shares at 12 rupees to 13 rupees apiece, a filing showed. That’s a discount of as much as 55%. Yes Bank, which was bailed out this year, is the latest Indian ...
Read More »Banks with ‘shattered’ business models warned by Japan’s FSA
Bloomberg Japan’s financial regulator is running out of patience with regional banks that are struggling to adapt to an increasingly grim business environment. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has targeted some local lenders for “intensive dialogue,†which could lead to regulatory action if they fail to convince it of their viability, Commissioner Toshihide Endo said. He hinted at the need ...
Read More »India’s ICICI bank to raise $2bn in capital
Bloomberg ICICI Bank Ltd. plans to raise as much as 150 billion rupees ($2 billion) in capital, adding to the list of Indian lenders that are bolstering buffers as the pandemic threatens to push up bad loans. The nation’s second-largest private-sector bank will raise the funds via shares or equity-linked securities in one or more tranches, it said in a ...
Read More »Australian banks extending deferral of loan repayments
Bloomberg Some of Australia’s biggest banks will extend the deferral of loan repayments for up to four months as the nation scrambles to contain the threat of a second wave of coronavirus infections. Customers who can resume paying their loans will be required to do so at the end of their six-month deferral period, the Australian Banking Association (ABA) said ...
Read More »Sri Lanka cuts key rate again to aid economy
Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s central bank lowered borrowing costs for a fifth time this year to support the economy amid the coronavirus crisis. The central bank of Sri Lanka cut the standing lending facility rate by 100 basis points to 5.5%, according to a statement. Two of the five economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted the move, while all expected a cut. ...
Read More »Nigeria weakens naira as it seeks single rate
Bloomberg Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 5.5% against the dollar as authorities in Africa’s biggest oil producer migrate toward a single exchange-rate system for the local currency. The official rate to the greenback was pegged at 381 naira from 360, according to data on the website of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, the Lagos-based platform that oversees foreign-exchange trading. ...
Read More »Yes Bank to raise $2bn in share sale
Bloomberg Yes Bank Ltd., the Indian lender that was rescued this year after being inundated with bad loans, plans to raise as much as $2 billion in a public offering to shore up capital. The share offering will be from July 15 to 17, according to a stock exchange filing on Thursday. The Mumbai-based bank had earlier planned to raise ...
Read More »Zimbabwe’s CBZ to buy small banks in consolidation push
Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s biggest bank plans to buy several smaller lenders in a consolidation drive to leave the troubled southern African nation with fewer, stronger institutions, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. CBZ Holdings Ltd., majority-owned by the government, is in talks with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe over the acquisitions, the people said, asking not to ...
Read More »Commerzbank leaders toppled in Cerberus-led investor revolt
Bloomberg Commerzbank AG’s leadership was toppled in a shareholder revolt led by Cerberus Capital Management after failing to turn around a lender that’s struggled since its bailout in the financial crisis. Chief Executive Officer Martin Zielke, in the job for just over four years, has offered to resign, though the bank’s supervisory board still has to accept his resignation and ...
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