Banking

BLOOMBERG Bitcoin dropped to the lowest level in about two weeks, part of a wider retreat in crypto markets as investors digested the unraveling of a key industry payments network. The largest token by market value sank as much as 6% before paring some of the slide to trade 4.6% lower at $22,347 in New York. Smaller coins such as ...

BLOOMBERG Nationwide Building Society and HSBC Holdings Plc toughened limits on retail customers’ access to cryptoassets, becoming the latest UK banks to impose curbs after industry scandals and regulatory warnings. Nationwide is applying daily limits of £5,000 ($5,965) on debit-card purchases of cryptoassets, the building society informed customers, while its credit cards can no longer be used to buy crypto. ...

BLOOMBERG Toronto-Dominion (TD) Bank’s focus on retail banking in Canada and the US paid off last quarter as rising interest rates made lending to consumers more profitable. Still, concerns about its loan-loss provisions and delays to a major deal weighed on the stock. The bank’s US business saw its net interest margin — the difference between what it earns on ...

BLOOMBERG The Treasury Department will lead a new senior-level working group that will soon start regular talks on the possible launch of a digital dollar. The group will include “leaders” from the Treasury, Federal Reserve, National Security Council and other agencies, Nellie Liang, Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance, said. In the coming months the group “will begin to meet regularly ...

BLOOMBERG Metro Bank Plc plans to open 11 new branches in the north of England from next year in a bid to grow its customer base, while keeping the costs “significantly” lower than its previous outlets. The new branches, which Metro calls “stores,” will have less surplus floor space and more cost-effective fixtures and fittings but still retain the “distinctive ...

BLOOMBERG Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) reported a surge in its trading businesses that helped fiscal first-quarter earnings top analysts’ estimates. Revenue from RBC Capital Markets — the largest capital-markets division among Canada’s banks — rose 4.3% to C$3.12 billion ($2.3 billion) in the three months through January, Royal Bank said. That beat analysts’ C$2.35 billion average estimate. National Bank ...

BLOOMBERG Deutsche Bank AG’s rates traders received some of the biggest increases in bonuses as Germany’s largest bank unveiled compensation details. The business, which saw revenue jump five-fold last quarter amid rapid increases in central bank interest rates, saw the largest gain in variable compensation within the securities unit, according to people familiar with the matter. Currency traders and the ...

BLOOMBERG Credit Suisse Group AG is escalating efforts to win back clients with deposit rates that are significantly higher than rivals as a run of senior banker departures adds urgency to its campaign to recoup assets. After unprecedented outflows in the fourth quarter, the Zurich-based lender has raised three-month rates to as much as about 6.5% for new money of ...

BLOOMBERG Ghana’s cedi, the world’s second-worst performing currency this year, is heading for more pain after the West African nation missed a self-imposed deadline to restructure its bilateral debt and move closer to tapping foreign aid. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta wanted to reach a restructuring agreement with bilateral creditors by the end of February to help qualify for a $3 ...

BLOOMBERG Senior investment bankers at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong Kong could lose their private offices as the firm moves towards open-plan desks for the financial hub, causing angst among some executives who’ve complained about potential confidentiality risks. The investment-banking division isn’t being singled out and the plan is in line with a broader move across the company, people familiar ...