Bloomberg Absa Group Ltd’s corporate and investment banking unit plans to open an office in China as part of an expansion that will also target other parts of Asia and the Middle East. “Next year, we will be seeking strategic approval from our board for an on-the-ground presence in China,†Charles Russon, the division’s chief executive officer, said in an ...
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RBS, Lloyds soar on signs of Brexit deal
Bloomberg British bank shares jumped amid optimism that a UK deal to leave the European Union would support domestic lenders. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc rose as much as 16.4% on October 11, the biggest intraday rise since May 2010, and Lloyds Banking Group Plc gained as much as 12.5%, its largest increase since February 2016. Bonds of both ...
Read More »Indiabulls plunges after RBI rejects bank merger plans
Bloomberg Shares of an Indian shadow lender plunged after the Reserve Bank of India rebuffed its plan to merge with a bank, blocking a path that may have helped other struggling non-bank financiers get better access to liquidity. Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd plunged 19% to the lowest since March 5, 2014, in Mumbai after the plan to combine with Lakshmi ...
Read More »TPG’s Shriram Capital stake sale stalls
Bloomberg TPG Capital has paused a sale of its stake in privately-held Indian financier Shriram Capital as the country’s lingering shadow banking crisis hurts valuations, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The private equity’s plan to sell its 10% stake has been held back, and will likely resume only as soon as the next financial year starting in ...
Read More »Mexico regulator says banks manipulated ‘market’
Bloomberg Mexico’s antitrust regulator notified top banks that its investigator found probable evidence of cartel-like practices to manipulate government bond prices, according to people with knowledge of the matter. At least one bank received in-person notification that the regulator, known as Cofece, would try the case, said the people, who requested anonymity because the matter is private. Seven financial institutions ...
Read More »HK crisis is creating opportunity for the investors: Julius Baer
Bloomberg Julius Baer is recommending Hong Kong’s battered stock market as investor appetite fades after five months of protests, saying “times of crisis†are usually an opportunity to invest. The city’s stocks have appeal as valuations are suppressed and dividend payouts exceed the yields on government bonds by near the most on record, said Yves Bonzon, chief investment officer at ...
Read More »Credit Suisse mulls return to US private banking after exit
Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG is considering a return to US wealth management after a four-year absence as Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam seeks to boost growth in private banking. Talks have focussed on adding $15 billion of assets under management at a new base in Miami, mostly catering to wealthy Latin Americans, people familiar with the matter said. If ...
Read More »Hong Kong banks fall after Morgan Stanley downgrades outlook
Bloomberg Hong Kong banks declined after Morgan Stanley cut the sector’s outlook, saying the stocks will underperform as a slowing economy and falling rates hurt profitability. Bank of East Asia Ltd slumped 4.2%, while Hang Seng Bank Ltd lost 3.3%. The MSCI Hong Kong Index dropped 1.3% after briefly dipping below the 14,000 point level for the first time since ...
Read More »African bank hires HSBC, JPMorgan for London IPO
Bloomberg The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said it’s considering an initial public offering to help finance rapidly increasing trade flows on the continent. The Cairo-based lender hired JPMorgan Securities Plc and HSBC Bank Plc as joint global coordinators and bookrunners, and Exotix Partners LLP as co-lead manager, according to a statement. The bank said the offering of global depositary receipts ...
Read More »Singapore dollar set to weaken as central bank faces downturn
Bloomberg Singapore’s dollar is set to weaken because the central bank is likely to scrap its appreciation bias at a policy meeting next week, according to a growing group of forecasters. Mizuho Bank Ltd and Societe Generale SA are defying consensus by predicting the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will adjust the slope of its nominal-effective-exchange-rate policy band to zero, ...
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