Banking

Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s lenders, which include units of Standard Bank Group Ltd and Ecobank Ltd, appealed to the central bank to raise interest rates that have been capped at 12 percent for the past two years, saying this would increase lending in the collapsing economy. They also proposed that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduce an overnight rate to facilitate lending ...

Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp plans to hire about 10 people to boost its in-house investment capabilities, primarily from Goldman Sachs Group Inc, according to people familiar with the situation. The additions will come from banking, private equity, consulting and, in at least one case, the medical profession, said the people, asking not to be named because the matter is private. ...

Bloomberg Germany’s beleaguered investment bankers could face even more competition when rivals move staff to the country after Brexit. While relocations from the UK will initially have little effect, that may change if banks then use their newly established presence in Germany to expand in the local market for investment banking services, Joachim Wuermeling, the head of banking supervision at ...

Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) has been meeting with direct lenders to gauge the industry’s resilience to slowing growth, according to two people familiar with the matter. At least two of the biggest UK private credit funds met separately with members of the central bank’s financial stability unit in the past month, said the people, who asked not to ...

Bloomberg Britain’s pound presents the biggest opportunity within developed-market currencies with a probable break-the-Brexit logjam moment coming soon, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “We’re coming to a big finish here,” Zach Pandl, Goldman’s co-head of global foreign exchange and emerging market strategy, said on Bloomberg Television after the UK Parliament again rejected all alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s ...

Bloomberg Denmark’s financial watchdog is warning that smaller banks need to be on high alert for signs of money laundering as larger lenders tighten their surveillance systems. Jesper Berg, director general of the Financial Supervisory Authority in Copenhagen, said Denmark is concentrating on “building the lines of defense and having them stronger,” in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Denmark’s biggest ...

Bloomberg The Hermitage Capital Management co-founder who’s become an activist in the fight against money laundering says Sweden’s decision not to pursue his case against Swedbank AB because of a statute of limitations won’t stop him seeking other avenues. Bill Browder, whose criminal complaints against Danske Bank A/S were followed by investigations in multiple jurisdictions, says the Swedish decision was ...

Bloomberg Geneva prosecutors are investigating a former back-office employee of Banque Pictet over allegations the person stole millions of dollars from Switzerland’s biggest privately-owned bank. An investigation was opened on March 19 into suspicions of fraud and breach of trust, according to a spokeswoman for the Geneva prosecutor’s office. She declined to give further details and the person’s name has ...

Bloomberg Former Wall Street trader Edgar Fernandez used some of his Bitcoin as collateral to borrow nearly $100,000, a move that let him keep his cryptocurrency and avert a tax bill on the newly acquired cash. The tax perk stems from a longstanding principle that assets aren’t taxed until sold, much like borrowing against stock holdings. Yet digital currency carries ...

Bloomberg The new head of Japan’s main banking lobby warned the central bank against deepening negative interest rates, signalling such a move could spur risky investment and put further pressure on lenders’ profits. “It will be a quite difficult option to take,” Makoto Takashima, chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association, said in an interview. “Simply speaking, that would cause policy ...