Banking

  Reuters Bank Muscat, Oman’s largest bank by assets, is raising $500 million through a syndicated loan, banking sources familiar with the situation said. The three-year loan refinances a $600 million facility maturing in March that the Omani lender raised in 2014. Bank Muscat’s refinancing facility offers an all-in pricing of 170 basis points over the London Interbank Offered Rate. ...

  Bloomberg Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has undertaken a strategic review of its Asian wealth operations following management changes in the region, Chief Executive Officer David McKay said. McKay declined to say whether the Toronto-based bank is seeking a buyer for the business, though previous retreats in international wealth management have come after reviews were initiated. “We always do strategic ...

  Reuters Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ), the Gulf Arab state’s third-largest lender by assets, reported a 99 percent fall in fourth-quarter net profit, according to Reuters calculations. This meant it widely missed analysts forecasts as it was hit by provisions and weakness among its overseas investments. The bank earned a net profit of 1.4 million riyals ($384,499) in the ...

  Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG, the Swiss lender seeking a banking license in Saudi Arabia, allocated about $600 million of its own capital to expand its business in the kingdom, according to people familiar with the matter. The Zurich-based bank, which has a securities and equities business in the country, plans to use the capital to, among other things, ...

  Bloomberg Kenyan banks are in talks with the government about changing a law that caps commercial interest rates as lending in East Africa’s biggest economy slows, Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Awori said. “Those dialogues are underway between the Kenya Bankers Association and members of parliament around what would work,” Awori said Wednesday in an ...

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley received a bonus of 1.3 million pounds ($1.6 million) for his first year in charge after hitting almost two-thirds of his targets, as he reshaped the bank and disposed of unwanted assets. Staley, 60, was awarded 60 percent of his maximum bonus opportunity for the year, giving him a total pay ...

  Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc jumped to the highest level since the Brexit vote after it boosted the dividend and said lending margins would hold up amid record-low U.K. interest rates. Shares in Britain’s largest mortgage lender climbed as much as 4.1 percent to their highest price since June 23. Excluding one-time charges, pretax profit rose 2 percent to ...

  Bloomberg The Bundesbank may be about to put a price tag on the European Central Bank’s exit from unconventional stimulus. The German central bank is bracing for losses that may be triggered when the ECB eventually unwinds its bond-buying program and raises interest rates, and President Jens Weidmann has the opportunity to address the matter when he presents his ...

  Bloomberg / AP Citigroup Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of almost 70 million rand ($5.4 million) to settle a South African antitrust investigation that said it participated in an alleged cartel to manipulate the value of the rand. Citigroup will make witnesses available to help prosecute other banks that participated in price fixing and market allocation in the ...

  Bloomberg Rania Nashar was named chief executive of Samba Financial Group, becoming the first female CEO of a listed Saudi commercial bank in line with the government’s economic and social reforms. Nashar is a board member of Samba’s global markets subsidiary and a Pakistani unit, and has nearly 20 years of experience in banking. Women, banned from driving in ...