Bloomberg Ireland is said to be planning to allow banks that were bailed out during the financial crisis to pay bonuses to staff, ending a long-standing ban. A retail banking review will be brought to Ireland’s cabinet and will be published if it is approved, according to the Department of Finance. Bonuses will be one of the issues the ...
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Lloyds to relax mortgage terms for struggling borrowers: CEO
Bloomberg Lloyds Banking group Plc is stepping up help for struggling customers, including mortgage relief, during the UK’s heightened economic stress, according to Chief Executive Officer Charlie Nunn. The bank is talking to British regulators about lengthening the terms of some mortgages as well as moving some customers to interest-only loans or lower-cost products as they adjust to the ...
Read More »Royal Bank to buy HSBC’s Canada unit for $10 billion
Bloomberg Royal Bank of Canada agreed to buy HSBC Holdings Plc’s Canadian unit — the country’s seventh-largest bank — for C$13.5 billion ($10 billion) in cash, expanding its roster of business clients and bulking up its retail presence on the West Coast. The deal is expected to be completed by late 2023, subject to regulatory approvals, Toronto-based Royal Bank ...
Read More »India set to test retail version of digital rupee
Bloomberg India’s central bank will launch the retail version of its digital currency on a test basis starting Thursday, a month after allowing some banks to use it for settling secondary-market transactions in government securities. Four banks will initially run the digital currency pilot, with another four joining at a later stage, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in ...
Read More »Nomura sees $1bn revenue boost from equities, wealth
Bloomberg Nomura Holdings Inc sees a potential revenue boost of $1 billion or more from a deeper push into areas including equities, private markets and managing money for the rich, according to the firm’s chief executive officer. “Our wholesale business platform allows us to seize on profit opportunities with certainty whenever the market moves,†Kentaro Okuda said at an investment ...
Read More »Asia currencies set for best month in 6 years
Bloomberg Asian currencies are set for their steepest monthly advance in more than six years, with the approaching end of the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle supporting gains. The Bloomberg JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index has rallied 2.7% in November. South Korea’s won is the best performer after logging a 7% rise, followed by the Thai baht which climbed 6.8%. “While ...
Read More »Korea banks add $3.7 billion to market aid fund to ease strains
Bloomberg South Korea is continuing with efforts to ease strains in its credit market, with local financial firms making a second round of contribution to a key bond stabilisation fund redeployed in October. The companies will inject an additional 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) into the fund between December and January, according to the Finance Ministry. The Bank of ...
Read More »RBNZ surprised by persistent inflation, says assistant governor
Bloomberg New Zealand’s central bank has been surprised by the strength of inflation, which has boosted price expectations and required a more aggressive interest-rate response, Assistant Governor Karen Silk said. “What we have seen is actual inflation continue to surprise on the upside, but more importantly inflation expectations have moved higher as well,†Silk said in an interview with ...
Read More »Deutsche Bank hunts for more Asia deals
Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG sees room to expand its deals business in Asia and is looking to hire selectively even as some rivals turn wary amid a sharp slowdown in China. “As different industry players continue to be increasingly cautious, we do see opportunity to strategically grow our market share in some areas where it makes sense,†Amit Khattar, ...
Read More »RBA’s Lowe sees better chance of Australia ‘soft landing’
Bloomberg Australia has a stronger probability of bringing its economy in for a “soft landing†than almost any other developed-world counterpart, Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe said, citing the nation’s still-contained wage growth. “It’s not guaranteed but where I sit today I think we have a better chance than most other countries of pulling it off,†Lowe told a ...
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