Emirates Business Saxo Bank Group (‘The Group’) reported a net profit of DKK 158 million for the first six months of 2016. During the same period, client collateral deposits continued to rise, increasing by DKK 6 billion, compared to H1 2015, to reach a record high of DKK 82 billion. The operating income for the group reached DKK 1.5 ...
Read More »Banking
Citigroup to invest $1bn in Mexico unit
Bloomberg Citigroup Inc., seeking to move beyond a 2014 fraud case in Mexico and settle doubts over its commitment to the nation, plans to rename its local unit Citibanamex and invest $1 billion over four years in technology and branch upgrades. “These investments in Citibanamex reaffirm our commitment to Mexico and our confidence in its prospects,†Chief Executive Officer ...
Read More »European banks cutting 20,000 jobs
Bloomberg European banks are preparing a fresh round of bloodletting — with some 20,000 jobs set to go — as tougher rules and negative interest rates weigh on profits. ING Groep NV will slash 5,800 positions over five years as it focuses on Internet and mobile banking and automates systems, the Amsterdam-based lender said. Last week, Germany’s Commerzbank AG ...
Read More »Deutsche Bank brings quandary home to Merkel
Bloomberg When it comes to speculation about German government support for Deutsche Bank AG, Chancellor Angela Merkel has no good answer. After years spent leading the push for new European Union rules to contain banking crises without putting taxpayers on the hook, you might expect Merkel to rule out state aid for Deutsche Bank. She hasn’t, even though that ...
Read More »RBA keeps interest rates on hold at 1.5%
AFP Australia’s central bank kept interest rates at a record low on Tuesday in the first meeting for newly-minted chief Philip Lowe, amid solid domestic growth and signs that commodity prices have passed their trough. Australian growth has remained robust despite the economy’s uneven transition away from mining-driven expansion, but a recent run of sluggish inflation figures drove the ...
Read More »RBI cuts key lending rate to 6.25%
AFP India’s central bank cut interest rates to a six-year low on Tuesday, as the International Monetary Fund predicted the Asian giant would maintain its position as the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The rate decision was expected to please Narendra Modi’s government who had become frustrated at the pace with which recently-departed Reserve Bank of India chief Raghuram Rajan ...
Read More »Laurentian to merge branches in restructuring
Bloomberg Laurentian Bank of Canada, claiming traditional banking is becoming “obsolete,†will merge 50 branches and eliminate about 300 positions in the next 18 months as part of a restructuring. Laurentian must evolve to meet the changing needs of customers, who have reduced branch visits, the Montreal-based lender said Wednesday in a statement. Increased economic and regulatory hurdles, along ...
Read More »Credit Suisse may secure key banking license in Saudi Arabia
Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG is seeking to secure a key banking license in Saudi Arabia as part of plans to expand in the kingdom. The Zurich-based bank, which has a securities and equities business in the country, is in talks with the central bank for an onshore license, Iqbal Khan, head of the bank’s international wealth-management business, said ...
Read More »ADB, SIDA sign risk-transfer agreement
MANILA / AP The Asian Development Bank signed an agreement with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) on a risk-transfer scheme under which SIDA will guarantee $155 million out of ADB’s $455 million basket of five loans to India — a first for a sovereign loan portfolio for any multilateral development bank, the ADB announced on Monday. The ...
Read More »ING to slash 7,000 jobs, close branches
BRUSSELS / AP Dutch banking group ING said on Monday that it is slashing 7,000 jobs in Belgium and the Netherlands as the company focuses on online services in the face of growing competition. ING said in a statement that some 3,500 full-time jobs would disappear in Belgium by 2021 and 2,300 in the Netherlands. Almost 1,000 jobs would ...
Read More »