Banking

  Bloomberg A decision to cap Kenyan interest rates may favor the biggest banks as small lenders will struggle to raise cheap deposits to fund lending, according to Equity Group Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi. At least 30 of Kenya’s 42 lenders may have difficulty paying the minimum for deposits as demanded by a new law on interest ...

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc offered 181.8 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in Japanese currency bonds on Thursday in the biggest single sale by an issuer in the Samurai market since 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The London-based bank’s sale included 64.4 billion yen in 10-year notes priced at 1.207 percent, according to a statement from SMBC Nikko Securities ...

  Bloomberg Some analysts expect the Bank of Japan to fire another blast of monetary stimulus at the end of its two-day policy meeting on September 21. Others see a central bank with little if any ammunition left — or one turned gun-shy. For some economists, the BOJ’s decision to undertake a comprehensive review of its easing program to be ...

  Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. has started doing damage control on Capitol Hill. Tim Sloan, the bank’s president and chief operating officer, has spent most of the week reaching out and meeting with members of Congress and their staffs in Washington, as the lender confronts blowback over allegations it opened more than 2 million accounts without customers’ approval, said ...

  Bloomberg Despite hopes of a new dawn for Iran’s economy after nuclear-related sanctions were lifted, major Western banks are reluctant to do business with the Islamic republic for fear of US retribution. President Hassan Rouhani has said that to reach the target of eight-percent growth needed to modernise the industrial sector and relaunch the hobbled economy, Iran needs up ...

  Bloomberg A South African bank that gave President Jacob Zuma a mortgage to settle a Constitutional Court order to repay taxpayers the money spent on upgrading his residence said it sticks to loan processes no matter who the client is. “In granting a loan, the usual processes and conditions apply no matter who the client may be,” VBS Mutual ...

  Bloomberg Sweden’s central bank presented a careful analysis on potentially changing the inflation measure it aims for, highlighting in its conclusion that any switch could damage confidence in the price target. While the current consumer price index is “somewhat problematic,” policy makers found that switching the measure could create “uncertainty” and “lead to expectations that it may be replaced ...

  Bloomberg The toll on Russia’s economy leveled by high real interest rates is worth paying because of the boost to central bank credibility, according to Fitch Ratings. “It’s a short-term cost, but once you have central bank credibility, that’s clearly a long-term benefit for the economy,” Paul Gamble, a senior director at Fitch, said in an interview in Moscow ...

  Bloomberg The tyranny of distance is weighing on Australia’s banks in the U.S. bond market. The yields that dollar debt buyers demand from Australia’s largest lenders are higher than for Canadian banks with similar credit ratings, an analysis of more than 80 securities compiled by Bloomberg shows. While the two commodity-producing nations’ banks are among the developed world’s most ...

  Bloomberg Postal Savings Bank of China Co. is seeking as much as $8.1 billion in a Hong Kong initial public offering, which could become the world’s biggest share sale this year. The Beijing-based bank is offering 12.1 billion shares at HK$4.68 to HK$5.18 apiece, according to terms for the deal obtained by Bloomberg on Tuesday. Cornerstone investors, who commit ...