Banking

  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 ...

  Bloomberg Banks may face an increase of about 10 percent in their capital requirements as a result of the overhaul of risk-assessment rules under way at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, according to Philippe Heim, chief financial officer of Societe Generale SA. The Group of 20 nations and the Basel Committee’s oversight body “want to concretely deliver reform ...

  Bloomberg Kenya’s central bank said lenders should peg their loans to its Central Bank Rate, or CBR, in line with a new law capping costs and as the International Monetary Fund warned that legislation limiting how much lenders charge for credit risks impeding access to loans. East Africa’s biggest economy has introduced restrictions on borrowing costs that set commercial ...

  FRANKFURT/ AFP The European Central Bank kept its interest rates at record lows on Thursday and held fire on more economic stimulus, but warned of “uncertainties” ahead for the eurozone over the Brexit vote. Describing the ECB’s current ultra-loose monetary policy as “effective”, bank chief Mario Draghi said policymakers stood ready to take future action if needed to push ...

  FRANKFURT/ AP The EU will not allow Britain to cling to advantages for its financial industry while blocking free movement of labour in the wake of Brexit, commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis warned on Thursday. “We cannot tolerate cherry-picking,” the Brussels financial services chief told German business daily Handelsblatt. “It’s up to the British government. If it decides not only to ...