Bloomberg Thailand’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate near a record low, spurning the government’s call for policy easing as it painted a brighter outlook for the economy. Thailand’s Finance Ministry has been stepping up pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates as the currency surges and as inflation remains subdued. Economic growth is lagging peers in ...

Bloomberg Barclays Plc’s investment-banking boss, Tim Throsby, says he plans to reignite “commercial zeal” within the firm’s worst-performing unit, ending five years of risk-averse retrenchment that’s left traders trailing U.S. rivals. When he arrived at Barclays from JPMorgan Chase & Co. in January, Throsby found it was “very clear” staff had lost “a suitable focus on opportunities to deploy risk,” ...

Bloomberg SBM Holdings Ltd., Mauritius’s second-largest lender, plans more acquisitions in Kenya as it seeks to become one of the country’s top 10 banks within the next three years before expanding into West Africa. The bank, which obtained a license to begin operating SBM Kenya Ltd. in May, expects to have its systems and staff in place by December, Advisor ...