Singapore / Bloomberg HSBC’s weight-loss drive in India could leave the country’s banking system feeling a little breathless. But the health benefits will eventually show up. The UK-based lender will close half its branches in the country, which last year accounted for 3.2 percent of the group’s pre-tax profit. Assuming that the bank’s strategy of serving more of its Indian …

  Japan / AFP British finance minister George Osborne warned on Saturday that the UK would find it “extremely difficult” to conclude trade deals with EU countries if it quit the bloc. Speaking to the BBC at a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Sendai, Japan, Osborne said it would be tough to strike those deals while also trying to …

  Bloomberg The pound may have rallied amid evidence U.K. public opinion is shifting away from a Brexit, but one fund manager isn’t taking any chances. Investec Wealth & Investment Ltd. has increased its holdings of non-sterling government bonds to protect against a slide in the U.K. currency should citizens vote to quit the European Union on June 23. The …