HONG KONG / AP For decades, Hong Kong thrived as an Asian business hub thanks to its killer combination of Western freedoms, independent courts and closeness to mainland China’s booming market. Now political and economic ills from the mainland are eroding that edge. Swedish-Chinese author Gui Minhai was counting on Hong Kong’s freedoms when he chose the city as the ...

Bloomberg The European Union is considering easing bank-failure rules introduced to end the era of expensive taxpayer-funded bailouts. A discussion paper prepared by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, envisions setting EU loss-absorbency requirements for its biggest banks, led by HSBC Holdings Plc and Deutsche Bank AG, in line with those issued in November by the Financial Stability Board ...

Bloomberg Former HSBC Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael Geoghegan is among 250 business leaders backing the push for the U.K. to leave the European Union. Geoghegan was CEO of HSBC from 2006 until 2010 and his support for “Brexit” stands in contrast to the bank’s current management, which warns it will send 1,000 staff to Paris from London if ...