Bloomberg The US Treasury Department sanctioned Blender.io, a virtual currency mixer it said was tied to North Korea’s hacking and money laundering activities. The action marks the first time Treasury has sanctioned a so-called “mixer,” which is used to hide the origin of illicit funds. “Today, for the first time ever, Treasury is sanctioning a virtual currency mixer,” said ...

Bloomberg Boris Johnson’s Conservatives shed seats across England and lost control of three London strongholds in the local elections, leading to a backlash against the from local party leaders. The Tories lost control of Wandsworth Council — an iconic local government which has been Tory-run since 1978 — as well as in Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament are based. ...

Bloomberg France’s four largest left-wing parties overcame rivalries to form a united front ahead of legislative elections next month as opposition mobilises against newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron. After tense deliberations, the Socialist party board approved an electoral pact with the Communists, the Greens and the far-left France Unbowed. They will now present a single slate of candidates in the ...

  Bloomberg Rudy Giuliani balked at showing up for his scheduled interview before the House Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, a spokesman for the panel said. The spokesman, Tim Mulvey, said the committee “will consider all enforcement options” if the former personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump continues to refuse. “Mr Giuliani had ...

  Bloomberg European banks are counting the rising cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as they brace for a wave of defaults and write down the value of their operations in the country. Led by Societe Generale SA and UniCredit SpA, the region’s lenders have so far flagged a hit of $8.6 billion to their earnings from the war. The ...

  Bloomberg The Czech central bank lifted borrowing costs more than expected to the highest level since 1999 and signalled further monetary policy tightening to come as intensifying inflation pressure eclipses risks to economic growth. Policy makers raised the benchmark rate by 75 basis points to 5.75% — exceeding the forecasts of all analysts in a Bloomberg survey for a ...

  Bloomberg European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said interest rates may be raised back above zero this year if the euro-zone economy doesn’t suffer another setback. In a speech in Paris, the Bank of France chief also suggested that the ECB should conclude net bond purchases at the end of June — a necessary ...

  Bloomberg Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA swung to a small quarterly profit as new Chief Executive Officer Luigi Lovaglio seeks to revamp the bailed-out bank ahead of a planned capital raising. The bank reported a net income of 9.7 million euros ($10.2 million) in the first three months of the year reversing a fourth quarter loss, according ...

  Bloomberg Poland’s central bank pledged to continue fighting inflation after its interest-rate increase fell short of market expectations and weakened the zloty. Policy makers in Warsaw lifted the benchmark rate by 75 basis points to 5.25%, the highest level since 2008. Most economists predicted a full percentage-point increase. Future decisions will hinge on the prospects for inflation and economic ...

Bloomberg Societe Generale SA benefited from higher interest rates and market volatility in the first quarter, helping offset rising costs as the French lender prepares to exit its Russian business. Revenue in the first three months rise 17%, beating analysts’ estimates, driven by its international banking operations, gains in French retail banking and across investment banking units. The Paris-based bank ...