Bloomberg Boeing Co’s 737 Max is poised to resume commercial flights in China as soon as this month, according to people familiar with the matter, a significant milestone for the narrow-body workhorse after it was grounded worldwide in 2019. A so-called operational readiness flight conducted by Hainan Airlines on January 9 is a sign the model could return to …

  Bloomberg Air France-KLM has begun a search to replace the head of its Dutch arm in a move that could give Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith a fresh start in improving relations between its two flag carriers. Shares of the airline group fell as much as 1.8% in Paris on Friday, a day after the group said Pieter Elbers …

  Bloomberg Instacart Inc. is launching a service offering prepared foods from supermarkets in a bid to capture more customers and better compete in the hot market for meal-delivery. Customers will be able to choose from hundreds of ready-to-eat meals, such as rotisserie chicken, sushi and soups, from grocery stores including Kroger, Publix and Ahold Delhaize’s Stop & Shop. Shoppers …

  Bloomberg The European Union defended its airport slots rule following complaints by some airlines including Deutsche Lufthansa AG that the requirement forces it to fly empty planes. Lufthansa last week launched an onslaught against the EU’s use-it-or-lose-it rules that stipulate flights must take place or takeoff and landing slots will be forfeited. The carrier, whose units include Swiss, Brussels …

  Bloomberg Several of China’s largest banks have become more selective about funding real estate projects by local government financing vehicles, concerned that some are taking on too much risk after they replaced private developers as key buyers of land. At least five state-run banks have imposed new restrictions this year on loans to weaker local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) …

  Bloomberg Visa Inc joined its rival Mastercard Inc. in offering central banks a way to test retail applications for digital currencies they might issue. The card payment provider will begin piloting a program this spring with ConsenSys Inc, a blockchain software company, after discussions with roughly 30 central banks about goals related to government-backed digital currencies. Governments across the …

  Bloomberg The Swiss National Bank (SNB) and partner organisations said they successfully conducted the second stage of their experiment to process digital currencies within the country’s financial system. During a three-day test in December, five commercial banks — Citigroup Inc, Credit Suisse Group AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg AG and UBS Group AG — were able to …

  Bloomberg Brazil’s central bank signalled inflation will end 2022 above target while saying a “significantly restrictive” cycle of interest rate hikes will help pull cost of living increases be low 5%. Inflation is converging to target over the relevant time horizon, which includes 2022 and 2023, bank chief Roberto Campos Neto wrote in a letter published on Tuesday. “In …

  Bloomberg Coinbase Global Inc is acquiring futures exchange FairX in its biggest step yet towards expanding into crypto derivatives. Already registered with US regulators, the firm could give Coinbase the edge it needs in getting a derivatives marketplace up and running. Terms of the deal were not provided. “This is the most important stepping stone for us to help …

  Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to stand pat on policy, but adjust its view of inflation risks for the first time since 2014 to account for the global price spikes pushing other central banks to rein in stimulus. All 48 economists surveyed by Bloomberg see the BOJ keeping its negative interest rate and asset purchases unchanged …