Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) is about to take the next step in reinventing the region’s money as it marches towards the creation of a digital euro. Policy makers will decide whether to move to an exploratory phase, which President Christine Lagarde reckons could take about two years. Ultimately, euro-zone citizens could be holding a virtual central-bank currency by …

Bloomberg New Zealand’s central bank (RBNZ) said it will reduce monetary stimulus by ceasing quantitative easing, a surprise move that sent the currency higher as traders priced in an interest-rate increase as early as August. The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, led by Governor Adrian Orr, on Wednesday held the official cash rate at 0.25%, but said it will halt …

Bloomberg Bank of America Corp (BofA) is struggling to build back its lending income as consumers, flush with cash from government stimulus programs, avoid taking on new borrowings. Loans and leases in the consumer banking unit fall 12% from a year earlier. Net interest income, on a fully taxable equivalent basis, was $10.3 billion last quarter, the bank said. That …

Bloomberg Apple Inc is working on a new service that will let consumers pay for any Apple Pay purchase in installments over time, rivaling the “buy now, pay later” offerings popularized by services from Affirm Holdings Inc and PayPal Holdings Inc. The upcoming service, known internally as Apple Pay Later, will use Goldman Sachs Group Inc as the lender for …

Bloomberg Apple Inc has asked suppliers to build as many as 90 million next-generation iPhones this year, a sharp increase from its 2020 iPhone shipments. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant has maintained a consistent level in recent years of roughly 75 million units for initial run from a device’s launch through the end of year. The upgraded forecast for 2021 …

Bloomberg Volkswagen ratcheted up its mid-decade profitability goal as it hones plans to become the electric-car leader and cash in on what it expects to be a massive new revenue stream from software. Europe’s largest automaker will target an 8% to 9% operating return on sales in 2025, up from 7% to 8% previously. After wooing investors with a Tesla …

Bloomberg Sony Corp predicts that robots will take over its manufacturing of televisions, smartphones and cameras as the company shifts attention to services, the Financial Times reported. Unmanned production lines are expected to cut costs by 70% at Sony’s mainstay TV factory in Malaysia by the fiscal year 2023, compared with 2018, the FT cited Kimio Maki, head of Sony’s …

Bloomberg Nestle SA is planning to enter the cultured-meat market in a move that could see the world’s largest food company help deliver the nascent technology faster to the mass market. The Swiss giant has been working on alternative meat products that would blend cultivated meat with plant-based ingredients. The meat is being developed with Israeli cell-based startup Future Meat …

ERBIL / WAM The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) provided relief aid to people affected by the fire that erupted in the Sharia Refugee Camp in Dohuk, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. A delegation from the ERC supervised the distribution of food, medical supplies, clothes, cooking equipment and other necessities to thousands of Iraqi refugees at the camp. The delegation, which is visiting …

Bloomberg Air France-KLM has begun negotiations with Boeing Co and Airbus SE on what could be the group’s biggest-ever aircraft order as it seeks to expand low-cost operations and renew part of its main Dutch fleet. The 160 single-aisle planes would be destined for the Transavia discount division and European operations at KLM, a spokesman said. The brands currently operate …