Bloomberg The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it will continue to review its bond-buying program based on economic conditions and the health situation as the nation faces lockdowns to combat the delta variant of coronavirus. “The board would be prepared to act in response to further bad news on the health front should that lead to a more significant ...

Bloomberg The National Bank of Ethiopia asked all commercial banks to temporarily suspend providing loans backed by collateral, such as land and buildings. The NBE’s directive follows findings that the money is being used on the black market, State Minister for Finance, Eyob Tekalign, said on Shefer FM radio. The security authorities and the central bank are taking action as ...

Bloomberg Nigeria’s state-owned Bank of Industry plans to raise as much as 750 million euros ($883 million) from international debt markets this year for lending to companies hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa’s largest economy. Financial advisers have been appointed for the issue, Chief Executive Officer Olukayode Pitan, said in a virtual interview without providing details. The lender will ...

Bloomberg The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed a rule on bank’s purchases of foreign sovereign bonds, paving the way for lenders to resume a profitable currency trade. In a notice sent to some banks, the RBI said foreign sovereign bonds wouldn’t fall under a regulatory cap that requires holdings of securities unlisted in India to be 10% or less of ...

Bloomberg The world’s largest underwriter of green bonds plans to significantly expand its offering of investment products touting environmental, social and governance metrics, as Wall Street starts attaching the label to more complex financial services. JPMorgan Chase & Co says its decision to add the ESG tag to derivatives is part of a strategy to link sustainability to all forms ...

Bloomberg China’s latest moves to tighten its grip on the nation’s internet giants helped trigger a fifth consecutive day of selling in the nation’s bellwether technology stocks. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 3.1%, after the market regulator issued draft rules banning unfair competition among the nation’s online platform operators. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd falls nearly 5% and was the ...

Bloomberg Global stocks dropped for a second day and US equity-index futures tumbled amid concern more economic shutdowns are becoming necessary to contain a fast spreading pandemic. A stronger dollar and a slide in Treasury yields underscored the risk-off mood on Tuesday as New Zealand discovered a positive case and announced a lockdown. Gold rises for a fifth day and ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi’s Hope Consortium, which offers one of the most capable and effective vaccine supply chains in the world, has extended its value proposition to include in-country vaccination services with the aim of accelerating global immunisation and eliminating vaccine wastage. The new solution is unique in the Covid-19 immunisation space as it combines end-to-end vaccine delivery ...

Bloomberg Saudi Aramco is in advanced talks for an all-stock deal to acquire a stake in Reliance Industries Ltd’s oil refining and chemicals business, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Saudi Arabian firm is discussing the purchase of a roughly 20% stake in the Reliance unit for about $20 billion to $25 billion-worth of Aramco shares, the people ...

ABU DHABI / WAM HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, discussed during a telephone call on Monday, ways of strengthening relations of friendship and cooperation for the benefit of the two countries and their people as well as mutual ...