BEIJING / Reuters China’s March crude oil imports climbed from a month earlier to the second highest on record, calculated on a daily basis, as refiners replenished stocks on generous government quotas and ahead of peak maintenance season. March shipments came in at 39.17 million tonnes, or 9.22 million barrels per day (bpd), the General Administration of Customs said. That …

LONDON / Reuters Tougher rules introduced after the financial crisis have made it harder for banks to support the economy, a European banking lobby said in a study they hope will stem the flow of new regulation. Banks have been forced to hold far more capital since many of them were bailed out by taxpayers during the 2007-09 financial crisis. …

Bloomberg India’s state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) is conducting an internal investigation into an alleged $2 billion fraud and more heads could roll, its chief executive said in an interview. The country’s second-biggest state lender disclosed in February that companies owned by two jewellers defrauded it by raising credit from overseas branches of other Indian banks, using illegal guarantees issued …

SEOUL / Reuters South Korea’s central bank held interest rates steady, with Governor Lee Ju-yeol taking a cautious stance in the face of high household debt, weak inflation and tightrope-tense trade relations between the United States and China. The Bank of Korea’s monetary policy committee held its base rate steady at 1.50 percent, in line with forecasts from 18 analysts …

DUBLIN / Reuters Ireland’s central bank raised its forecast for economic growth as domestic activity strengthened and international demand improved, but it said the economy was vulnerable to post-Brexit trade restrictions and changes in European Union tax rules. Ireland’s economy has been the best performing in Europe since 2014 and the central bank sees that momentum continuing, with gross domestic …

KIEV / Reuters Ukraine’s central bank left its main interest rate at 17 percent, as expected, but warned that an improving outlook for inflation could be undermined if the International Monetary Fund delays in disbursing loans. Over the past six months, the bank has kept monetary policy tight to curb stubbornly high inflation linked to higher food and oil prices …

Bloomberg Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is slowly turning a corner after last year’s 8 billion euro ($10 billion) bailout, its chief executive said, flagging an increase in both lending and client funding. Italy’s fourth-largest lender, laid low by mismanagement and a large bad loan pile, has long been Rome’s biggest banking headache and is now 68 percent …

HAMBURG / Reuters Emirates will commit to purchasing options for 16 Airbus A380 jets from a previously announced $16 billion order that handed a lifeline to the slow-selling jet, the airline’s president said. The Middle East airline placed a provisional order for 20 of the double-decker superjumbos in January, which it has since finalised, with an option for 16 more. …

Bloomberg Temasek Holdings Pte is studying potential investments in Swissport Group and Gategroup Holding AG, both owned by HNA Group Co., as it considers deals with the indebted Chinese conglomerate, people with knowledge of the matter said. Temasek, which inked a partnership with the Chinese group, is exploring buying stakes in a number of HNA affiliates that are complementary to …

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV raised 3.75 billion rand ($313 million) from the sale of shares in the embattled retailer’s African operations to further shore up its balance sheet following an accounting scandal late last year. The move follows similar disposals of stock in South Africa’s KAP Industrial Holdings Ltd. and investment holdings company PSG Group Ltd. The total generated …