The maker of Aston Martin sports cars is buying what it calls an insurance policy against the risk it runs out of cash before the most critical product launch in its 106-year history. The terms of a new $250 million debt package show just how limited the UK company’s options for securing funds are as it seeks to challenge Bentley ...

Workers born outside Japan are playing an increasingly important role in the world’s third-largest economy. Just don’t call it immigration. The country is often said to pride itself on homogeneity and an aversion to outsiders. But as Japan’s population declines and ages, employers are becoming aware of their constraints. The number of employees from overseas has more than doubled since ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc defended the privacy features of its Alexa digital assistant — and introduced some new tools to reassure users — following months of debate about the practices of the technology giant and its largest competitors. “We care about this,” Dave Limp, leader of the company’s devices business, said at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. “Privacy is absolutely foundational to ...

Bloomberg EHang, one of China’s largest drone makers, has made a confidential application for an initial public offering with Nasdaq Inc, according to people with knowledge of the matter. EHang plans to float 10 percent to 15 percent of its shares, with the company’s valuation not yet set due to volatile market conditions, said one of the people, who asked ...

Bloomberg China’s top maker of electric-vehicle batteries plans to spend $1.4 billion building its first factory in the southwest of the country, adding to ambitious plans for next decade even as the short-term EV outlook get buffeted by subsidy cuts and demand uncertainties. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co will build the facility in Sichuan province, an outpost of China’s car industry, ...

Bloomberg Facebook Inc is trying to broaden its virtual horizons. The company’s virtual reality unit Oculus announced Facebook Horizon, described as “an ever-expanding VR world” where people can interact with others as digital avatars. Users will be able to add features and elements to the world, which Facebook said will be “constantly growing with extraordinary creations made by Horizon citizens.” ...

Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co named Charlie Scharf chief executive officer, marking a new era in the bank’s efforts to turn itself around after a series of scandals claimed two previous CEOs in the past three years. Scharf, the CEO of Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon Corp, will replace interim chief Allen Parker on October 21, capping a wide-ranging ...

Bloomberg Europe’s widening money laundering scandals took a new turn as ABN Amro Bank NV disclosed a criminal probe over alleged failures to check on clients and report suspicious transactions, a further sign of woe in an industry already struggling to grow profitability. Shares of the state-controlled bank slumped the most since its 2015 initial public offering and its bonds ...

Bloomberg The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) started an open-ended fund for central bank investments in green bonds, it said in a statement. The institution, which is often referred to as the central bankers’ central bank, said the fund comes in response to growing demand for climate-friendly investments. It should also help institutions incorporate sustainability objectives into the management of ...

Bloomberg Christine Lagarde didn’t immediately jump at the chance of succeeding Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank — but needed some convincing. That’s what the former chief of the International Monetary Fund revealed to Francine Lacqua in New York this week, in a Bloomberg Television interview that also offered insights into her likely management style, and even ...