Bloomberg Malayan Banking Bhd. is challenging CIMB Group Holdings Bhd.’s nine-year reign as the top arranger in the world’s largest Islamic bond market. Malaysia’s biggest lender has managed 15.3 billion ringgit ($3.5 billion) of sukuk offerings in the nation in 2016, data compiled by Bloomberg show. It had a 27 percent market share versus 22 percent for CIMB. Maybank …

  Bloomberg RHB Bank Bhd., Malaysia’s fourth-biggest lender by assets, hired former Standard Chartered Plc banker Goh Ken-Yi to head client coverage in its Singapore securities unit, people with knowledge of the matter said. The banker started working this week at RHB Securities Singapore Pte, according to the people. He was most recently a managing director in charge of commercial …

  Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. and Bain Capital’s credit investment arm are considering bids for about 1 billion euros ($1.06 billion) of non-performing assets from Banco Popular Espanol SA as the Spanish lender accelerates efforts to clean up its balance sheet, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Negotiations are ongoing, and an agreement may be reached in …

  Bloomberg China’s central bank raised its yuan fixing for the first time in 13 days as the dollar’s ascent eased, reinforcing speculation that policy makers are prepared to step up measures to slow the currency’s declines. The People’s Bank of China strengthened its daily reference rate by 0.3 percent to 6.8779 per dollar, ending a 12-day decline that took …

  Bloomberg SBM Holdings Ltd., Mauritius’s second-biggest lender, said it’s acquiring Fidelity Commercial Bank Ltd. of Kenya to kick off an expansion in East Africa that will target four more countries. The bank is buying FCB’s entire share capital for 100 shillings and injecting 1.46 billion shillings ($14.3 million) of new capital, Port Louis-based SBM said in a statement on …

  Bloomberg Mario Draghi may be first among equals in the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, but he certainly isn’t the best paid. The central bank governors of Belgium, Italy and Germany make more than the ECB president’s annual 386,000 euros ($409,400), data compiled by Bloomberg show. Belgium’s Jan Smets took the crown with about 480,000 euros, almost six times …

  Accra, Ghana / AFP Parkins Takyi-Aidoo bobs and weaves around a ragged punch bag, dancing on concrete in a rehearsal for the knockout blow that one day could secure him fame and glory. The Ghanaian is just 13 years old but by training in the Bukom neighbourhood of Accra — a hotbed for fighters — he probably has a …

  Jakarta / AFP Some fight with machetes three-feet long, others are armed with daggers curved like the claws of big cats, while other combatants rely on only their minds. This is the world of “pencak silat”, or Indonesia’s martial arts, which are now battling for greater global recognition — having secured a place in the Asian Games, the government …

  DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabian stocks rebounded on Tuesday as oil prices hit a one-month high, outperforming other stock markets in the Gulf where traders booked profits. Egypt’s main index pulled back but foreign buyers continued to hunt for bargain buys, lifting the broader index. Saudi Arabia’s general market index rose 1.6 percent to 6,602 points, heading back towards …

  London / AFP Stocks across the globe forged higher on Tuesday, with Wall Street setting new records as rising metals and oil prices bolstered sentiment in the mining and energy sectors, dealers said. At the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow jumped above 19,000 for the first time, extending its post-election rally. London stocks gained 0.9 percent on …