The French state has, at times, been as close to a nanny state as it gets. But that doesn’t mean France lacks a thriving charity and non-governmental sector. On the contrary, France’s charity sector is massive, with some 1.3 million estimated non-profit groups. They spend close to 3.4 percent of French GDP, and employ close to 2 million people, with ...

Bloomberg The biggest Nordic banks expect to launch a new piece of financial infrastructure next year, promising to dramatically speed up international transfers in one of the world’s most technologically advanced regions. The aim is to make it possible to clear payments and settle accounts within seconds, regardless of currency. The P27 project — so-called for the 27 million people ...

Bloomberg After US moves on global trade policy that have shredded decades of trust, watch out for deals to be struck before the midterm elections in November, Citigroup Inc. said, flagging a potential rebound in commodity prices towards the year-end that’s aided by still-robust fundamentals. “US trade actions have been brutal and unilateral and have punctured the trust built up ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG surprised investors with second-quarter earnings that were higher than analysts had expected, driving one of Europe’s worst-performing bank stocks up the most in more than a year. The Frankfurt-based bank sees net income of about 400 million euros ($468 million) and income before income taxes of about 700 million euros, “considerably” above estimates. The preliminary results ...

Bloomberg BlackRock Inc. and Schroders Plc are the frontrunners to oversee about 109 billion pounds ($144 billion) for Lloyds Banking Group Plc, one of the biggest mandates of its kind, people with the knowledge of the process said. A decision by the London-based bank is expected in the third quarter, said the people who asked not to be identified because ...

Bloomberg With interest rates rising and borrowers keeping up on payments, bank shareholders want to see which lenders are taking advantage. One big firm is hanging back. Wells Fargo & Co., under the thumb of a regulatory asset cap, rattled investors by posting the only decline in loans as the top US banks began reporting quarterly results. While JPMorgan Chase ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE kicked off its sales campaign at this year’s biggest air show by announcing $9.2 billion of orders from Asian carriers that are augmenting their fleets to meet surging demand for air travel in the region. Taiwanese startup StarLux Airlines said it is buying 12 A350-1000 aircraft and five of the smaller A350-900s in a deal valued at ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he’s concerned about the possible fallout from the US-Chinese trade dispute that’s gathering momentum because his industry relies on the free flow of goods. Speaking at the Farnborough air show south of London, Muilenburg said finding a solution to the dispute is “an important topic to us.” Aerospace is the biggest trade-surplus generator ...

Bloomberg Fast Retailing shares climbed the most since January on signs that the retailer’s steady expansion in overseas markets, now headlined by the face of Roger Federer, is bearing fruit even in the face of risks from an escalating trade dispute. The Uniqlo operator drew on robust overseas sales and a successful early summer line to help boost third-quarter results. ...

Bloomberg Three years ago, Amazon.com Inc. created a summer shopping holiday out of thin air for its most loyal customers. That airspace is considerably more crowded today as its rivals jockey to grab deal-hungry online shoppers. Retailers Target Corp., Best Buy Co., Macy’s Inc. and Walmart Inc. all have special promotions planned to coincide with Amazon’s Prime Day, which begins ...