Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank should avoid cutting interest rates further because borrowing costs are at an appropriate level even as loan growth remains subdued, according to the chief of the country’s biggest lender. The current benchmark rate of 4.25 percent is “quite optimal,” PT Bank Mandiri President Director Kartika Wirjoatmodjo said in an interview on Sept. 28. “Overall liquidity is ...

Bloomberg Australia’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged — as expected — reinforcing Governor Philip Lowe’s reluctance to follow developed-world counterparts and tighten policy. “Over recent months there have been more consistent signs that non-mining business investment is picking up,” Lowe said in Tuesday’s statement. “A consolidation of this trend would be a welcome development. Business conditions as reported in ...

Bloomberg The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union poses a “substantial risk of disruption” to cross-border clearing of financial contracts, according to the Bank of England (BOE). The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has proposed supervision rules that could force foreign clearinghouses to locate the clearing of derivatives denominated in EU currencies inside the bloc. In response, some clearinghouses ...

Bloomberg Japan’s currency is taking a larger share of global foreign exchange reserves, in a pattern that’s coinciding with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gradually incorporating China’s holdings into its published data. The yen is now at its highest proportion since the end of 2002. In the second quarter, it accounted for $429 billion out of the $9.26 trillion worth ...

Bloomberg Banks and regulators in Southeast Asia should strengthen financial-sector rules and guidelines to promote funding for environment-friendly projects in a region threatened by deforestation and climate change, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said. Measures to promote sustainable finance in the region are “high level,” and don’t involve the incentives or penalties which would get banks to properly integrate environmental ...

Bloomberg UBS Group AG could employ around 30 percent fewer staff in a decade as technological advances change banking, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Ermotti said in an interview with Bloomberg Markets. “We see a lot of contraction in the number of people in our industry,” he said. UBS, the world’s largest wealth manager, could shrink by that measure, including contractors, ...

Bloomberg Japan Airlines Co., which bought its first Airbus SE planes four years ago, is considering adding to its pending order of wide-body A350s as it seeks to increase routes to India and North America. The carrier has ordered 31 A350s scheduled for delivery starting 2019 and has options to buy 25 more. Japan Airlines may use some of these ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc.’s takeover of Whole Foods Markets has shaken the grocery business. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Trader Joe’s and Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. may be hurting the most so far. Whole Foods’ foot traffic from new shoppers jumped 33 percent in the first week following Amazon’s acquisition, and Wal-Mart regulars accounted for the largest percentage of first-time customers, according to ...

Bloomberg Canadian grocer Metro Inc. pledged to sell some assets to reduce its financing needs and retain its credit rating as part of a $3.6 billion purchase of pharmacy chain Jean Coutu Group Inc. Metro will pay C$24.50 a share in cash and stock for Jean Coutu, about a 6.1 percent premium to Jean Coutu’s price before the two companies ...

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc added the fewest number of passengers in six months in September as the first of more than 20,000 flight cancellations prompted by a pilot shortage began to weigh on growth. The customer count rose by 1 million to 11.8 million, Ryanair said Tuesday, the smallest increment since the carrier added 900,000 passengers in March. The 9.2 ...