February, 2022

• 14 February

  Afghanistan may descend into chaos: Khan

  

  Bloomberg The US refusal to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan, coupled with sanctions and frozen assets, could push the country into chaos and threaten Pakistan’s stability, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said. Khan said in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” that the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, caused in part by the abrupt cancellation of foreign aid ...

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• 14 February

  Spain’s Vox may join regional goverment for first time

  

  Bloomberg Spain’s ultraconservative Vox party is poised to enter a regional government for the first time, after record results in local elections on Sunday. Vox came third in the central Castilla y Leon region, more than tripling its share of the vote after winning 13 seats in the 81-strong assembly. The main opposition center-right People’s Party (PP) came first with ...

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• 14 February

  Trudeau to meet with premiers as tensions rise over protests

  

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a rare cabinet meeting and was expected to speak with provincial leaders over protests in Canada’s capital city that have entered their 18th day. The protests against Covid-19 vaccine mandates, which include hundreds of semi-trucks parked in the streets of Ottawa, swelled into the thousands over the weekend. But truckers were met with counter-protests ...

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• 14 February

  PBOC’s rate decision sparks debate with economy in crisis

  

    Bloomberg The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is leaving economists divided over whether it needs to cut interest rates for a second month to boost a faltering economy. Sixteen of the 27 economists polled by Bloomberg forecast the central bank will keep the interest rate on its one-year policy loans unchanged on Tuesday, when it’s scheduled to conduct a ...

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• 14 February

  Axis Bank set to buy Citigroup’s $2.5b retail unit in India

  

    Bloomberg Axis Bank Ltd is nearing a deal to buy Citigroup Inc’s India retail banking business in a transaction that could be valued at about $2.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. An agreement for the consumer unit may be announced as soon as the next few weeks and is contingent on approval from the Reserve Bank of ...

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• 14 February

  BofA aims to offer card-free online purchases following investment

  

    Bloomberg Bank of America (BofA) Corp has led a $20 million funding round into UK startup Banked Ltd, a tie up that will give customers of e-commerce companies in the UK the option to make card-free purchases. The US lender is teaming up with the fintech to offer a ‘Pay by Bank’ solution that will enable users to pay ...

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• 14 February

  DBS CEO cautions on Fed hikes after profit surge

  

    Bloomberg DBS Group Holdings Ltd Chief Executive Officer Piyush Gupta said investors in Southeast Asia’s largest lender should be cautious about uncertainties stemming from Federal Reserve interest rate hikes and slowing Chinese growth. That tone followed the release of strong profit growth for the fourth quarter, wrapping up a year which he described as the bank’s best financial performance ...

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• 14 February

  SMBC mulls increasing stake in Rizal Bank

    Bloomberg Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp is considering increasing its stake in Philippine lender Rizal Commercial Banking Corp as the Japanese firm seeks to expand its footprint across Southeast Asia, according to people familiar with the matter. Tokyo-based SMBC is working with financial advisers as it prepares to boost its roughly 5% stake in RCBC, the people said, asking not ...

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• 14 February

  HSBC to double some junior banker bonuses in race for talent

  

    Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc plans to as much as double bonuses for some of its junior investment bankers and traders in a bid to catch up with rivals on compensation. The lender, which paid less than most rivals a year ago after cutting the bonus pool at its global banking and markets division by 15%, wants to avoid losing ...

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• 14 February

  Global stocks tumble as Ukraine tensions mount

  

    Bloomberg Stocks fell around the world as geopolitical risks over Ukraine rippled through global markets, adding to concerns about inflation and the prospect of aggressive Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes to tame it. US futures dropped, with airlines sliding in premarket trading as Ukraine tensions hit travel stocks and companies exposed to Russia and eastern Europe were under pressure. Expensive ...

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