March, 2019

• 16 March

  Swedbank laundering case grows as $10bn found in review

  

  Bloomberg Sweden’s oldest bank may have handled considerably more in suspicious transactions tied to an Estonian money laundering scandal than first reported. Swedbank AB, which dominates financial markets in the Baltic region, allegedly let about 95 billion kronor ($10.2 billion) in questionable flows move through its accounts between 2007 and 2015, according to Sweden’s main television broadcaster, SVT, which cited ...

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• 16 March

  Draghi’s salvo may avert policy u-turn

  

  Bloomberg Mario Draghi’s latest stimulus salvo means his successor as European Central Bank chief may not be forced into the kind of monetary policy U-turn he once faced. The president, who began his eight-year term reversing course on a recent interest-rate increase by his predecessor, has set in place the conditions to keep the euro zone in easing mode until ...

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• 16 March

  Credit Suisse targets $2bn wealth management profit

  

  Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG is targeting 2 billion francs ($2 billion) in pretax profit for 2019 in its key wealth-manage-ment unit, seeking a fourth consecutive year of profit growth for the division, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Iqbal Khan, head of international wealth management, told staff at an internal company event last week that he’s aiming ...

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• 16 March

  Steinhoff to dig deeper into $7.4 billion of dodgy deals

  

  Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV plans to dig deeper into the accounting misdeeds that brought the retailing giant to its knees as it seeks to get to the bottom of some $7.4 billion in fictitious or improper deals. A forensic probe by PwC found that a small group of former executives — with the help of others outside the company ...

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• 16 March

  Debenhams warms to billionaire Ashley after he steps up bid

  

  Bloomberg Debenhams Plc cracked open the door to billionaire Mike Ashley for the first time, saying it’s considering his bid to increase control over the UK retailer and install himself as chief executive officer. The billionaire’s Sports Direct International Plc offered a loan of 150 million pounds ($199 million) to the troubled department-store chain in a deal that would boost ...

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• 16 March

  American Air suspends Venezuela service as pilots refuse to fly

  

  Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc. suspended its service to Venezuela on security concerns, shutting down the only flights to the country by a major US carrier. The move followed a notice from the carrier’s pilots union, backed up by flight attendants, telling its members to refuse the routes because of dangerous conditions in the nation. “American will not operate in ...

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• 16 March

  Lufthansa pares growth plans after fare war weighs on profit

  

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG cut its growth plans after a slide in fares and higher fuel costs weighed on 2018 earnings. The stock fell the most in 4 1/2 months after the German carrier said it will slow capacity increases to 1.9 percent this summer from the 3.8 percent previously planned in an effort to bolster prices and cope with ...

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• 13 March

  Airlines rethink $57bn in Boeing orders after crash

  

  Bloomberg The Boeing Co. 737 Max crash in Ethiopia looks increasingly likely to hit the planemaker’s order book as mounting safety concerns prompt airlines to reconsider purchases worth about $57 billion. VietJet Aviation JSC, which doubled its order to 200 of the aircraft priced at about $25 billion only last month, said it will decide on its future plans once ...

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• 13 March

  Abu Dhabi Airports freezone cuts business setup fees by 65%

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone (ADAFZ) has reduced business setup costs by more than 65 percent, with the aim of improving customer satisfaction, enhancing its regional competitiveness and attracting new sources of foreign direct investment (FDI). The business setup cost reduction also supports the government of Abu Dhabi’s latest initiatives aimed at strengthening the competitive business ...

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• 13 March

  Non-oil foreign merchandise trade through Abu Dhabi ports up 6.8%

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The value of non-oil foreign merchandise trade through Abu Dhabi ports increased by 6.8% from AED156.2 billion in 2017 to AED166.9 billion in 2018, according to figures released Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre (SCAD). “This was the result of a 23.8% increase in non-oil exports from AED22.3 billion to AED27.7 billion, 20.7% increase in re-exports, and 0.7% ...

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