Tuesday , 16 December 2025

Northvolt plans 60-GW battery plant in Germany

Bloomberg Swedish battery-maker Northvolt AB is building a new plant in northern Germany as European car manufacturers accelerate their shift to electric vehicles. The factory, dubbed “Northvolt Drei,” would produce 60-gigawatt hours of battery capacity annually, the company said. Northvolt expects it to produce its first lithium-ion batteries in 2025. The new plant in Germany will boost Northvolt’s overall battery-cell …

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HSBC announces ‘phase down’ of funding for fossil-fuel clients

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc promised to “phase down” its financing of the fossil fuel industry, sending a warning to oil and gas clients as the bank works toward its target of net-zero emissions. The step is in line with “what is required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celsius,” HSBC said. Like most of its top-tier …

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Weaker yen likely to prompt BOJ message shift, says ex-official

Bloomberg A further depreciation of the yen won’t be good for Japan’s economy and may prompt a shift in the central bank’s messaging, according to a former Bank of Japan (BOJ) official, speaking after the currency set a fresh low of more than five years. “The yen has already moved a lot compared with last year, so a further weakening …

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Malaysia and Philippines central bankers stick to caution on rates

  Bloomberg Southeast Asian central bankers are keeping a cautious approach toward monetary tightening, as the fallout from the war in Ukraine stokes risks to global growth and inflation. Bank Negara Malaysia will continue gauging the “appropriate degree of monetary policy accommodation to make sure this economic recovery is much more durable,” Governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said in a …

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JPMorgan processed Russia bond payments, sent money to Citi

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co has processed funds that were earmarked for interest payments due on dollar bonds issued by the Russian government and sent the money on to Citigroup Inc. as bondholders waited for a second day to receive the $117 million. JPMorgan was the correspondent bank Russia used to send the payment to Citigroup, which is acting …

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Sberbank gets license to issue digital assets

  Bloomberg Russia’s central bank granted Sberbank PJSC, the nation’s biggest lender, a license to issue and exchange digital assets. Using Sber’s platform, companies can issue their own digital assets to attract market investments, buy digital assets through Sber’s system, or make other digital assets transactions, the bank said in a statement. “We are just starting our work with digital …

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US futures decline, stocks steady as crude advances

  Bloomberg US equity futures slipped on Friday and Asian stocks were steady as traders weighed mixed signals from the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that are pushing oil further above $100 a barrel. European contracts wavered and those for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 dipped following the best three-day rally in US shares since 2020. An Asian …

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First SPAC listed by Hong Kong has slow start in trading debut

Bloomberg Aquila Acquisition Corp, the first special purpose acquisition company to list in Hong Kong, had a slow debut on Friday as few investors are qualified to trade the shares. The SPAC closed 3.2% lower at HK$9.68 after a session marked by only a few trades. The firm backed by CMB International Asset Management and AAC Mgmt Holding raised about …

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Opec Fund okays $233mn in global development support

  VIENNA / WAM Support for economic recovery, new infrastructure funding and boosting food security are some of the highlights of the projects the Opec Fund for International Development has approved at the 179th session of its Governing Board in Vienna on Thursday. The $233 million in new funding will benefit public sector projects promoting sustainable development around the world. …

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European natural gas advances with market focused on Russia supply risk

Bloomberg European natural gas prices rose as the market continues to weigh the risk of potential supply disruptions and further sanctions against Russia. The EU has so far been reluctant to ban energy flows from its top gas supplier Russia. Yet, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter that the bloc and its partners “will keep up …

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