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Bloomberg Ethiopia’s effort to stamp out counterfeiting by introducing new currency notes is pulling people who’ve never had a bank account into the financial system. Over the past four weeks, almost 1 million previously unbanked Ethiopians have handed in their two-decade-old banknotes, according to the central bank. In exchange, they were given a bank account from which they can draw …

Bloomberg Singapore’s central bank signaled it would keep monetary policy unchanged for longer to complement a massive fiscal stimulus supporting the economy’s recovery. The Monetary Authority of Singapore, which uses the exchange rate as its main tool rather than a benchmark interest rate, kept its policy settings unchanged, in line with economists’ forecasts. The slope of the currency band was …

Bloomberg European investors started the past week preparing for a Brexit showdown. They ended up getting blindsided by a fresh wave of virus restrictions, in a reminder of the pandemic’s power to thrash markets. The announcements of Paris curfews and London curbs on activity was what ultimately drove the Stoxx 600 to its first weekly loss in three and sent …

Bloomberg A rally in Canadian transport stocks is gaining momentum, backed by a pick-up in e-commerce as consumers favour online shopping amid a resurgence of coronavirus in parts of the country. The ongoing pandemic, coupled with strong demand from online retail sales in the third quarter and Amazon.com Inc.‘s two-day Prime Day sale this week, turned investors’ attention to shares …

Bloomberg Oil posted a small weekly gain on tentative signs that demand is picking up even as a new wave of coronavirus cases casts a shadow over the market. Futures in New York edged lower, but still managed to record an advance of 0.7% this week on shrinking US crude stockpiles and signs of improving demand in China and India. …

Bloomberg Veolia Environnement SA will buy a 29.9% stake in Suez SA from Engie SA for 3.4 billion euros ($4 billion), setting the stage for a full takeover — and potentially a long and acrimonious corporate battle. Engie’s board agreed to sell the stake after Veolia increased its price for its holding by 16% and offered guarantees on employment. A …

Bloomberg ConocoPhillips is in talks to acquire rival Concho Resources Inc, according to people familiar with the matter, as one of America’s largest independent oil explorers looks to make a bold bet on shale during an historic industry downturn. The companies may announce a deal in the next few weeks, said the people, who asked to not be identified because …

Bloomberg Europe’s top aviation regulator said he’s satisfied that changes to Boeing Co’s 737 Max have made the plane safe enough to return to the region’s skies before 2020 is out, even as a further upgrade his agency demanded won’t be ready for up to two years. After test flights conducted in September, EASA is performing final document reviews ahead …

Bloomberg The cost of air tickets between two major Asian financial hubs jumped within 24 hours of Singapore and Hong Kong unveiling plans for a travel bubble that wouldn’t require people to quarantine upon arrival. The cheapest price for a Singapore Airlines Ltd return economy seat to Hong Kong was S$558 ($410) up until the end of December, versus around …

Bloomberg A rare mega deal by a Chinese airline is set to revive the country’s convertible bond market, after volatile trading dried up issuance of the popular securities. China Southern Airlines Co opened subscriptions for 16 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) of its convertible bonds, the largest deal for a non-financial firm since China Petroleum & Chemical Corp sold 23 billion …