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☆ 3 reasons why bitcoin can still reach $150,000 by 2025, according to Bernstein
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bitcoin will still reach $150,000 by 2025, Bernstein reaffirmed in a new note. ETF and spot bitcoin demand has remained strong, analysts wrote. "Investors ask us if anything has changed on our $150K Bitcoin price view and if the post-halving price correction has affected our conviction. Second, rule updates from the Financial Accounting Standards Board pertaining to crypto are driving corporate interest in bitcoin, Bernstein said. Advertisement"Overall, healthy Bitcoin demand and continued discipline in the Bitcoin mining cycle, allowing the Bitcoin party to last longer this time.

Persons: Bitcoin, Bernstein, —, Gautam Chhugani, Mahika Sapra, Block, Chhugani, Bernstein isn't, bitcoin Organizations: Service, ETF, Financial, outflows, Chartered, ~$ Locations: outflows, bitcoin

☆ 'Americans just work harder' than Europeans, said the CEO of Norway's $1.6 trillion oil fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CEO of Norges Bank told the FT that he thinks Americans work much harder than Europeans. AdvertisementEuropeans are less ambitious and don't work as hard as Americans, said Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norway's $1.6 trillion oil fund. In Europe, you're dead," Tangen told The Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday. "I should be careful about talking about work-life balance, but the Americans just work harder." It's true that Americans, on average, work longer hours than their European counterparts, according to data collected from 2019 to 2022 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Persons: Nicolai Tangen, —, Tangen, That's, they've Organizations: Norges Bank, Service, Financial Times, Norges, Apple . Norges Bank, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, European Union, OECD Locations: America, Europe, European

☆ Why a warehouse giant is planning a $25 billion push into data centers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

He will fill the newly created role of global head of data centers at the firm. Prologis's push exemplifies the growing interest among investors in data center deals, including players who have not traditionally been involved in the highly specialized industry. Warehouses have squat footprints similar to data centers and are often located in industrial areas that have proximity to the heavy electrical lines and equipment necessary to deliver voluminous power that data centers require. Warehouse growth slows as data centers accelerateDemand for data centers has steadily grown over the past decade, driven by the widespread use of cloud computing and storage across corporate America. Blackstone, for instance, has said it plans to develop as much as $50 billion of data centers in the coming years.

Persons: Chris Curtis, Curtis, Michael Hochanadel, Hochanadel, Harrison, They're, Joseph Ghazal, Ghazal, Hamid Moghadam, JLL, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, Vince Tibone, Tibone, Prologis's, Ron Kamdem, Moghadam, Carl Beardsley, Beardsley, Chris Crosby, Prince William County, Prologis Organizations: Business, Harrison, Green, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Brookfield, Blackstone, Compass Locations: San Francisco, Dallas, America, Brookfield, Canadian, Prince William, Virginia

☆ Thaksin Shinawatra: Ousted Thai PM's Life in Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's controversial billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole on Sunday after serving six months in detention. 1998Thaksin founds the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party. In September, the military launches a coup against Thaksin while he is overseas, citing the need to end the protests. 2011New elections are won in a landslide by another new pro-Thaksin party, Pheu Thai. Thaksin applies for a royal pardon and his eight-year jail term is commuted to a year by the king.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Love Thais, Thais, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's, Srettha Thavisin, Nick Macfie, Martin Petty Organizations: Thai Rak Thai, Thaksin, People's Alliance for Democracy, Shin Corporation, Temasek, English Premier League, Manchester City, Power Party, United Front for Democracy, Democrat Party Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, Singapore, Thai Rak Thai, Britain, Bangkok, Thailand

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed Tuesday in Asia, where Chinese stocks surged after a government investment fund said it would step up stock purchases and a report said leader Xi Jinping was set to meet with officials to discuss the markets. The fund periodically steps up buying of shares in big state-owned banks and other companies to counter heavy selling pressure in the Chinese markets. On Monday, benchmarks in Shanghai and the smaller market in Shenzhen bounced between small gains and big losses, while share prices of state-run banks and other big companies rose. The Fed has yanked the federal funds rate to its highest level since 2001 to bring down high inflation. But there's also an upside for stocks from the U.S. economy's blasting through worries about a possible recession.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Hong, Seng, Australia's, India's, Jerome Powell, there's Organizations: Bloomberg, CSI, Central Huijin Investment, Nikkei, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Institute for Supply, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent Locations: BANGKOK, Asia, Shanghai, Shenzhen, South Korea, Bangkok

☆ China plans to merge 3 bad debt asset managers with its largest sovereign wealth fund, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The plan to put China Cinda Asset Management , China Orient Asset Management and China Great Wall Asset Management under the jurisdiction of one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds by assets will happen "in the near future," Xinhua added, without providing any further details. Beijing's actions follow a stock market rout amid burgeoning financial risks stemming from a debt crisis in its real estate sector. Last week, China's central bank announced its largest cut in mandatory cash reserves for banks since 2021. The property market slumped after Beijing cracked down on developers' high reliance on debt for growth in 2020, weighing on consumer growth and broader growth in the world's second-largest economy. China's real estate troubles are closely intertwined with local government finances since they typically relied on land sales to developers for a significant portion of revenue.

Persons: Beijing's Organizations: China Investment Corp, Xinhua, Asset Management, China Orient Asset Management, Wall Asset Management Locations: China, Xinhua, Beijing

☆ With Government Relocated, Egypt Set to Unveil Overhaul of Downtown Cairo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The area, modelled on Paris in the 1860s, is filled with elegant but crumbling buildings constructed over the subsequent seven decades. The Sovereign Fund has already taken control of three prime properties in central Cairo, and received ownership of 11 former ministry buildings in a decree published this week in the official gazette. "Some of the buildings are already evacuated, but there is a mobilisation plan for relocating into concentrated locations for whoever is staying and not moving to the new capital," Soliman said. Work on the ground would begin "probably within the first half of this year," Soliman said. It would include a three-star Moxy hotel by Marriott, the first in Egypt, Soliman said.

Persons: Patrick Werr CAIRO, Ayman Soliman, Soliman, We're, Patrick Werr, Aidan Lewis, Alex Richardson Organizations: Sovereign Fund, Misr Insurance, Reuters, European Bank for Reconstruction, National Democratic Party, NDP, Marriott Locations: Paris, Cairo, Egypt

☆ Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund overtakes Singapore's GIC to top spending table
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-03 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was the top spender among global sovereign wealth funds last year, accounting for about a quarter of the $124 billion splashed by state-owned investors, according to a preliminary report by research consultancy Global SWF. The Saudi fund boosted its deal activities from a total of $20.7 billion in 2022 to $31.6 billion in 2023, the research said, even as most other counterparts tapered down their spending. Overall, global sovereign wealth funds deployed 20% fewer funds compared with 2022, despite most major stock markets seeing a rally last year. "This may signal an overly cautious approach, as there is no shortage of capital to put to work among these institutions," the report, which tracks activities across the world's sovereign funds, noted. The Saudi fund has sought frequent deals and joint ventures in its pursuit toward Vision 2030 — a plan originally launched in 2016 which aims to increase economic diversification away from oil.

Persons: spender, Saudi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: Saudi, Public Investment Fund, Saudi Crown, Nintendo, Materials Locations: Saudi, Japan, Brazil

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree putting St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport under the temporary management of a Russian company, wresting control from investors from Germany, Qatar and other Gulf states. The airport's management company has 14 co-owners. The rights of foreign shareholders will pass to two different Russian entities. Russian shareholders will retain their rights. The decree stated that airport's foreign shareholders would be able to restore their rights to stakes in the new company if they apply and conclude corporate agreements that comply with Russian laws on foreign investment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Fraport, VTB, Ramzan Kadyrov, Taimuraz, Carlsberg's, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Ilona Wissenbach, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Petersburg's Pulkovo, Qatar Investment Authority, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Baring, Baltika Breweries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Germany, Qatar, St Petersburg, Abu Dhabi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

OMFIF outlined a dark mood among the funds, with more than half expecting a global economic recession in the next 12 months. None reported a positive outlook for China's economy, citing the regulatory environment and geopolitics among primary factors dissuading them from investing. "(Investors) are now focused on how to deal with a macroeconomic environment that is stuck in a higher-for-longer interest rate cycle," the report said. Overall, sovereign funds fared better than their public pension peers, OMFIF added. The UAE's Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Saudi Public Investment Corporation grew by 13.8% and 12.9% respectively, gaining over $200 billion between them.

Persons: David Morley, OMFIF, Libby George, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Investors, Official Monetary, Financial, OMFIF, Caisse, outsized, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Saudi Public Investment Corporation, Thomson Locations: China, India, Middle East, Abu Dhabi

☆ 3 things to know about the most important relationship in the global economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Even so, finding ways to “get back on a normal course” — in the words of Biden — matters hugely to the global economy. He also pointed to some American companies leaving China altogether, such as asset management giant Vanguard. In the third quarter, a measure of foreign direct investment into China turned negative for the first time in 25 years. The country is by far the world’s biggest gallium producer, and a leading global producer of germanium, according to the US Geological Survey. Listed American companies with big business in China, such as Apple (AAPL) and Tesla (TSLA), may face higher scrutiny, too.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, “, Biden, ”, Scott Kennedy, Chenggang Xu, California Justin Sullivan, Xu, Gina Raimondo, Adam Glanzman, Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Donald Trump, Liu, … Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Economic Cooperation, CNN, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Stanford Center, China’s, Shipping, Port, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, European Union, American Chamber of Commerce, Vanguard, Companies, US, Nvidia, Semiconductor Industry Association, Bloomberg, Getty, Geological Survey, Council, Foreign Relations, Communist Party of China Finances, Capital, Apple, Chinese Communist Party, China Economic, Security, Commission, Biden, CFR Locations: China, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Asia, United States, Mexico, Canada, Port of Oakland, California, Shanghai, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, Beijing, American, New York, US, Japan, Netherlands, Sequoia

☆ Saudi Arabia's stake in Lucid dropped in value more than $50 billion as the EV startup struggles, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund has a 60% stake in Lucid Motors, an EV startup. Months after the company went public, the stake was valued at more than $55B, per Bloomberg. That value dropped about 90% to $5.4 billion as Lucid reports millions in net loss. The steep drop in the value of Saudi's stake coincides with Lucid's latest quarterly earnings. In 2018, PIF invested $1.3 billion in Lucid, and it seems the Saudis have more considerable expectations for the EV company.

Persons: —, Chris Bryant, Nora Naughton, Sherry House, PIF, Lucid Organizations: Lucid Motors, Bloomberg, Service, Public Investment Fund, EV Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia

New York is the $1.35 trillion fund's only office outside mainland China besides Hong Kong. CIC asked Bai Xiaoqing, who was in charge of some of its private equity investments from Beijing, to move to New York for the North America head role, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced. U.S. authorities have been especially suspicious of investments originating from entities close to China's communist government, like CIC. CIC is also a significant investor in U.S. private equity funds, as so-called alternative assets comprise almost half of its portfolio. One of its most prominent investments has been a $2.5 billion Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) private equity fund aimed at investing in companies that can benefit from closer U.S.-China ties.

Persons: Bai Xiaoqing, Zhang Hong, Bai, Zhang, Peng Chun, Larry Fink, Milken, Echo Wang, Roxanne Liu, Kane Wu, Greg Roumeliotis, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: China Investment Corp, North America, CIC, Foreign Investment, American Enterprise Institute, Public, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, China -, China - U.S . Industrial Cooperation Fund, Britain, BlackRock Inc, BlackRock, China's Ministry of Finance, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: North, New York, China, Hong Kong, Washington, Beijing, United States, U.S, China - U.S, BlackRock

☆ The Israel-Hamas war threatens to derail Middle Eastern investment in US media and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Still, the US presence highlighted the deepening ties between Hollywood and the region , as Western media, entertainment, and sports entities have seen major investment in recent years from Saudi, Qatar, and the UAE. Even before October 7, US entities that were receiving investment from the Middle East were reluctant to speak publicly about those relationships. Insider spoke with investors, producers, and other media and entertainment stakeholders about what's next for Hollywood's relationships with Mideast backers. Qatar hasn't seen any recent major deals but earlier this year, Peter Chernin and Providence Equity's production roll-up The North Road received $150 million from the Qatar Investment Authority. "The political nature gets more complicated," an industry insider observer said, noting how countries like Qatar are grabbing headlines for their role in the situation.

Persons: haven't, Jamal Khashoggi, Israel, it's, Knaebel, They're, Greg Silverman's, Silverman, Harry Potter, Chris Nolan's, Abu Dhabi's, Ari Emanuel, Peter Chernin, Jeff Zucker, LIV Golf Organizations: Film, Washington Post, Hollywood, Global Media, Saudi, Stampede Ventures, Warner Bros, Endeavor, Qatar hasn't, Providence, North, Qatar Investment Authority, IMI, CNN, Investment Fund, PGA Locations: Saudi Arabia, American, Jeddah, Saudi, Qatar, UAE, Gaza, Israel, Germany, Silver

☆ Explainer: Goldman Sachs and its role in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. 1MDB was a sovereign fund set up in 2009 with the help of Malaysian financier Jho Low to promote economic development. The United States has said the 1MDB case was its largest ever kleptocracy investigation. Low, a fugitive, has been charged in Malaysia and the United States over his central role in the case. Goldman has been investigated by regulators in at least 14 countries for its role in underwriting the 1MDB bond issues.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, Najib Razak, Goldman, 1MDB, Jho Low, Najib, Low, GOLDMAN, Tim Leissner, Roger Ng, Goldman's, Anwar Ibrahim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Goldman Sachs, Malaysia, Malaysian, 1Malaysia, U.S . Department of Justice, The United, DoJ, United Malays National Organisation, GOLDMAN, London Court, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, KUALA LUMPUR, The United States, Malaysia, United States, China, Beijing, MALAYSIA, Malaysian

☆ China funds look to Mideast cash as US investments wane
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Summer Zhen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Seven China equity funds, including hedge funds and mutual funds, running more than $500 billion in combined assets, told Reuters they visited the Middle East this year to raise money, three of them for the first time. The search for new capital could affect Asia's hedge fund scene, where China firms account for more than half the market. "In the past perhaps the holy grail of capital raising was the U.S.," said Effie Vasilopoulos, co-Leader of law firm Sidley Austin's Asia-Pacific investment funds group. So that dynamic is leading many of our clients to the Middle East." However, sovereign funds in the Middle East have been large buyers.

Persons: Aly, Effie Vasilopoulos, Sidley, Steven Luk, Erin Wu, Wong Kok Hoi, Wong, Summer Zhen, Tom Westbrook, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Seven, Reuters, FountainCap Research & Investment, OP Investment Management, POLITICO, Big U.S, ' Pension, California State Teachers, APS, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, HONG KONG, Seven China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Texas, Singapore, Middle Eastern

Temasek said it does not comment on market speculation, while Mubadala declined to comment. The Singapore state investment firm's talks with Mubadala, which manages $276 billion globally, are at an early stage, said the first of the sources. And Mubadala is "bullish on India (and) wants to double down on investments," the source added. Temasek intends to retain its majority stake in Manipal by continuing to be the largest and majority shareholder with a stake of more than 50%, said the third source. India's private healthcare space, worth about $48 billion, is forecast by PwC to grow 12% to 14% a year.

Persons: サマリー, Mubadala, Temasek, Mukesh, Tata Power's, Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Sriram, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Aditya Kalra, Clarence Fernandez 私たち Organizations: Temasek, Manipal, fund's, Singapore's Temasek, Mubadala, Tata, Economic Times, Cleveland Clinic Locations: Manipal, Middle, MUMBAI, DUBAI, SINGAPORE, India's Manipal, Abu Dhabi, India, Temasek, Singapore, Bengaluru, Mubadala, Asia, U.S

Cinven this month signed an accord with GIC, Singapore's sovereign fund, and another two investors to purchase from them 140 million euros of Tier2 Eurovita bonds, the source added. Cinven, which acquired Eurovita in 2017, also launched a tender offer to buy back another 20 million euros of bonds from investors including Italian financial institutions, so that only around 9 million remain outstanding, the source said. Italian insurance authorities placed Eurovita under special administration this year, the first time they have taken such a step, after rising rates blew a hole in the life insurer's cash reserves. Instead, Cinven was asked to carry out the debt buyback and cancel the bonds to support a solvent liquidation, one of the people added. Like other life insurers, especially those relying on banks to sell products, Eurovita was hit by early redemptions once rates started rising and savers sought better returns.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Cinven, Eurovita, Assicurazioni, Valentina Za, Emilio Parodi, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, GIC, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Cinven

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barely a day goes by without an eye-catching story involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A third of the fund consists of significant stakes in domestic companies like the $51 billion Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) and $53 billion Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe PIF’s investment strategy is also racier than its more conservative peers. But the episode reinforces the impression that the PIF is a mix of venture capital, hedge fund and startup money. The most spectacular was probably handing $45 billion to SoftBank Group (9984.T) boss Masayoshi Son for his $100 billion first Vision Fund.

Persons: Kylian Mbappé, It’s, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yasir Al, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, Rumayyan, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Masayoshi Son, SWFs, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Standard Chartered, Spanish telco Telefonica, Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Global, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi National Bank, Saudi Aramco, giga, Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek, Al, MbS, SoftBank Group, Vision, Credit Suisse, UBS, Saudi giga, Aramco, Investment, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ Elon Musk denied a report that Tesla planned to build a factory in Saudi Arabia. It's the latest development in his complicated history with the nation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Elon Musk has denied a report suggesting Tesla has plans to set up a factory in Saudi Arabia. It marks the latest twist in a long and complex history between Musk and Saudi Arabia. "Obviously, the Saudi sovereign fund has more than enough capital needed to execute on such a transaction." Funding secured. Funding secured."

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, — Elon, Yasir al, hadn't, Jty05oJUTk, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Yasir Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Wall, Journal, Democratic, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, Tesla, New York Times, Lucid Motors, JPMorgan, Financial Times, Lucid, @elonmusk, Twitter, Kingdom Holding Co, Reuters, Bloomberg Locations: Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi, Here's, Tesla, Saudi Prince, San Francisco

☆ Tesla, Saudi Arabia in early talks for EV factory - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen at a dealership in London, Britain, May 14, 2021. One of the proposals the kingdom is considering involves extending financing to commodities trader Trafigura for a flailing Congo cobalt and copper project, which could help provide a Tesla factory with supplies, the WSJ report said. Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund, the Public Investment Fund, declined to comment. Musk said in May Tesla would probably pick a location for a new factory by the end of 2023. Tesla has a goal to sell 20 million vehicles a year by 2030, up from around 1.3 million in 2022.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Tayyip Erdogan, Tesla, Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk, Samrhitha Arunasalam, Arpan Varghese, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Tesla, Wall Street, Democratic, Lucid, Public Investment Fund, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, California, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Saudi, Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Bengaluru, Rachna, Dubai

As Telefonica's rivals slashed prices to attract internet users, the Spanish company also borrowed to invest in new mobile and internet networks. But the secrecy with which STC (7010.SE) built its stake did catch some observers off guard, the person said. Telefonica said it was informed Tuesday about STC'S investment, after the companies had become more acquainted in recent months. STC sought to keep the stake under wraps until it could buy at least 9.9% of Telefonica, the person said. Middle Eastern investors have been taking stakes in Spanish companies for some time.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Jose Maria Alvarez, Pallete, Alvarez, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, UGT, Morgan Stanley, Linklaters, Motaz Al Angari, Al Angari, pare, EFG Hermes, Nadia Calvino, Inti Landauro, Tomas Cobos, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, John O'Donnell, Anousha, Elisa Martinuzzi, David Gregorio, Ros Russell Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, Rights, Telefonica, STC Group, STC, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Foresight, Saudi, United Arab, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights DUBAI, MADRID, Silicon Valley, Saudi, Riyadh, Telefonica, Saudi Arabia, Spanish, Latin America, theocracies, United Arab Emirates, Iberdrola, Davos, Gulf, London

He learned Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator, STC Group, aimed to be Telefonica's biggest shareholder, with an interest of 9.9%. The move is a vote of confidence in Telefonica, burdened by billions of dollars in debt while STC gains expertise to modernize Saudi telecoms infrastructure. As Telefonica's rivals slashed prices to attract internet users, the Spanish company also borrowed to invest in new mobile and internet networks. STC sought to keep the stake under wraps until it could buy at least 9.9% of Telefonica, the person said. Middle Eastern investors have been taking stakes in Spanish companies for some time.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Jose Maria Alvarez, Pallete, Alvarez, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, UGT, Morgan Stanley, Linklaters, Motaz Al Angari, Al Angari, pare, EFG Hermes, Inti Landauro, Tomas Cobos, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, John O'Donnell, Anousha, Elisa Martinuzzi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Spanish Telecom, REUTERS, Rights, Telefonica, STC Group, STC, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Foresight, Saudi, United Arab, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights DUBAI, MADRID, Silicon Valley, Saudi, Riyadh, Telefonica, Saudi Arabia, Spanish, Latin America, theocracies, United Arab Emirates, Iberdrola, Davos, Gulf, London

☆ Singapore’s wealth boom hits most sensitive phase
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Singapore’s wealth boom may be set for a pause. The amount involved has almost doubled and banks, realtors and jewellery dealers have been caught up in the ring. It is the most eye-catching saga since 2015 when Singapore’s banks were involved in the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign fund mess. As Singapore’s success as a financial centre grows, so too does its vulnerability to dirty money. A thornier problem is Singapore’s desire to avoid perceptions it is capitalising on the troubles of China, its top trade partner.

Persons: Edgar Su, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin, Pranav Kiran Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, realtors, DBS, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Monetary Authority of, U.S, Police, Thomson Locations: Marina Bay, Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, China, Malaysian, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore

☆ China communications firm Guodong raises $150 mln from Middle Eastern sovereign fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 29 (Reuters) - Guodong Network Communication Group, a Chinese communications infrastructure and service provider, has raised $150 million from a Middle Eastern country's sovereign wealth fund, the deal's adviser China Renaissance said on Tuesday. The statement did not identify the sovereign wealth fund. A China Renaissance spokesperson declined to comment, while Guodong didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request to comment. Guodong, founded in 1997, has 40,000 communications base stations and provides data centres that can support cloud computing in China, according to its website. It has received funds from investors including Morgan Stanley, the investment arms of top Chinese investment banks CICC and CITIC and a sovereign wealth fund from Abu Dhabi, said the website.

Persons: Guodong didn't, Ji Xiaoling, Morgan Stanley, Roxanne Liu, Kane Wu, Rashmi Organizations: Communication, China Renaissance, Thomson Locations: Eastern, China, U.S, Abu Dhabi

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