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☆ Italy's top insurers, banks strike Eurovita rescue deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, June 30 (Reuters) - Italy's top four insurers and Germany's Allianz (ALVG.DE) have agreed a multi-billion euro rescue deal for Eurovita, industry supervisor IVASS said on Friday after months of work to broker an accord which also involves 25 banks. Earlier this year, Eurovita became the first Italian insurance company to be placed under special administration, after running into trouble due to higher interest rates. Insurers Generali (GASI.MI), Intesa Sanpaolo Vita (PST.MI), Poste Vita (PST.MI), UnipolSAI (US.MI) and Allianz will set up a new company that will take on Eurovita life insurance policies. To prevent the five insurers from being hit by redemptions once the ban is lifted, banks that sold Eurovita the products are participating in the rescue. The lenders will provide financing to repay Eurovita customers who redeem their policies, while holding the underlying bonds to maturity and neutralising any losses.

Persons: IVASS, Eurovita, redemptions, Intesa, Vitale &, Gatti Pavesi Bianchi, Valentina Za, Alvise Armellini, Alexander Smith Organizations: MILAN, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Banco, Credit Agricole, Thomson Locations: Eurovita

☆ Credit Agricole's CACEIS registers in France as crypto custody services provider
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - CACEIS, the asset servicing business owned by Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) and Santander (SAN.MC), has registered with France's markets regulator AMF to provide custody services for digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies. The company registered as a digital asset service provider (DASP) on June 20, according AMF's website, adding a major traditional financial services group to the growing number of crypto companies registered by the French watchdog. France has been supportive of the nascent industry and was the first major European country to grant registration to the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. CACEIS had 4.1 trillion euros ($4.51 trillion) in assets under custody at end of last year, according to its website. Credit Agricole SA is its majority owner with a 69.5% stake, while Santander holds a 30.5% of the group.

Persons: Mathieu Rosemain, Jane Merriman Organizations: Credit Agricole, Santander, AMF, Binance, Societe Generale, AXA, CACEIS, Credit Agricole SA, Thomson Locations: France

The group will study this expression of interest and keep the market informed," Casino said in a statement on Wednesday. And the holding company through which Naouri controls Casino is also heavily indebted. Niel, Pigasse and Zouari said they would invest 200 million to 300 million euros themselves, with the rest coming from unspecified partners, including Casino creditors. The trio's proposal comes after Kretinsky, Casino's second-largest shareholder, offered in April to take control of the group through a 1.1 billion euro capital increase. A Casino spokesperson declined to comment beyond its statement on Wednesday or on behalf of Naouri.

Persons: Jean, Charles Naouri, Xavier Niel, Daniel Kretinsky, Casino, Kretinsky, Niel, Matthieu Pigasse, Moez, Alexandre Zouari, Clement Genelot, Garnier, Pigasse, Zouari, Casino's, Mathieu Rosemain, Chiara Elisei, Laura Lenkiewicz, Sudip Kar, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter, Alexander Smith Organizations: Casino, Monoprix, BNP, Credit Agricole, Carrefour, Reuters, France's, Naouri, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Czech, Natixis, Casino

[1/4] Li Yunze, director of China's National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), speaks at the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai, China June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Jason XueSHANGHAI/BEIJING, June 8 (Reuters) - China is open for investment, the country's top financial regulators told foreign financiers at a high-profile forum in Shanghai on Thursday, as concerns mount among foreign firms that they may no longer be welcome. "Opening up is China's long-term national policy, and the door of China's financial industry will only be opened wider and wider." Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, told forum participants that China will "adamantly" push for deregulation in terms of market access, institution qualification and products. Internal circulation will be supported by "external circulation," as in foreign financing and China's interactions with the global economy.

Persons: Li Yunze, Jason Xue, Goldman Sachs Group's, David Solomon, Tesla's, Elon Musk, Xi, Merrill Lynch, Li, Jane Fraser, Yi Huiman, Noah Fraser, Yi, Joe Cash, Shri Navaratnam, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill Organizations: China's, Financial Regulatory Administration, REUTERS, HSBC, Credit Agricole, Mizuho Financial, Paypal, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Canada China Business Council, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Jason Xue SHANGHAI, BEIJING, U.S, flashpoints, Ukraine, South, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Russia, Mongolia

☆ EU to propose greater transparency for default swaps on eight banks - EU document
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose greater transparency in the trading of credit default swaps of eight top banks to mirror rules in U.S. markets, a European Union document seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday. So-called single name credit default swaps have come under regulatory scrutiny after the fall and state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse triggered high volatility on the CDS market for some systemic banks, Deutsche Bank in particular, on March 24. "One of the conclusions on the events of Friday, 24 March, was that single name CDS contracts are opaque and illiquid," the EU executive body said in a document for a meeting of EU states on Thursday. The Commission said it proposes to re-insert CDS on Santander, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, ING Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Societe Generale and DZ Bank into the scope of derivatives transactions subject to post trade transparency. Incomplete and asymmetrical reporting of CDS contracts linked to systemically important banks causes insecurity in markets during shocks, the paper said.

Persons: Intesa, Huw Jones, Jon Boyle, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: European, Reuters, Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Santander, BNP, Credit Agricole, ING Bank, Societe Generale, DZ Bank, Thomson Locations: EU

☆ Analysis: Struggling China local governments find a fundraising loophole, lifeline in "pearl bonds"
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) - China's cash-strapped local governments have suddenly rushed to an unusual corner of the debt market in Shanghai where ambiguous rules offer ways to skirt restrictions on onshore borrowing. LGFVs accounted for about two-thirds of the issuers and 60% of the debt sold this year nation-wide, according to Reuters' calculations. Among all the newly-issued FTZ bonds this year, 55, or two-thirds of all 82 issuers, were LGFVs, according to Reuters' calculations. The "pearl" or free trade zone (FTZ) bonds have been around since 2016 but are only now becoming popular as tighter central government supervision on LGFV debts starts to bite. AMBIGUOUS POSITIONING"Pearl bonds" differ from other offshore bonds as trades are cleared by the state-owned China Central Depository & Clearing Co, rather than a global clearing house.

Persons: Shi Xiaoshan, Fitch, Royston Quek, Tim Fang, Pearl, Zhang Hong, Georgina Lee, Tom Westbrook, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S, Haitong International Securities, China Central Depository, Industrial, Group, Credit Agricole CIB, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Bank of Communications, Pudong New, Financial, Reform Commission, Reuters, The, Administration of Foreign Exchange, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, Shanghai, Beijing, U.S . Federal, Hong Kong, China, Zhejiang, Pudong, SINGAPORE

☆ ECB warns of hit to top European banks if funds run into trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The biggest risk it identified was that shadow banks withdrew their funds from banks, such as deposits and repurchase agreements. These account for 13% of all traditional banks' liabilities -- or more for larger banks. This could happen if the shadow banks -- or non-bank financial intermediaries (NBFI) in the regulators' jargon -- were themselves hit by outflows or lost confidence in a bank. Other spillover channels included forced sales of assets by shadow banks, which would cause losses at traditional banks because their portfolios often overlap or are correlated, the ECB said. It added that distress at systemically important lenders would also spell trouble for shadow banks.

☆ Bank of America loves these 10 unloved global stocks with major upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bank of America strategists have named the ten European stocks they believe are currently undervalued and could provide significant investment returns. These picks, which the investment bank refers to as the "Beat Factor Top 10," are primarily made up of industrial and financial companies. Bank of America analysts expect shares of Airbus to rise by 64% to 200 euros per share ($217) over the next 12 months. The "Beat Factor" is a measure Bank of America analysts use to identify the most divergent stock ideas on the FTSE Eurofirst 300. Despite the share price gains, Bank of America strategists remain bullish on the stock coming out of the earnings season.

☆ SocGen beats estimates as bond trading offsets retail banking slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

General view of the logo outside a branch of French bank Societe Generale in Paris. French bank Societe Generale posted better than expected quarterly earnings on Friday after turmoil in bond and currency markets boosted its trading business. The trading windfall cushioned a slump in SocGen's French retail division, where earnings were curbed by stricter interest rate caps on mortgages and other loans. "Performance is tracking well in all the divisions, but the main issue is French retail," JPMorgan said in a note to clients. "We think the market will focus on French NII (net interest income), taking the shares down," it said.

SummarySummary Companies Q1 investment bank sales up 20%Trading activity outperforms peersConfirms 2025 targetsPARIS, May 10 (Reuters) - Credit Agricole SA (CAGR.PA), France's second-biggest listed bank, posted better-than-expected earnings on Wednesday, as market volatility boosted trading revenue. This helped drive Credit Agricole's quarterly sales to 6.12 billion euros ($6.74 billion), up 9.6% from a year earlier, while net income more than doubled to about 1.23 billion euros. Both figures beat market expectations of 5.9 billion euros and 816 million euros, respectively, according to an analyst consensus compiled by the company. Deposit levels were stable in the quarter from a year earlier for the group, Credit Agricole said. The cost of risk -- money set aside for failing loans -- fell to 374 million euros, as concerns linked to the war in Ukraine subsided.

☆ Morning Bid: Inflation cloud obscures Fed peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With markets edgy about the U.S. debt ceiling standoff and ongoing ripples from the March regional banking blow out, the running assumption is the Fed's campaign is over and disinflation underway. New York Fed chief John Williams said yesterday it's too soon to say the central bank is done and dusted. If consensus forecasts are correct, the April inflation readout later on Wednesday may well force the Fed to keep that equivocal line up for a bit longer. Futures markets show only a 15% chance of another Fed hike next month, with quarter point rate cut almost fully priced by September. Visibility is low in the fixed income market, however, due to the debt ceiling impasse.

☆ Credit Agricole has no plans to raise stake in Italy's Banco BPM
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Credit Agricole emerged as Banco BPM's single biggest investor a year ago, shortly after UniCredit (CRDI.MI) ditched a buyout offer for the smaller rival. Credit Agricole recently increased its initial 9.2% stake, but it would need supervisory clearance to cross the 10% threshold. When asked whether Credit Agricole could help shield Banco BPM from potential takeovers, Maioli said: "We don't play that part. Credit Agricole Italy two years ago spent 855 million euros ($941.36 million) to buy regional Italian bank Creval, after agreeing to rescue three small ailing lenders in 2017. "I think the priority of all the parties involved should be that of strengthening Italian banks," he said.

Things are calmer now, but seven traders who spoke to Reuters, some heading rates desks at big global banks, said March's mayhem continues to reverberate, with fears of further volatility in traditionally stable bond markets muting activity. Investors rely on government bond markets to translate central bank interest rates into a stable benchmark for borrowing costs, from corporate loans to household mortgages. Yield shifts in government bond markets have become bigger - occasionally hitting 20 bps a day - since central banks started ramping up rate hikes last year to tame surging inflation. For some, March's turmoil is the latest sign of how post-2008 regulations constraining dealer balance sheets are affecting bond market functioning. Others noted markets were leaving behind an era of low volatility for good as rates rise.

☆ Credit Agricole and Worldline plan French payments business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 19 (Reuters) - Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) and payment services company Worldline (WLN.PA) have begun exclusive talks to set up a joint venture to provide payment services to businesses and their customers, they said on Wednesday. The joint-venture, slated to be fully operational by 2025, would be majority owned by Worldline and fully consolidated in the payments company's accounts, they said. It will involve an investment of 80 million euros, shared equally between Worldline and Credit Agricole, they said. Credit Agricole has a target to increase sales stemming from payments by 20% by 2025. The French bank previously had a "strategic partnership" focused on payments with German group Wirecard, which filed for insolvency in 2020.

☆ Worldline seeks to crack tough French payments nut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, April 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Worldline’s (WLN.PA) boss Gilles Grapinet has spotted an opportunity to access a hard-to-crack payments market. A partnership with Crédit Agricole will allow Worldline to enter Europe’s top market for merchant payments, which several domestic banks still handle directly. Analysts reckon the French bank will confer its entire merchant acquiring business to the new company. For Worldline, the deal may be a stepping-stone to make similar accords with other French lenders or even purchase the whole of Crédit Agricole’s payments business over time. But this deal shows that payments companies still have some scope for dealmaking to improve their fortunes.

NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Societe Generale SA (SOGN.PA) agreed to pay $105 million to settle U.S. investor litigation accusing the French bank of violating antitrust law by conspiring with rivals to rig Euribor, a key European interest rate benchmark. A preliminary settlement was filed late Friday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and requires a judge's approval. Societe Generale denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle, court papers show. The case is Sullivan et al v. Barclays Plc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Societe Generale SA (SOGN.PA) agreed to pay $105 million to settle U.S. investor litigation accusing the French bank of violating antitrust law by conspiring with rivals to rig Euribor, a key European interest rate benchmark. A preliminary settlement was filed late Friday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and requires a judge's approval. If approved, the accord would mean investors have obtained $651.5 million of settlements with seven banks. Societe Generale denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle, court papers show. The case is Sullivan et al v. Barclays Plc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ The U.S. heading into recession but that could be good for the dollar, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe U.S. heading into recession but that could be good for the dollar, strategist saysValentin Marinov, managing director and head of G10 FX research at Credit Agricole CIB, discusses the economic outlook in the U.S., U.K. and Europe and the trajectory of their currencies.

The sources said one possibility that has been considered would see Amundi (AMUN.PA) spinning off its Italian operations into a separate company, in which UniCredit (CRDI.MI) could buy a stake. Azimut had 83 billion euros of assets under management (AUMs) at the end of February. Amundi, which is 69% owned by Credit Agricole, ranks third in Italy with 214 billion euros of AUMs as of end-February. UniCredit had 194 billion euros of AUMs at group level in December. "Extracting further value from partnerships on asset management, protection and payments remains another focus," they added.

Italy's bond, which marks its third green bond and matures on 30 October 2031, was priced to yield 4.056%. Elsewhere, Cyprus raised 1 billion euros from its first sustainable bond, the country's debt office said, becoming the latest European government to enter the market. Sustainable bonds are a broader form ESG debt, proceeds from which can be spent on both green and social projects. Cyprus follows a number of smaller countries including Slovenia and Luxembourg opting for sustainable bonds as they often struggle to find enough projects to back standalone green bonds. Leonidou said Cyprus expects to sell sustainable bonds every two or three years going forward.

☆ Europe banks can lose 38% of deposits before having to sell assets at a loss-research
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, March 29 (Reuters) - The average European bank could withstand a loss of 38% of its deposits without having to sell at a loss government bond holdings or have a fire sale of illiquid assets, Jefferies analysts said. "Most investor discussions end up at deposit flight risk and the extent to which this can be offset," it added. But investors are worried about the risk that banks may at some point be forced to sell their HTM securities. Jefferies analysed the ability of banks to quickly cover deposit outflows with minimal or no losses, against the level of retail deposits, which comprise 63% of the median bank's deposit base. Following are the results of Jefferies' liquidity analysis:Jefferies liquidity analysis of EMEA banksReporting by Valentina Za and Iain Whithers.

☆ Credit Agricole launches China M&A and investment banking business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 27 (Reuters) - Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA), France's second-biggest listed bank, has become the latest foreign lender to boost its China investment banking operations with the launch of a new unit. The new unit, Credit Agricole (Beijing) Advisory Services, focuses on cross-border merger and acquisition, encompassing purchases, disposals and capital raising, it said in a statement on Monday. The unit which began operations on March 10 is overseen by Huai Yang as head of the operation, the bank said. Previously, the bank served its Chinese advisory clients from its offshore base. Some global banks are accelerating their expansion in China with the government granting a few major licences since earlier this year.

☆ Analysis: Traders relaxed as ECB starts running down massive bond holdings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

So far traders are optimistic, comforted by an initially small pace of bond sales and a predictable structure. U.S. and UK central banks have started QT, although the Bank of England was forced to delay its plans following turmoil in British bond markets last year. said DZ Bank's head of government bond trading Dalibor Jarnevic. If APP reinvestments stop before the end of 2024, ECB market presence would rely on reinvestments under the more flexible Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP). Whatever the size or pace, traders are seeking opportunities as the ECB makes the shift to QT.

☆ Banks pile into euro zone bond sales as rates shoot up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Heavy central bank buying had kept borrowing costs and volatility low for years, so the key question now is who steps in as the ECB steps out. They were the top buyers in the European Union's debt sale this month, buying almost 50% of a seven-year bond and 35% of a 20-year bond. Banks also took 39% of an Italian 20-year debt sale in January, while fund managers took 25%. In a 16-year debt sale last year, banks bought 29%. Bank treasuries took 30% of a 30-year Belgian debt sale in February, versus 10% a year ago.

☆ Analysis: Boom in European bank earnings hints at a rally with legs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The euro zone is expected to stagnate rather than contract, while cost of borrowing is still rising. The European Central Bank's campaign to raise interest rates as it fights to bring inflation back to its 2% target has been a boon for euro zone lenders. In the meantime, euro zone lenders' earnings per share (EPS) have surged to their highest since the global financial crisis in 2008. In the United State, where the rate cycle is more advanced, there's less potential for earnings upgrades at this point, she said. Earnings euro zone banks($1 = 0.9408 euros)Reporting by Joice Alves and additional reporting by Samuel Indyk in London; editing by Amanda Cooper and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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