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☆ Britain tells pension funds change needed to improve returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government wants to persuade pension schemes to invest some of their funds in infrastructure as well as startups and green technology. Ten companies have now voluntarily committed to invest 5% of their pension funds, or about 50 billion pounds in total, in unlisted companies by 2030. "I think we have got too many pension funds in this country, and I do want to see an industry where we end up with fewer, larger funds," Hunt told an event to take stock of the initiative. He said he wanted to see larger funds with the confidence to invest in growth companies. Delfas said fewer, larger and well run schemes were needed, and it was time to consolidate pension funds that lack expertise, scale and appetite to deliver better returns to savers into funds that do.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Aon, Delfas, Huw Jones, Sachin Ravikumar, Jane Merriman Organizations: Insurance, British Private Equity, Venture Capital Association, British Business Bank, Pensions, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Britain scraps cap on banker bonuses inherited from EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A general view of the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday scrapped a decade-old cap on banker bonuses inherited from the European Union, signalling a clear divergence in post-Brexit financial rules from the 27-country bloc it left in 2020. The BoE and Financial Conduct Authority proposed scrapping the cap in a public consultation earlier this year, and its abolition was confirmed in final policy published on Tuesday. The TUC confederation of labour unions said the decision to scrap the bonus cap was "obscene". Law firm Linklaters said scrapping the cap puts Britain back into line with the rest of the world, apart from the EU, but it would continue to apply to staff working at EU banks in London who are regulated under the bloc's rules.

Persons: Hollie Adams, BoE, Suzanne Horne, Paul Hastings, Paul Nowak, Linklaters, David Milliken, Iain Withers, Barbara Lewis, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, European Union, Financial, Authority, London, Finance, TUC, Britain, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, EU, London, New York, United States, Asia

☆ EU lawmakers back easing securities rules to attract more listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - A panel of European Union lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favour of easing the bloc's securities rules to encourage more company listings and compete better with capital markets in New York and post-Brexit London. Companies in the EU typically turn to banks for loans to expand, and the reforms are aimed at diversifying corporate funding. Multiple-voting structures are a key part of New York's attraction as a listings destination, particularly for tech companies. Britain is rewriting its securities rules which it inherited when it was a member of the EU and its planned changes are similar to those approved by EU lawmakers on Tuesday. The European Parliament and EU states have joint say on the EU rules and will now start negotiations on a final text that becomes law.

Persons: Alfred Sant, Huw Jones, Susan Fenton Organizations: European Union, London . Companies, European Commission, Lawmakers, EU, Thomson Locations: New York, London, Britain

A sign directing towards electric vehicle charging points is seen in a car park in Manchester, Britain, September 8, 2023. In its first major position paper on the topic, UK Finance also told the country's political parties that more clarity is needed on the path to a net zero economy to help financial markets muster the huge amounts of capital needed. In April, the government estimated it would need an additional 50 billion pounds-60 billion pounds ($61 billion-$73 billion) of capital investment a year through the late 2020s and 2030s to meet its net zero targets. UK Finance, which represents around 300 firms, set out a series of recommendations to marshal pools of capital which are currently "underused" due to "policy gaps". An independent body could be asked to monitor and provide updates on public and private capital flows, it added.

Persons: Phil Noble, Ian Bhullar, Huw Jones, Simon Jessop, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Finance, European Union, Zero, Reuters, UK Finance, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Europe

☆ London stock exchange sees first trading halt in 4 years; blue chips spared
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange (LSE) (LSEG.L) was forced to halt trading in smaller stocks on Thursday after an incident disrupted activity, although blue chip shares suffered no interruptions. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) said FTSE 100 (.FTSE), FTSE 250 (.FTMC) and International Order Book securities - those shares listed in London by overseas companies - were operating normally. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.2% on the day. In 2019, the London Stock Exchange suffered an almost two-hour outage that hit FTSE 100 and midcap stocks, which LSEG said was caused by a “technical software issue”.

Persons: Toby Melville, LSEG, Fiona Cincotta, Thomson, Akanksha, Huw Jones, Harry Robertson, Alun John, Joice Alves, Amanda Cooper, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan, Susan Fenton Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, City of, REUTERS, London Stock Exchange, LSE, FTSE, Traders, Reuters, City, Thomson Reuters, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, LSEG, Bengaluru, Milan

☆ LSEG says on track to meet 2023 growth targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signage for the London Stock Exchange Group is seen outside of offices in Canary Wharf in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. “LSEG delivered another quarter of strong, broad-based growth," LSEG Chief Executive David Schwimmer said in a statement, adding that he was confident that total income growth for the full year will be towards the upper end of a guidance range of 6% to 8%. Data and analytics, which now make up the bulk of LSEG income, was up 7.2% year on year at 1.29 billion pounds ($1.57 billion) on improving sales, rising retention of existing customers and a higher annual price increase, LSEG said. Organic ASV growth remains broadly around the level seen in the first and second quarters, LSEG said, adding that all 2023 guidance is reiterated, including EBITDA margin and capital expenditure. JPMorgan Cazenove analysts said third-quarter gross profit was in line with company-compiled consensus, but "most importantly" organic ASV growth recovered after dipping to 6.9% in the second quarter.

Persons: Toby Melville, “ LSEG, David Schwimmer, LSEG, JPMorgan Cazenove, Huw Jones, Mark Potter, Sinead Cruise Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, JPMorgan, ASV, RBC, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain

☆ EU data watchdog urges more privacy safeguards for digital euro
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The European Union's data protection watchdog on Wednesday called for stronger privacy safeguards in EU draft legislation to underpin a digital euro. Approval of the draft law has been slowed down to give more time to address concerns that the digital euro will lack the anonymity of cash for low-value transactions. The draft law should also "further clarify" the data protection responsibilities of the ECB and of payments services providers (PSP). The board said it strongly welcomed that digital euro users will always have the choice to pay in digital euros or in cash. “A high standard of privacy and data protection is instrumental in citizens' trust in this new digital currency," said Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou, the EDPB's deputy chair.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Irene Loizidou Nicolaidou, Huw Jones, Bernadette Baum, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, European Commission, Data Protection, ECB, PSP, Thomson

☆ WhatsApp clampdown highlights video call compliance threat for finance firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Sinead Cruise | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Video calls are broadly considered proxies for face-to-face meetings and therefore are currently subject to little or no formal record-keeping obligations. At least two major global banks are now recording Zoom calls, said sources with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be named because the information is not public. One bank is recording Zoom calls undertaken by certain staff, including traders, while the other is recording all Zoom calls so content can be reviewed later if needed. FINRA declined to comment on how many firms were subject to the rule or whether the rule also extended to video calls. Video calls pose "unique risks" and technology needed to efficiently screen video calls is not widely used, said Matt Smith, CEO of communications surveillance firm SteelEye.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brad Levy, Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Matthew Nunan, Gibson, Dunn, Morgan Stanley, Sarah Pritchard, Claire Garrett, Michael Watling, Seward, FINRA, Matt Smith, Ryan, Yonk, Symphony's Levy, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price, Huw Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Finance, Reuters, U.S, EMEA, Microsoft, Britain's, Authority, HSBC, Bloomberg, U.S . Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Employees, American Institute for Economic Research, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: Marsh, U.S, New York, Washington, London

☆ Basel proposes crypto disclosures by banks from January 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Basel Committee of banking regulators from the world's main financial centres agreed new rules last December on how much capital banks should hold to cover different types of cryptoassets. On Tuesday, they set out for public consultation how the holdings should be disclosed to investors. "Under the proposals, banks would be required to disclose qualitative information on their activities related to cryptoassets and quantitative information on exposures to cryptoassets and the related capital and liquidity requirements," the Basel Committee said in a statement. Banks would also be required to provide details of the accounting classifications of their exposures to cryptoassets and crypto liabilities, it said. Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Banks, Jan, Huw Jones, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Committee, Thomson Locations: cryptoassets

☆ EU securities watchdog warns investors over crypto market protections
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Regulating crypto has become more urgent for regulators after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and with huge volatility in bitcoin prices. "Even with the implementation of MiCA, retail investors must be aware that there will be no such thing as a ‘safe’ cryptoasset," the EU watchdog said in a statement. Full protections may not be available in EU states that grant an 18-month transitional period for crypto firms to operate without an EU licence, meaning customers may not be covered until July 2026. A significant number of crypto firms would probably continue to offer their services under the transitional terms until mid-2026, ESMA said. Crypto firms from non-EU countries will be allowed to provide services to customers in the bloc that have specifically requested them, and even then only on a "strictly limited" basis.

Persons: Bitcoin, Dado, ESMA, Crypto, Huw Jones, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, European Securities and Markets Authority, Thomson

☆ UK watchdog fines Equifax $13.4 mln for role in cyber breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Credit reporting company Equifax Inc. corporate offices are pictured in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., September 8, 2017. The FCA said the hackers could also access the personal data of 13.8 million UK consumers because the data was stored on company servers in the United States. Equifax Ltd had outsourced data such as names, dates of birth, Equifax membership login details, partially exposed credit card details and addresses. "Few companies have invested more time and resources than Equifax to ensure that consumers’ information is protected," Remon said. "There were known weaknesses in Equifax Inc’s data security systems and Equifax failed to take appropriate action in response to protect UK customer data," it said.

Persons: Tami Chappell, rater Equifax, Equifax, Patricio Remon, Remon, Huw Jones, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: Equifax Inc, REUTERS, Financial Conduct Authority, FCA, Equifax, Europe, Commissioner's, Thomson Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, United States, Equifax

"Mr Staley failed to do this. "In its response, Barclays relied on information supplied by Mr Staley. "In reality, in emails between the two Mr Staley described Mr Epstein as one of his 'deepest' and 'most cherished' friends," it added. "The FCA has found that Mr Staley was aware of the risk that his association with Mr Epstein posed to his career," it added. In an email titled 'Friendship' in October 2015, Staley wrote: "You never wavered in our friendship these last three years.

Persons: Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Mr Staley, Epstein, Staley, Arnold, Porter, Mr Epstein, Therese Chambers, JP Morgan Chase JPM.N, JP Morgan, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Kirstin Ridley, Iain Withers, Alexander Smith Organizations: Ex, Barclays, Authority, FCA, Barclays Board, U.S . Virgin, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ KPMG hit with record fine for 'textbook failure' in Carillion audits
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said the number, range, and seriousness of the deficiencies in the audits of Carillion were exceptional, resulting in the watchdog's highest ever fine. On occasions, KPMG audit partner Peter Meehan told his team to record his review of working papers without having done a review, the FRC said. Meehan, no longer with KPMG, was fined 350,000 pounds after a discount to reflect his cooperation and admission of failures. It would have been 30 million pounds, but was discounted due to admissions and co-operation by the auditor. KPMG was fined 14.4 million pounds last year after providing false and misleading information to the FRC during spot checks on audits of Carillion and outsourcing firm Regenersis.

Persons: Reinhard Krause, Carillion, Richard Moriarty, Moriarty, Peter Meehan, Meehan, Jon Holt, Holt, Huw Jones, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: KPMG, Canary, REUTERS, BHS, Council, FRC, PwC, Deloitte, EY, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ EU watchdog piles pressure on banks to better quantify climate risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Other "enhancements" to capital rules include adding environmental and social factors to external credit assessements of banks by credit rating agencies. Banks would also be required to identify whether environmental and social factors are triggers of operational risk losses, EBA said. "Improving the quality of data on environmental risks is a key priority as most recent data may not yet reflect environmental risks in full...," EBA said. The watchdog will develop in-house "metrics" to help it supervise environment-related risks at banks. More comprehensive revisions to capital rules to reflect climate risks will be considered for the medium to long term, EBA said.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Banks, Huw Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, European Banking, European Banking Authority, prudential, EBA, Thomson Locations: Provatonas, Evros, Greece

"In its response, Barclays relied on information supplied by Mr Staley. Mr Staley confirmed the letter was fair and accurate," the FCA said. "In reality, in emails between the two Mr Staley described Mr Epstein as one of his 'deepest' and 'most cherished' friends," it added. "The FCA has found that Mr Staley was aware of the risk that his association with Mr Epstein posed to his career," the watchdog added. "Mr Staley failed to do this.

Persons: Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Staley, Arnold, Porter, Epstein, Mr Staley, Mr Epstein, Therese Chambers, JP Morgan Chase JPM.N, JP Morgan, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Kirstin Ridley, Iain Withers, Alexander Smith Organizations: Authority, Barclays, FCA, Bank of England, Barclays Board, U.S . Virgin, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ More work to do in tackling non-bank risks, says FSB's Knot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Klaas Knot, chair of the Financial Stability Board, arrives for the G20 leaders' summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022. "Why did we not see these pockets of hidden leverage? That, I think, is still the main target of our work in the NBFI space going forward," Knot said. "In general the massive change in the interest rate environment, so far so good, there has not been any systemic rippling of negative effects into the financial sector," Knot told the Institute of International Finance annual meeting. Meanwhile, AI could have tangible benefits and present some risks to the financial system, he said.

Persons: Klaas, Willy Kurniawan, Klaas Knot, Huw Jones, Alex Richardson, Alexander Smith, Jane Merriman Organizations: Board, REUTERS, UBS Group, Silicon Valley Bank, UBS, Swiss, Credit Suisse, European Central Bank, policymaker, Institute of International Finance, Bank of England, Authority, ECB, Thomson Locations: Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Silicon, Dutch

☆ UK financial watchdog censures insolvent London Capital & Finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signage is seen for the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), the UK's financial regulatory body, at their head offices in London, Britain March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Neo London Capital AD FollowLONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said on Wednesday it had censured London Capital & Finance (LCF) for "unfair and misleading" promotions of minibonds, but there is no financial penalty as the firm is insolvent. LCF, which was licensed by the FCA, "may have knowingly participated in the defrauding" of bondholders, the watchdog said. "The FCA does not consider it appropriate to impose a financial penalty on the firm as it is insolvent and in administration. In 2020, the watchdog banned the mass-marketing of speculative illiquid securities, including speculative minibonds, to retail investors.

Persons: Toby Melville, Therese Chambers, Elizabeth Gloster, Huw Jones, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: FCA, Financial, Authority, REUTERS, Neo, London Capital & Finance, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Neo London, LCF

Trillions of euros of financial products, from mortgages to car loans, remain pegged to the Euro Interbank Offered Rate as Euribor is officially known. The move to revamp Euribor aims to reduce the burden on institutions that do provide input by using a standardised approach. Having the broadest possible geographical spread of banks in Euribor's panel is seen as the best way to have a full picture of euro-denominated lending costs. Schirmann highlighted that countries with active bank-to-bank lending markets such as Finland, Ireland and Greece currently had no banks on Euribor's panel. Cutting the need for banks to provide bespoke so called "Level 3" estimates should also "significantly diminish" the time and costs involved for banks.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Libor, Jean, Louis Schirmann, Schirmann, EMMI, Marc Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Money Markets, Reuters, Deutsche Bank, Thomson Locations: Euribor's Brussels, Euribor's, Finland, Ireland, Greece

☆ Global watchdog reveals tensions at heart of Credit Suisse debacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Logos of Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are seen before a news conference in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. The report, however, exposed tensions and conflicts at the heart of a process that ultimately required Switzerland to initially back the emergency rescue of Credit Suisse by rival UBS (UBSG.S) with public money to avert panic. The officials summed up that the "resolution" rules for shutting a collapsing bank without panicking markets could have worked for Credit Suisse, though public money would still likely have been needed. The FSB report sheds new light on events that led to Credit Suisse's downfall. The FSB said Switzerland's action preserved financial stability, even if it raised questions as to why the resolution was not chosen.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Karin Keller, Sutter, Switzerland's Keller, FINMA, Andrew Bailey, Arturo Bris, Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Arthur Wilmarth, it’s, Tatiana Bautzer, Elisa Martinuzzi, Stefania Spezzati, Pete Schroeder, Mark Potter, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, REUTERS, UBS Group, Swiss, U.S, Bank of England, IMD, Bank, MRV Associates, Banco, George Washington University Law School, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Switzerland, Swiss, U.S

Signage for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Britain's financial regulatory body, is seen at their head offices in London, Britain March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Britain's financial regulator on Tuesday said it was stopping peer-to-peer platform rebuildingsociety.com from approving financial promotions for Binance and other crypto asset firms, days after Binance announced it had partnered with the company. A Binance spokesperson via email on Tuesday said that the company had invested "an enormous amount of time and resources" in ensuring that it is compliant with the Financial Conduct Authority's rules. "We shared our agreement with Rebuildingsociety.com with the FCA on Oct. 2, almost a full week before the requirements of the updated Financial Promotions Regime came into effect," the Binance spokesperson said. Under the FCA's rules, a firm it has authorised can approve promotions of companies it does not regulate, a system that is being tightened from February by the watchdog.

Persons: Toby Melville, Binance, Elizabeth Howcroft, Huw Jones, Mark Porter Organizations: Financial, Authority, REUTERS, FCA, Rebuildingsociety.com, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, cryptoassets, Leeds, UK

[1/2] Chairman Anthony Thomson (L) and Vice Chairman Vernon Hill pose with a dog outside the first branch of Metro Bank in Holborn in central London July 29, 2010. Metro declined to comment on Tuesday. A Starling spokesperson said the lender was making inroads into the big banks' market dominance. Metro is not the only smaller bank to have faced problems. One option is for smaller banks to gain scale through mergers and acquisitions.

Persons: Anthony Thomson, Vernon Hill, Toby Melville, John Cronin, Caius Capital, Jaime Gilinski, Dorita, Gilinski, Monzo, Starling, We've, Morgan Stanley, Gary Greenwood, Rupak Ghose, Shore Capital's Greenwood, Ghose, Shawbrook, Iain Withers, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Sakoui, Huw Jones, Amy, Jo Crowley, Sinead Cruise, Chiara Elisei, Nelson Bocanegra, Alexander Smith, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Yorkshire, Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Metro, Caius, Varde Partners, Harvard, Forbes, Finance, Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, The Bank of England, Prudential, Authority, Shore Capital, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Shore, Financial, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Holborn, London, BOGOTA, Starling, Colombian, Latin America, Metro, Bogota

Persons: Anthony Thomson, Vernon Hill, Toby Melville, John Cronin, Caius Capital, Monzo, Starling, We've, Morgan Stanley, Gary Greenwood, Rupak Ghose, Shore Capital's Greenwood, Ghose, Shawbrook, Jaime Gilinski, Dorita, Iain Withers, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Sakoui, Huw Jones, Amy, Jo Crowley, Sinead Cruise, Chiara Elisei, Alexander Smith Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Yorkshire, Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Metro, Caius, Varde Partners, Finance, Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, The Bank of England, Prudential, Authority, Shore Capital, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Shore, Financial, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Holborn, London, Starling, Metro, Colombian

☆ UK finance professionals urged to sign diversity code
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The CFA Institute has 200,000 members globally, with about 12,000 in Britain. Signatories to the code will provide a confidential, annual progress report to the CFA Institute, which will report industry-wide figures once a critical mass of signatories is reached. It comes on top of initiatives such as the Women in Finance charter backed by the finance ministry, which are well established and supported, although progress has been uneven. "The regulator sets the mandatory baseline, we can look to aspirational goals," said Sarah Maynard, global senior head, external diversity, equity and inclusion, at the CFA Institute. Given the global nature of finance, the CFA is also looking at how the code can help join up different national initiatives.

Persons: Toby Melville, Sarah Maynard, Maynard, Huw Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Companies CFA, CFA Institute, CFA, Women, Finance, Britain's, Authority, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S, United States, Canada

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Embattled British bank Metro (MTRO.L) announced a 325 million pound ($396.5 million) capital raise and 600 million pound debt refinancing on Sunday, after a weekend of urgent talks to bolster its balance sheet after a volatile week of trading. Metro Bank had sought to shore up its finances after a string of setbacks in recent years, including accounting errors, leadership departures and delayed regulatory approval for key capital reliefs. The equity raise was led by Metro's largest shareholder, Gilinski-owned Spaldy Investments, which contributed 102 million pounds. The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority said in a statement: "The Prudential Regulation Authority welcomes the steps taken by Metro Bank to strengthen its capital position." Reuters reported on Friday that Metro Bank was set to discuss funding options with its shareholders over the weekend, after a proposal from bondholders earlier in the week was seen as handing over too much control.

Persons: Jaime Gilinski, Gilinski, Iain Withers, Anousha, Huw Jones, Pablo Mayo Cerquerio, Londo, Lavanya, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Metro, Metro Bank, Metro's, Spaldy Investments, of England's Prudential, Authority, Prudential, HSBC, Lloyds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Colombian, London, Bengaluru

☆ Investors hope U.S. job numbers give Fed less reason to hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Although the MSCI All-Country stock index (.MIWD00000PUS) was 0.2% higher, it has lost about 8% since its July peak, leaving it about 7% ahead for the year. We are talking about the duration, rather than higher rates," Spencer said. The dollar index is up 12 weeks in a row, equalling a streak that ran from July to October 2014. The dollar index was steady on Friday at 106.38. Gold was also steady at $1,821 an ounce after nine days of losses driven by rising global bond yields.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Nonfarm, Patrick Spencer, RW Baird, Spencer, YEN, Kyle Rodda, Huw Jones, Tom Westbrook, Shri Navaratnam, Clarence Fernandez, Chizu Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Federal, Treasury, Global, Analysts, Tokyo's Nikkei, London, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Japan

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