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☆ Adani trumpets stable ties to global banks in bid to ease investor worries, document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The document, which was reviewed by Reuters, did not elaborate on how the lenders reaffirmed their commitment to the Adani group. Adani group did not respond to a request for comment. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) (8306.T), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc's (8316.T) SMBC unit, Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) did not immediately respond. CONCERNS ABOUT DEBTThe Hindenburg report had sparked concern among investors about banks' exposures to the Adani group. Now, 39% of Adani's debt is currently in the form of bonds, 29% is from global banks and 32% comes from public or private banks in India, the Adani document added.

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ to postpone AT1 bond issuance in Credit Suisse fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 3 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) will postpone the issuance of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds to mid-May or later from late April, a spokesperson said on Monday, after the Swiss decision to wipe out Credit Suisse bonds rattled the market. Mitsubishi UFJ decided on the postponement taking into account investor appetite and market conditions, the spokesperson said. Sources have said Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), may put April issuance on hold amid the volatility. As part of the rescue of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) by its rival UBS (UBSG.S), Swiss regulator FINMA determined that Credit Suisse's AT1 bonds with a notional value of 16 billion francs ($17.35 billion) would be wiped out, a decision that stunned global credit markets and angered many holders. Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vietnam's VPBank completes $1.5 bln stake sale to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 27 (Reuters) - Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPB.HM) said on Monday it has sold a 15% stake for $1.5 billion to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), expanding the Japanese bank's presence in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies. Following the investment, VPBank, whose business ranges across retail, corporate, consumer finance and wealth management operations, will become Vietnam's second-largest private lender by charter capital, with $5.96 billion. The deal comes as Vietnam's central bank seeks to tighten limits on holding stakes in banks, a move that may make the banking sector less attractive to foreigners. Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan's second-largest banking group is seeking to capture growth in Asian emerging markets through acquisitions, spurred by limited business opportunities at home with ultra-low interest rates and an ageing population. In late 2021, it acquired a 49% stake in Vietnamese consumer lender FE Credit from VPBank.

☆ The long-running crisis at Japan's Toshiba
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Faced with more than $6 billion in liabilities linked to Westinghouse, Toshiba decides to put prized chip unit Toshiba Memory up for sale. Nov. 2021 - Toshiba says it will split into three companies, one for energy, one for infrastructure and the third to manage its Kioxia stake. Feb. 2022 - Toshiba announces a new plan to split into two, spinning off only its devices unit. April 2022 - Toshiba sets up a special committee to resume a strategic review that could see it taken private. Under pressure from shareholders, Toshiba announces a special dividend of some $545 million.

☆ Japanese banks slide as SVB contagion fear rattles markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. "Fear has started to feed on itself, and higher uncertainty by itself has triggered its own de-leveraging and de-risking dynamics." Overnight the VIX (.VIX) volatility index, nicknamed Wall Street's "fear gauge", shot higher and other indicators of market stress showed early signs of strain. In Tokyo, Resona Holdings (8308.T) led losses with a 9% slide, followed by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8306.T), down 8%. U.S. inflation data due later in the day is likely to inject more volatility, even if investors see the Fed prioritising financial stability.

☆ Asian markets tumble as SVB fears rattle banking sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Investors are now on edge over whether the demise of SVB could spark a broader banking sector meltdown. On Monday, US stocks were mixed, with banking shares taking a hit. In Hong Kong, shares in Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Hang Seng Bank fell 3.7% and 1.3% respectively. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group both dropped more than 7%. In Seoul, KB Financial Group and Shinhan Financial Group fell 3.6% and 2.5% respectively.

☆ As global stocks fall, Asia-Pacific's benchmark index erases all of its gains for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, bank stocks in Japan declined sharply, weighing on the wider Topix, which led the sell-off in Asia-Pacific. Tokyo-listed shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group fell 8.59%, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group shed 7.57% and Mizuho Financial Group dropped 7.14%. Yeap also noted indexes such as the Straits Times Index in Singapore has close to 45% of its weightage in bank stocks. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart iconNomura equity strategists including Chetan Seth reiterated their February call and still expect more gains for the index. "We are inclined to believe that these issues will not be systemic to the health of the banking sector," he said.

☆ Asian bank stocks tumble as US systemic concerns prevail
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In Hong Kong, shares of HSBC Holdings opened roughly 1.7% lower at a two-month trough while Standard Chartered Bank shares fell nearly 1% to a one-month low. U.S. banks lost over $100 billion in stock market value late last week following the collapse, while European banks lost around another $50 billion in value, according to a Reuters calculation. U.S. state regulators on Sunday also closed New York-based Signature Bank (SBNY.O), which became the next casualty of the banking turmoil after SVB. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Topix (.TOPX) was last 2% lower, dragged heavily by financial stocks. Shares of Singapore's largest bank DBS (DBSM.SI) slid to their lowest since late October last year, at S$32.71 ($24.32), while OCBC's shares (OCBC.SI) lost close to 1.5%.

☆ Adani looks to repay $500 mln bridge loan taken for cement deals-ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 15 (Reuters) - India's embattled Adani Group is in talks with lenders to repay a $500 million bridge loan facility it had taken to buy controlling stakes in cement companies ACC Ltd (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements Ltd (ABUJ.NS) last year, the Economic Times daily reported on Wednesday. The group is looking to repay the bridge loan with cash this month, the report said, citing people aware of the matter, adding that the loan had a tenor of six months and was part of a larger $5.25 billion financing package. The loan was underwritten by Barclays (BARC.L), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L), ET reported. The financial consortium lending to Adani also includes DBS, MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Intesa and Mizuho, the report said. Adani and the lenders did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

☆ Factbox: Kazuo Ueda: Who is the new Bank of Japan governor and what can we expect from him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Japan's government is likely to appoint Kazuo Ueda, an academic and a former member of the Bank of Japan's policy board, as the next central bank governor, two government officials told Reuters on Friday. The 71-year-old is widely seen as an expert on monetary policy, but is seen as a surprise appointment by analysts. The following are some key questions and answers about the next central bank governor in the world's third-largest economy and the challenges he faces. He is an external director at JGC Holdings Corp (1963.T), an engineering company and at the state-owned Development Bank of Japan. In a 2016 article, Ueda wrote that the BOJ's ultra-easy policy seemed to be "reaching its limits".

"The company has received a proposal from the JIP consortium," Toshiba said in a statement. Two of the sources said major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide 1.4 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in loans to the group. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported the total value of the buyout proposal was around 2 trillion yen. JIP was then asked by Toshiba to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7, something it was unable to do.

Major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide the loans to the JIP-led group, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. The 1.4 trillion yen of loans included a commitment line of 200 billion yen for working capital, the sources said. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported a final buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen. The banks asked Toshiba to promise the sale of underperforming businesses if earnings deteriorated after a buyout was concluded, sources, including those who spoke on Thursday, have previously said.

Major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), have issued letters of commitment to provide the loans to the JIP-led group, said the sources, who declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. The Nikkei business daily reported a final buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen had been submitted. Sources said the 1.4 trillion yen of loans included a commitment line of 200 billion yen for working capital. Toshiba named the JIP-led group as its preferred bidder in October. The private equity firm was then asked by Toshiba to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7, something it was unable to secure by that date.

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho report strong Q3 results on solid loan demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) and Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) on Thursday reported strong third-quarter profits in their core businesses thanks to an economic rebound in Japan and solid loan demand abroad. Including the expected accounting gain, Mitsubishi UFJ's nine-month net profit totalled 1.14 trillion yen ($8.86 billion), already ahead of its full-year profit forecast of 1 trillion yen. Mizuho's third-quarter net profit more than doubled to 209.3 billion yen compared to the same period last year, when results at the country's No. 3 lender were weighed down by loan loss provisions for KKR & Co's (KKR.N) auto parts supplier Marelli Holdings Co.Japan's second-largest bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), on Monday reported a 42.6% jump in third-quarter net profit. ($1 = 128.6100 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tokyo booms for shareholder-relations advisers as activists raise pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Men walk past an electric board displaying Nikkei and other countries' indexes outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan January 16, 2023. At that company, activist shareholders have forced board changes, rejected the management's turnaround plan and prompted the company to consider going private to remove them. Shareholder relations advisers do that, too, and they say they are generally more focused on longer-term strategies. EY announced a foray into shareholder relations in Japan in December, with a full-service line-up from identification of shareholders to proxy solicitation. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corp said it would continue to expand its shareholder-relations support unit, Japan Shareholder Services Ltd (JSS), which now has about 80 staff members.

☆ Toshiba buyout heralds a big step back for Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

MUMBAI, Jan 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The end of a long battle to wring some value from Toshiba (6502.T) is finally within reach. Such an outcome won’t encourage private equity firms, and big policy shifts underway may stifle the industry just as it hits a new high. Instead, after an accounting scandal in 2015, Toshiba came to epitomise Japan Inc’s pervasive value destruction. Japan typically outperforms private equity deals in other developed markets, partly because existing incentive structures for company bosses are so poor. The country’s private equity industry is only just finding its feet.

☆ Japan yields tumble to well below policy cap as BOJ stands pat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Japan Yen note is seen in this illustration photo taken June 1, 2017. The yield was at 0.51% prior to the Bank of Japan decision. "If they had expanded the band again or terminated YCC, yields would rise, which would be a de facto rate hike for a second consecutive meeting," said Naomi Muguruma, senior market economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. The BOJ also made use of a newly announced policy tool immediately, offering five-year loans to financial institutions to enhance liquidity, and showing its resolve to keep yields low. At the post-meeting press conference, Kuroda defended the change, reiterating that widening the yield band has made YCC "fully sustainable".

☆ Japan's biggest banks to raise housing loan rates after BOJ's policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Japan's three biggest banks said on Friday they would raise interest rates for housing loans for next month, reflecting the Bank of Japan's tweak in its ultra-loose policy. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, the main banking unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T), will raise the rate by 0.18 percentage point to 3.7%. Each bank has special loan programs for selected customers so their rates will be lower, with Sumitomo Mitsui charging 1.14%, Mizuho 1.60% and Mitsubishi UFJ 1.05%. Japan's central bank surprised the market last week by raising the cap on 10-year bond yield to 0.5% from 0.25%. Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Writing by Junko Fujita; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japanese shares end higher on Wall Street gains, financials weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Nikkei share average (.N225) rose 0.65% to close at 26,405.87, while the broader Topix (.TOPX) edged up 0.24% at 1,902.52. "Japanese shares rose because U.S. equities gained at the end of last week, but the trading is very quiet with most participants in the U.S. and Europe away for holidays," said Shuji Hosoi, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities. Heavyweight Fast Retailing (9983.T), owner of the Uniqlo brand, rose 2.0% and chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron (8035.T) gained 2.22%. "The 10-year government bond yield hovers below the top end of the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy band, which prompted a sell-off of banking shares," Hosoi said. The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo bourse's main board was 0.85 billion, compared to the average of 1.25 billion in the past 30 days.

The 1.4 trillion yen includes 200 billion yen in working capital, they said. The main banking arms of Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc (8309.T) are together expected to lend more than 1 trillion yen, three sources said. The core bank unit of Japan's biggest financial group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) and Aozora Bank Ltd (8304.T) are also participating, they added. Spokespeople for all five banks declined to comment. Toshiba named a JIP-led group as its preferred bidder in October for the buyout process.

☆ Toshiba's preferred bidder to seal $10.6 bln loan deal this week -Yomiuri
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), the preferred bidder to buy out Toshiba Corp (6502.T), is set to sign a loan agreement of about 1.4 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) with lenders this week, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday. The loans include a commitment line of 200 billion yen, the paper said. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (8316.T) and Mizuho Bank (8411.T) would provide about 400 billion yen to 500 billion yen each, it said. The deal is expected to value the industrial conglomerate at around 2.2 trillion yen, although the Nikkei business daily reported at the weekend that JIP could lower it to below 2 trillion yen. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Mizuho Bank both declined to comment on the Yomiuri report.

☆ Goldman Sachs says the Bank of Japan may start tightening, but others disagree
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this photo illustration, Bank of Japan (BOJ) logo is seen on a smartphone screen. After the Bank of Japan surprisingly widened its target range for Japanese government bond yields, economists at Goldman Sachs said the central bank could belatedly join its global peers by shifting to a tightening policy. The BOJ's monetary meeting concluded Tuesday with no change to its current ultra-low interest rate at -0.1%, a stance it's held since 2016. Following the BOJ announcement, shares of banks listed in Japan rose for two consecutive sessions, bucking the trend of the wider index which saw another day of losses in Wednesday's session. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group also rose more than 6% and Mizuho Financial Group also gained more than 4%.

☆ Toshiba says aims to reach deal with potential partners soon as possible
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T), which is talks about a buyout, said in a letter to shareholders on Friday that it was aiming to reach as conclusion with potential partners as soon as possible. Toshiba is "planning to receive binding and bona-fide proposal(s) and shall be making strong efforts to arrive at a conclusion as early as possible after necessary negotiations," the letter said. Sources have told Reuters that the company's preferred bidder, Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), was moving closer to securing financing from banks for a buyout. A deal is expected to value the industrial conglomerate at around 2.2 trillion yen ($16 billion). Shares in Toshiba, whose businesses span nuclear power, defence technology and which owns 40% of memory chip maker Kioxia Holdings, were up 1.7% in mid-morning trade.

☆ India bank sale sharpens valuation rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (8316.T), Carlyle (CG.O) and Fairfax Financial (FFH.TO) may each be eyeing some of the 61% stake on offer in $7 billion IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS), per reports by The Economic Times and Mint. These latecomers’ share of outstanding loans fell to 55% in March 2022 from 70% in 2016, per Reserve Bank of India data. CONTEXT NEWSIndia on Dec. 14 extended the deadline to submit preliminary bids for the sale of a controlling stake in IDBI Bank to Jan. 7 from Dec. 16. New Delhi intends to sell 30.48%; Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is almost entirely government-owned, will sell a 30.24% stake. Carlyle, Fairfax Financial and DBS Bank are considering bidding for at least 10% each in IDBI Bank, Mint reported on Nov. 7, citing unnamed sources.

TOKYO/HONG KONG, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Japan Industrial Partners, the preferred bidder to buy out Toshiba Corp (6502.T), has moved closer to securing financing from banks, three people with knowledge of the matter said. JIP's bid has called for Toshiba management to retain their jobs - a proposal which initially made some of the banks cautious about lending, sources have said. The sources all declined to be identified as the talks are private. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, the core unit of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), and Mizuho Bank Ltd, the core unit of Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T) declined to comment. ($1 = 137.0500 yen)Reporting by Kane Wu, Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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