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To revive its fortunes, the government late last year published its Edinburgh Reforms agenda comprising over 30 proposed changes to existing rules. "There are a variety of factors that keep somewhere attractive in terms of investment, listing and being an international finance centre." "We want the UK to be the world's most innovative and competitive global financial centre," the spokesperson added. CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONSSupporters of a more vibrant UK stock market are also increasing pressure on bankers managing IPO processes to challenge assumptions about London's poorer liquidity or post-IPO performance, relative to rival venues. Proposed changes to UK listings are encouraging, but may not be enough, said Steve Bates, BIA CEO.

The fifth of young Chinese without jobs among a highly-educated generation is a record. The number of master's and Ph.D graduates in Beijing exceeds undergraduates for the first time, education authorities said. "However, young people who really pin their hopes on the gods and Buddhas when under pressure are also clearly going astray." "I don't believe I will ever find my ideal job," said the urban planning graduate, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her job prospects. "Why, instead of helping private enterprises develop, do you blame 11.58 million graduates for not taking off their scholar gowns?"

☆ Big bank earnings season is over. Here's how our stocks stack up against peers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Big bank earnings are behind us. Investment banks Goldman Sachs (GS) and Club holding Morgan Stanley (MS) are the two pure-play investment banks we care about. Third place was tight, but the combination of better earnings growth and a significantly better ROTCE made Bank of America (BAC) the better performer. Sizing up bank valuations Morgan Stanley is currently trading at a premium at 13.7 times forward earnings, compared to 10.3 for GS. Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive James Gorman speaks during the Institute of International Finance Annual Meeting in Washington, October 10, 2014.

☆ 'We should be worried': Finance leaders warn rising interest rates are squeezing low-income countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ernest Ankomah/Getty ImagesLeaders of several global financial bodies warned that rising interest rates are increasing pressure on low-income developing countries, around 60% of which are now in or at high risk of debt distress. A lot of the debt accrued by low-income countries is coming due over the next couple of years, however, and rising interest rates mean these countries will find it increasingly difficult to meet their repayments. As such, van Trotsenburg called for "renewed solidarity with developing countries" from international bodies and major economies not just in the form of words, but with increased resources. "That's actually something that we raised a decade ago when we saw a rapid rise in the indebtedness levels of low-income countries. Diop said establishing a firm path toward economic growth in developing economies would enable them to generate investment and stand a better chance of meeting future loan obligations.

☆ 'Zombie' companies are headed for a year of pain as rates move higher and access to credit gets cut off, think tank expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Zombie" companies are facing a year of pain ahead, according to think tank expert Sonya Gibbs. Gibbs pointed to higher interest rates, which could strain finances at overborrowed firms. But higher rates are necessary to correct major problems in the market, she added. In the short term though, higher rates are going to cause a lot of pain," Gibbs warned. Other market observers have raised similar concerns as the Fed continues to raise interest rates.

The economy ministry forecast GDP growth of 2% in 2024, down from 2.6% when it last provided macroeconomic forecasts in the autumn. SHRINKING SURPLUSRussia's current account surplus is shrinking sharply, down around 73% in the first quarter of 2023. Economists from the Institute of International Finance said Russia had a large "excess" current account surplus in 2022, with a surplus above and beyond the normal seasonal path in 2021 and 2022. "This windfall has ended in 2023, with Russia's current account surplus below 'normal', likely one reason why the rouble has weakened year-to-date," it added. The economy ministry lowered its rouble rate forecast to 76.5 to the dollar in 2023, from 68.3 in the previous forecast, and to 76.8 from 70.9 in 2024.

REUTERS/Anna KudriavtsevaWASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine secured promises of $5 billion in additional funding to support its ongoing fight against Russia amid "fruitful meetings" in Washington this week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters on Friday. Shmyhal met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank as well as top U.S. officials, on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. Ukraine needs about $14 billion in funding this year to close a budget gap, Shmyhal said, noting that the United States would provide $2.3 billion to plug the hole, while the European Union would provide 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion). The IFC program aims to leverage these donor funds using private sector investments, which will be needed to help cover the staggering cost of Ukraine's recovery. "A strong private sector is essential to help Ukraine's economy recover and support reconstruction efforts," said Makhtar Diop, the IFC's managing director.

☆ World Bank's new boss must push ahead on reforms, fight poverty-French minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"That means the poorest countries and their populations have to remain at the center of the agenda of the World Bank and of all of us." DE-RISKING INVESTMENTSZacharopoulou said that there was a major focus on bringing in private sector funds to scale up climate financing to the vast amounts needed to meet emissions reduction goals. We can use the public money to de-risk but the private sector has to come," she said. Banga was a "good match" for the World Bank job, with strong private sector finance and management experience. Zacharopoulou said Banga would be able to build on the work of World Bank staff who advanced the bank's initial reform steps in just six months.

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Senior officials from the United States, Europe and Britain met on Thursday with financial institutions to brief them on efforts by Russia to evade Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. Treasury official told reporters. The firms - from the United States, Britain and Europe - assured the officials that they were working hard to avert Russian efforts to evade sanctions and export controls, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Washington on Wednesday imposed sanctions on over 120 targets, including entities linked to Russian state-held energy company Rosatom and firms based in partner nations like Turkey in a sign of stepped-up enforcement. Treasury's top sanctions official, Undersecretary Brian Nelson, will visit Switzerland next week to discuss further moves to crack down on sanctions evasion, with additional stops in Italy, Austria and Germany, Reuters reported last week. Elizabeth Rosenberg, Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crime, will travel separately to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

☆ Banking turmoil questions begin at board level, says Basel's de Cos
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

These events marked the first real stress test of banks since the global financial crisis of 2007-09, de Cos told an Institute of International Finance roundtable in Washington. While it was unlikely a single culprit was to blame, he said the "whodunnit" task should start with bank boards. "A bank’s board, senior management and risk management function should be asking themselves questions in a timely fashion and taking credible measures to shore up resilience," de Cos said. De Cos also said supervisors should also ask tough questions and take "decisive action" to ensure safety and soundness of banks. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England and former chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the G20 watchdog that drove through post-global financial crisis reforms of banking rules, has called for a rethink of bank liquidity rules.

☆ Banking turmoil was not a crisis but 'the downside risks are real,' IIF boss warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tim Adams Anjali Sundaram | CNBCThe banking sector turmoil that led to the collapse of several lenders was not a systemic crisis and has now subsided, according to Tim Adams, CEO of the Institute of International Finance. Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Adams said the March chaos was a "period of market turmoil or turbulence," but dismissed the notion that it was a "crisis." The IIF is a global trade body for the financial services industry, with around 400 members in more than 60 countries. Adams said the primary concern among members was the downside risk to growth, particularly in advanced economies. The IMF on Tuesday lowered its five-year global growth forecast to around 3%, marking the lowest medium-term forecast in an IMF World Economic Outlook report since 1990.

☆ BoE's Bailey says bank reforms worked but questions about liquidity buffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Today I do not believe we face a systemic banking crisis. Bailey, however, echoed calls from his predecessor Mark Carney by saying there might be questions over the size of liquidity buffers required of banks in order to tide them over short-term shocks. This must beg the question of what are appropriate and desired liquidity buffers that create the time needed to take action to solve the problem." Data from the European Central Bank on Wednesday showed a slight weakening in liquidity buffers at banks it regulates, though they are still well above minimum requirements. Banks' holdings of liquidity have more than doubled since the global financial crisis, helping to contain fallout from the recent banking turmoil, de Cos said.

☆ IFC MD: 60% of low-income countries at risk of debt distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | 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 EmailIFC MD: 60% of low-income countries at risk of debt distressMakhtar Diop, the International Finance Corporation's managing director, speaks to CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche at the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

☆ IIF CEO: Banking turmoil was not a crisis and has subsided
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | 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 EmailIIF CEO: Banking turmoil was not a crisis and has subsidedTim Adams, the CEO of the Institute of International Finance, speaks to CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche at the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

☆ 3 reasons big bank earnings are super important to the stock market in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

There are two big watchers on our list for the week ahead, and one of them — believe it or not — is not an inflation reading. The consumer price report (CPI), which calculates the average change over time in prices shoppers pay for goods and services, comes out Wednesday before the opening bell. Other data next week includes the producer price index report on Thursday and the retail sales report on Friday. ET: Consumer Price Index 2:00 p.m. The most important macroeconomic update of the week came on Friday while the market was closed for Good Friday.

☆ The dollar's dominance on the world stage isn't going away. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The move makes sense, given Russia's growing status as a pariah state, but it also highlights a push to unseat the dollar as a dominant force in global trade. But to strategists at the Carson Group, a scenario where the dollar isn't the world's primary reserve currency simply isn't in the cards in the near future. Are you convinced that the dollar won't lose its status as a dominant global reserve currency? Some companies in this batch of oil stocks have upsides of up to 180%, according to strategists at Bank of America. An expert from the World Gold Council pointed out that history says gold performs well in a recession.

☆ US World Bank nominee Banga endorses lending expansion, pledges more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"That's good, we should do it," Banga said of the $5 billion lending expansion plan proposed by departing World Bank President David Malpass. But he said that to raise the trillions of dollars needed annually to reach 2030 and 2050 global emissions reduction goals, the World Bank needs to help catalyze private capital. The World Bank cannot do this alone," he said. Banga is now in the final stages of the World Bank executive board's selection process after emerging from a March nomination period as the sole candidate. He is expected to be confirmed as World Bank president by early May.

☆ Uber to offer Tembici's bike-sharing service in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, April 5 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) on Wednesday announced a deal with Brazilian bike-sharing company Tembici to make electric and common bicycles available on its app in Latin America amid a push for greener initiatives. "This partnership underscores the important role that car-free options are increasingly playing in Uber's strategy to achieve zero carbon emissions," said Annie Duvnjak, Uber's global micromobility general manager. The company expects to end 2023 with 30,000 bicycles on Latin American streets, a third of them electric. Uber said Tembici and Itau bike docking stations would "soon" appear in its app, but did not provide a specific date. ($1 = 5.0961 reais)Reporting by Gabriel Araujo Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

By offloading some of the risk on their loans, the banks can significantly reduce how much capital they need to set aside to cover potential losses, according to law firm Clifford Chance. A bank can normally transfer risks of losses equivalent to around 7% to 12% of a loan portfolio, two market sources said. With synthetic structures, a bank transfers the risk via credit derivatives or guarantees but keeps holding the underlying exposures. The IFC sold BNP a $50 million guarantee on $1 billion of loans to emerging markets, they said, without disclosing terms. While Europe has been at the forefront for risk transfers, the stock of loans covered by SRTs is small relative to European banks' balance sheets.

☆ NBER's Charles Dallara on the odds of a recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | 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 EmailNBER's Charles Dallara on the odds of a recessionCharles Dallara, former Institute of International Finance CEO and Director at Large at the National Bureau of Economic Research, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss increased odds of a recession, the economic reaction to quantitative contraction, and more.

☆ World Bank agrees $7 bln framework with Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, March 22 (Reuters) - The World Bank approved a new country partnership framework (CPF) for Egypt for the financial years 2023-2027 providing the country with $7 billion in funds, the lender said on Wednesday. The CPF will entail $1 billion per year from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and about $2 billion during the entire CPF period from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the statement said, adding that the programme was meant to support Egypt's efforts in green and inclusive development. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Nadine Awadalla, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ World Bank agrees $7 bln, 5-year partnership with Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, March 22 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Wednesday it had approved a new $7 billion partnership agreement with Egypt for 2023-2027 with a focus on boosting private sector jobs, provision of better health and education services, and adaptation to climate change. The Country Partnership Agreement (CPF) will entail $1 billion per year from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and about $2 billion over five years from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a statement from the World Bank said. Also on Wednesday the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, announced that it had partnered with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Egypt's Sovereign Fund to develop desalination plants in Egypt through a public-private partnership model. Egypt depends almost entirely for fresh water supplies on the River Nile, and is considered at high risk from the impacts of climate change. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Nadine Awadalla and Aidan Lewis, Editing by Louise Heavens, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HOUSTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has accumulated $21.2 billion in accounts receivable, according to documents viewed by Reuters, after turning to dozens of little known intermediaries three years ago to export its oil under U.S. sanctions. The scale of the receivables explains a January freeze on supply contracts by PDVSA's new boss Pedro Tellechea, who sought to halt unpaid cargoes immediately after taking office. A series of attempts to tighten contract terms came after some vessels absconded without payment in recent years. PDVSA and Venezuela's oil ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Gary McWilliams and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] Visitors pass a logo of Teck Resources Ltd mining company during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual convention in Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Chris HelgrenTORONTO, March 21 (Reuters) - Investors have yet to embrace Canadian miner Teck Resources Ltd's (TECKb.TO) proposal to spin off its highly polluting coal business and focus on production of copper to help supply society's move toward electric vehicles. Last month, Teck announced a split into copper-focused Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources (EVR), which will focus on high-margin coal for steel making. In 2021, South African miner Anglo American demerged and listed its thermal coal business. "The coal business is profitable for now, and using its proceeds to fund its copper business is a pragmatic way towards transition," said Dustyn Lanz, Senior Advisor ESG Global Advisors.

Credit Suisse staff had already been seeking to jump ship in recent weeks, sources told Reuters. "Many Credit Suisse bankers had already been talking to a lot of people for a while [about leaving the Swiss bank]. An executive at a rival London-based wealth manager said they had seen a steady flow of CVs coming in from Credit Suisse bankers. UBS told Credit Suisse wealth bankers on Monday that it was weighing financial sweeteners for them to stay, as it seeks to reassure key staff. Some experts have said Britain's financial services industry could ultimately benefit from recent bouts of turmoil in the United States and Switzerland.

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