DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Ireland trims 2023 budget surplus, corporate tax forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Ireland is set to collect 0.6% less tax than expected this year following a recent fall in corporate receipts and deliver a lower than forecast budget surplus that Tuesday's budget will further eat into, finance ministry data showed on Saturday. Ireland has collected record levels of tax in recent years, driven by a fast-growing economy and booming corporate tax returns. Instead they are now expected to rise by 4% to 23.6 billion euros. The finance ministry also cut the forecast for 2024 to 24.5 billion euros from 25.1 billion euros. As a result it lowered the 2023 projected budget surplus to 9.6 billion euros or 1.8% of gross domestic product (GDP), from the 10 billion euros forecast in July.

Persons: Michael McGrath, Padraic Halpin, Alex Richardson Organizations: DUBLIN, Ministers, Thomson Locations: Ireland

☆ France blocks US takeover of Canada-owned French nuclear valve makers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Oct 6 (Reuters) - France blocked a deal that would have seen the takeover of two Canadian-owned French maker of valves used in nuclear reactors because it did not think commitments made by U.S. bidder Flowserve were sufficient, a finance ministry source said. Flowserve, which makes pumps and valves, said on Thursday it was dropping its $245 million takeover of Montreal-based Velan, whose French subsidiaries Segault and Velan SAS make valves used in nuclear plants, submarines and aircraft carriers. The French government has extensive powers to vet proposed takeovers of French companies that it considers to be strategically sensitive, though outright rejections are rare. Flowserve Chief Executive Scott Rowe said on Thursday that the firm had sought to address all of the French concerns. Some French senators had aired concern about the takeover, in particular that it could mean the U.S. government could order Flowserve to hand over information from its French subsidiaries.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Scott Rowe, government's, Rowe, Emmanuel Macron, Leigh Thomas, Alexander Smith Organizations: U.S, Flowserve, Velan SAS, Thomson Locations: France, Montreal

[1/2] A view shows a Russian one rouble coin in front of a screen in this illustration picture taken August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 5 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble weakened past 100 to the dollar to a more than seven-week low as President Vladimir Putin spoke on Thursday, hurt by reduced foreign currency supply from exporters early in the month. By 1535 GMT, the rouble was 0.7% weaker against the dollar at 100.30 , its weakest point since Aug. 14. The rouble has lost support of a favourable month-end tax period that usually sees exporters convert FX revenues to meet local liabilities. "But this will happen either in the second half of the month or when the exchange rate goes above 100 roubles per dollar," Antonov said.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Russian rouble, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Bogdan Zvarich, Alexei Antonov, Antonov, Alexander Marrow, Angus MacSwan, Paul Simao, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, Thomson Locations: Russian, Sochi, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Alor

☆ Yen gets reprieve as dollar dented by private payrolls report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Brigid Riley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Having come off its nearly 11-month high, the dollar index , which tracks the greenback against six peers, held near overnight levels, settling at around 106.55. Longer dated U.S. Treasury yields eased from 16-year highs after the data and remained lower in the Asian day. Besides the lower U.S. Treasury yields, the yen also drew support from an overnight drop in oil prices, said Kyle Rodda, markets analyst at Capital.com, though he added that it was likely to be a "short-term reprieve." The Australian dollar fetched $0.63655 , up over 0.6%, while the kiwi was up around 0.5% to $0.59445 against the greenback.

Persons: Florence Lo, Moh Siong Sim, Shunichi Suzuki, Kyle Rodda, Rodda, Brigid Riley, Gerry Doyle, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, Federal Reserve, ADP, Bank of Singapore, Bank of, Japan, Finance, Japanese Finance Ministry, Sterling, Australian, greenback Locations: U.S, Bank of Japan, Tokyo, OPEC

☆ Analysis: When, not if, Europe copies Wall Street share trading reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Wall Street sign is pictured at the New York Stock exchange (NYSE) in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 9, 2020. A shorter settlement time might increase efficiency, cut collateral needs, and "increase the competitiveness and the attractiveness of EU financial markets", ESMA said. ESMA is seeking views for a cost/benefit analysis of moving to at least T+1, though few believe it will not go ahead given advances in technology, regulatory pressure, and gravitational pull of Wall Street. EFAMA, a European funds industry body, says the move on Wall Street will require changes to existing IT systems for European firms and U.S. investors who trade European shares. There is already talk of moving to the next stage after T+1: instant or simultaneous settlement.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, ESMA, Pete Tomlinson, Richard Knox, Charlie Geffen, Geffen, AFME's Tomlinson, Huw Jones, Alison Williams Organizations: New York Stock, REUTERS, European, EU, U.S, Federal Reserve, Association for Financial Markets, Bankers, SWIFT Institute, CLS, Financial, UK, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, European Union, Britain, Switzerland, Europe, United States, Canada, London, Brussels, Luxembourg, Madrid, Mainland China

☆ Japan’s inertia leaves yen at the mercy of the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man looks at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2023. The debate, though, ignores the bigger issue: Surging U.S. bond yields and Japan’s ultra-low interest rates, though, will keep the yen under pressure. Until it tightens monetary policy, Japan will have to live with an exchange rate driven by Washington. Until Tokyo regains control of its monetary levers, it will have to live with a foreign exchange rate driven by U.S. whims. The greenback then fell back to as low as 147.30, sparking speculation that Japanese monetary officials had intervened to prop up the currency.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Antony Currie, Oliver Taslic Organizations: U.S ., Nikkei, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Reuters Graphics, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Washington

☆ Asia stocks slump as bond selloff spooks markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The spike in Treasury yields lifted the dollar to new heights with only the yen showing some fight amid speculation the Japanese authorities might be intervening behind the scenes. The yen breached the 150-per-dollar level in the London afternoon on Tuesday before suddenly shooting to 147.3. There was no confirmation from Tokyo, where Japan's finance minister and top currency diplomat have made no direct comment on the move. In commodity markets, the stronger dollar has helped put the brakes on oil prices and higher yields have weighed on gold. Brent crude futures were last steady at $90.87 a barrel, having hit an 11-month high of $97.69 last week.

Persons: Issei Kato, it's, Mel Siew, Ryota Abe, Kit Juckes, Tom Westbrook, Jamie Freed, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S ., REUTERS, Japan's Nikkei, Muzinich, Co, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, New Zealand, Federal, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, SINGAPORE, London, Pacific, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysian

☆ Japan warns it will take 'appropriate' steps on excessive yen falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Japan will take appropriate steps against excessive moves in the yen "without ruling out any options", Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Wednesday, keeping markets on alert over the chance of yen-buying intervention. Suzuki told reporters he would not comment on whether Tokyo intervened in the exchange rate market overnight to prop up the yen. Japan's top currency diplomat Masato Kanda told reporters early on Wednesday that authorities were looking at various factors, including implied volatility, in determining whether yen moves were excessive. He declined to comment on whether the overnight yen moves were excessive. He added that Japan was acting in accordance with an agreement with its G7 and G20 partners, which includes a commitment to the stance that excessive exchange rate moves are undesirable.

Persons: Shunichi Suzuki, Suzuki, Masato Kanda, that's, Kanda, Fumio Kishida, Yoshimasa Maruyama Organizations: Tokyo Stock Exchange, Tokyo, Bank of Japan, Nikko Securities Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia

[1/3] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. "It has all the hallmarks of intervention in all honesty," said Michael Brown, market analyst at Trader X in London. The dollar fell 0.71% to 149.165 yen hovered near break-even against the euro . The yen is a particular casualty of the dollar's march to 10-month highs and the rise in Treasury yields, given a yawning gap between U.S. and Japanese interest rates. Gold prices languished near a seven-month low, weighed down by a robust dollar and elevated bond yields as the likelihood of U.S. rates staying higher for longer dominated sentiment.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Michael Brown, Ronald Temple, Raphael Bostic, Bostic, Shunichi Suzuki, Suzuki, Brent, Ankur Banerjee, Jamie Freed, Susan Fenton, Jan Harvey, Deepa Babington, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Global, Federal Reserve, Trader, Labor, Survey, Lazard, U.S, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Atlanta Fed, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, London, New York, Japan, Singapore

☆ Putin will not 'make concessions' as Russia appears to be preparing for 'multiple further years' of war in Ukraine, international affairs expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This suggests that Moscow is preparing for the war in Ukraine to carry on for years. Observers believe that Russia is hoping Western support for Ukraine will wane. She said that the Russian president was "waiting it out" in the hope that Western support of Ukraine would waver. He has also been unclear about how much he would support Ukraine. "If Trump is reelected, Putin has reason to believe that he could strike a much better deal on Ukraine."

Persons: —, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Nina Khrushcheva, Putin, He's, he's, Donald Trump, Trump, Michael McFaul, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin Organizations: intel, Observers, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Russia's Finance Ministry, Ministry of Defence, Russian Defence, Armed Forces, International Affairs, The New School, BBC, Republican Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, New York City

☆ Dollar weakens against the yen after yen breaches key 150 level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Japanese yen has fallen about 25% year-to-date against the greenback. The sharp move lower suggested the Bank of Japan had intervened in the market to keep the yen from falling further. "The continued uptrend in UST-JGB encouraged the 150 to be breach in the wake of the better-than-expected JOLTS data. The dollar slipped 0.51% against the yen to 149.08 after hitting 150.165 on the JOLTS report. The dollar index, which tracks the unit against six peers, was up 0.13% at 107.16, at its highest since November.

Persons: Michael Brown, Marc Chandler, Jeremy Stretch, JGB, Stretch, Shunichi Suzuki, Wei Liang Chang, Russia's rouble Organizations: greenback, The, Bank of Japan, New York Federal Reserve, Trader, Bannockburn Global, U.S, CIBC Capital Markets, UST, Finance, DBS, Strong U.S, Federal Reserve, Reserve Bank of Australia's, Swiss Locations: London, Bannockburn, New York, United States, Europe

[1/2] Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. The sharp move lower suggested the Bank of Japan had intervened in the market to keep the yen from falling further. "It has all the hallmarks of intervention in all honesty," said Michael Brown, market analyst at Trader X in London. "The continued uptrend in UST-JGB encouraged the 150 to be breach in the wake of the better-than-expected JOLTS data. The dollar slipped 0.51% against the yen to 149.08 after hitting 150.165 on the JOLTS report.

Persons: Florence Lo, Michael Brown, Marc Chandler, Jeremy Stretch, JGB, Stretch, Shunichi Suzuki, Wei Liang Chang, Russia's rouble, Herbert Lash, Brigid Riley, Alun John, Joice Alves, Kevin Buckland, Marguerita Choy, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, New York Federal Reserve, Trader, Bannockburn Global, CIBC Capital Markets, UST, Finance, DBS, Strong U.S, Federal Reserve, Reserve Bank of Australia's, Swiss, Thomson Locations: London, Bannockburn, New York, United States, Europe, Tokyo

☆ Russian ruble sinks to level that previously triggered emergency measures from Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian ruble fell past the 100-per-dollar threshold early Tuesday. When it last broke this barrier in mid-August, Russia's central bank hiked rates sharply. The currency fell to 100.255 against the greenback early Tuesday, though it has since edged back up to a 99.55 level. When this triple-digit threshold was last crossed in mid-August, the central bank took emergency measures and hiked interest rates sharply to 12%. In early September, the central bank also boosted foreign currency sales to help stem ruble volatility.

Persons: —, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: Service, greenback, Reuters, Bank of Russia Locations: Russia's, Russia, China

In 2021, the year before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, defence spending totalled 3.57 trillion roubles, 14.4% of total spending. In 2022, the share of defence spending rose to 17.7%, data on Russia's electronic budget page showed earlier this year. That may mean that defence spending will also be significantly higher than first envisaged. Moscow doubled its target for defence spending in 2023 to 9.7 trillion roubles, Reuters reported exclusively in August, citing a government document. EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE FREEZEAs defence spending in 2024 triples from pre-invasion levels, the share of spending on "national security", which covers funding for law enforcement agencies, is also rising, set to reach 9.2% in 2024, the documents showed.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Donets, Dmitry Peskov, Darya, Alexander Marrow, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Defence, Reuters, CIS, Renaissance, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Chinese consumers are turning to the lottery for money as the economy sputters and youth unemployment soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lottery ticket sales in China rose 53.6% in August from a year ago, finance ministry data shows. "The worse the economy is, the more lottery tickets will be sold," a Weibo user wrote, according to Reuters. AdvertisementAdvertisementChinese lottery ticket sales are surging as the country's consumers look to gain some financial luck amid this year's economic gloom. The surge in lottery sales came as China's growth has largely sputtered through this year, despite Wall Street hopes for massive growth. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The worse the economy is, the more lottery tickets will be sold," another wrote on the microblog.

Persons: — Organizations: Reuters, Service Locations: China, Beijing

This was not a WWE wrestling show, but the 2023 presidential race in Argentina where political outsider Javier Milei is the leading candidate. Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei for La Libertad Avanza coalition gestures next to Carolina Piparo, candidate for Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, during a campaign rally in La Plata, Buenos Aires on September 12. Milei is presenting himself as the candidate of renewal – an offer that clearly struck a chord with people in the primary vote. “I’ll vote for Milei because I think he’ll change things,” says Eduardo Murchio, a taxi driver in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires. A worker receives Argentine peso banknotes in a shop in Buenos Aires on Sept. 26, 2023.

Persons: “, Javier Milei, –, ”, Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Carolina Piparo, Agustin Marcarian, Trump, Milei, Milei’s, Eduardo Murchio, “ I’m, it’s, Erica Canepa, Milton Friedman –, Javier Marcus, Marcus, dollarizing, Bolsonaro, Teresa Fria, Pope Francis, Pope, Satan ”, “ Pope Francis, Emiliano Lasalvia, Patricia Bullrich, Sergio Massa, Massa, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Bullrich, Anita Pouchard Serra, Claudio Jacquelin, Facundo Nejamkis Organizations: CNN, WWE, Argentine, La Libertad, National Institute of Statistics, Reuters, Bloomberg, Getty, Rosario National University, Trump, Catholic, CIA, Milei, Unity, Homeland, La, Español Locations: Argentina, Mar del Plata, Argentine, Carolina, Province of Buenos Aires, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Latin America, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, AFP, Argentina's

☆ Saudi bourse tracks oil prices lower, Egypt extends losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Saudi trader observes the stock market on monitors at Falcom stock exchange agency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock market ended lower on Sunday in response to Friday's fall in oil prices, while the Egyptian index extended loses on profit-taking. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) fell 0.1%, extending losses from the previous session, weighed down by a 0.9% fall in oil giant Saudi Aramco (2222.SE). Oil prices - a key catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets - settled 1% lower on Friday due to macroeconomic concerns and profit-taking. Saudi Arabia is expected to tap the international debt markets to finance a projected budget deficit in 2023-2024, the finance ministry said, against a backdrop of lower oil prices and the country's extended oil production cuts.

Persons: Faisal Al Nasser, Ateeq, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, Saudi Aramco, Qatar National Bank, Qatar bourse, Banking, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ateeq Shariff, Bengaluru

RIYADH, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is expected to tap the international debt markets to finance a projected budget deficit in 2023-2024, the finance ministry said, against a backdrop of lower oil prices and the country's extended oil production cuts. Both deficits are estimated at 161 billion riyals ($43 billion). Saudi Arabia is working to prepare an annual borrowing plan in accordance with a medium-term debt strategy and "access global debt markets to enhance the kingdom's position in international markets", the finance ministry said. This has pushed total revenue estimates for 2023 up to 1,180 billion riyals from an earlier projection of 1,130 billion riyals, the finance ministry said. Meanwhile, total expenditure is seen rising to 1,262 billion riyals in 2023, from an earlier estimate of 1,114 billion riyals, before slowing down marginally to 1,251 billion riyals in 2024.

Persons: Aziz El Yaakoubi, Jane Merriman Organizations: Saudi Aramco, Al, Thomson Locations: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Saudi, Al Rajhi

☆ Deal targeted by probe involving LVMH's Arnault was legal, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - A financial transaction under investigation in France involving LVMH owner Bernard Arnault was carried out in full respect of the law, his lawyer said on Saturday. The Paris public prosecutor's office confirmed on Friday that it is investigating financial transactions involving Arnault and Russian businessman Nikolai Sarkisov. In France, a prelimary investigation does not necessarily imply wrongdoing by those concerned, for whom the presumption of innocence applies. An unidentified Tracfin official told Le Monde the transactions involving Arnault and Sarkisov, who both acted through a complex web of legal entities, could have been aimed at concealing the origins of the funds used. Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; writing by Leigh Thomas; editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bernard Arnault, Nikolai Sarkisov, Sarkisov, Cheval, Jacqueline Laffont, Le, Mimosa Spencer, Leigh Thomas, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Le Monde, Thomson Locations: France, Paris, Russian, Le, Cheval Blanc, Courcheval

☆ China's lottery ticket sales soar amid weak economy, job prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s lottery ticket sales in August soared to their highest for any month so far this year, amid public concern about the economy following months of mostly gloomy data including youth unemployment. The surging lottery ticket sales coincided with months of mostly soft economic data, with the unemployment rate of job seekers aged between 16 and 24 drawing particular attention from policymakers. China’s youth unemployment rate hit a record high of 21.3% in June, according to official data. Some social media commentators have linked the sharp rise in lottery sales in recent months to young people’s deepening economic worries. Earlier this year, China’s social media was alit with videos of jobless university graduates visiting temples to seek the blessings of the gods.

Persons: Ann Wang, “ Young, ” Organizations: REUTERS, Xinhua Locations: BEIJING, Hualien, Taiwan, Weibo

HONG KONG/BEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group's (3333.HK) founder is being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes", the embattled developer said on Thursday, as creditors become increasingly concerned about the group's prospects amid an uncertain debt revamp plan and liquidation risk. Evergrande has been working to get creditors' approval for restructuring its offshore debt. The offshore debt restructuring plan now looks set to falter and the risks of the company being liquidated are rising, some analysts said. An Evergrande sign is seen near residential buildings at an Evergrande residential complex in Beijing, China September 27, 2023. "We believe that Evergrande's debt turmoil has had a great turmoil and negative impact on the global economy, and the things behind it are not simple."

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, Hui, Gary Ng, Ng, Florence Lo, They've, Christopher Beddor, Yan Yuejin, Saxo, Redmond Wong, Upasana Singh, Donny Kwok, Scott Murdoch, Ziyi Tang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Susan Fenton Organizations: HK, Trading, Asia Pacific, Reuters, REUTERS, Evergrande, China Research, Development Institution, Buyers, China Market, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, Asia, Beijing, Evergrande, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Sydney

KARACHI, Pakistan, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Pakistan's rupee has gained 6.1% against the dollar so far in September, following an official clampdown on illegal foreign exchange trade in grey and black markets by security agencies. September's gains have almost made up for all of the rupee's losses in August and technically make it the best-perfoming currency in the world this month. The Pakistani rupee closed 0.3% up in the interbank market at 287.8 per dollar on Thursday. The crackdown on black market operators against the informal market resulted in tens of millions of dollars pouring back into Pakistan's interbank and open markets, dealers said. "The rupee has indeed performed well but this data does not reflect the sharp depreciation preceding this performance.

Persons: Fahad Rauf, Ismail Iqbal, Rauf, Ariba Shahid, Jane Merriman, Sharon Singleton, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Finance Ministry, Research, Ismail, Ismail Iqbal Securities, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi

☆ China appoints Lan Foan as new finance ministry party chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The sign of China's Ministry of Finance is pictured in Beijing, China August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China's Communist Party has appointed Lan Foan as the new finance ministry party chief, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Lan will replace Liu Kun as the party chief of the finance ministry, the statement said. Lan, 61, was previously the party chief of the northern Chinese Shanxi province. Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ella Cao and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jason Lee, Lan Foan, Lan, Liu Kun, Liu, Albee Zhang, Ella Cao, Himani Sarkar Organizations: China's Ministry of Finance, REUTERS, Rights, China's Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanxi

☆ Britain to ease capital rules for retail banks to boost competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Britain's finance ministry, which is seeking to boost competition in the banking sector, on Thursday proposed legislation to ease rules that require banks to "ring-fence" their retail arms with a cushion of capital. The draft legislation proposes to increase the threshold at which ring-fencing applies to banks from 25 billion pounds ($30.31 billion) to 35 billion pounds. Britain introduced the ring-fencing rule in January 2019 following the costly taxpayer bail-outs of banks during the global financial crisis over a decade ago. "It will improve outcomes for banks and their customers, increase competition and improve the competitiveness of the UK banking sector," Griffith said. Another change would allow ring-fenced banks to set up entities outside Britain to compete with international and domestic banking groups.

Persons: Keith Skeoch, Andrew Griffith, Griffith, Banks, Huw Jones, William Schomberg Organizations: Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Britain

SAS filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection last year as it struggled to slash costs and debt amid strikes by pilots. SAS hopes to raise 9.5 billion Swedish crowns ($863 million) in new equity and convert 20 billion crowns of debt into equity. They could include Sweden's family-owned Wallenberg foundation, which currently holds a 3.4% stake in SAS, or Danish pension funds, he said. Once that is done, SAS can begin proceedings to exit chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which could be late this year or next year, Pedersen said. It is not clear if SAS will be taken off the Swedish stock market after exiting bankruptcy protection.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Apollo, Jacob Pedersen, Gerald Engstrom, Pedersen, Johannes Birkebaek, Jacob Gronholt, Mark Potter Organizations: SAS Airbus, Kastrup, Scandinavian Airlines, TT News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Scandinavia's, SAS, U.S, Italy's ITA Airways, Portugal's TAP, WHO, Apollo Global Management Inc, European Union, Wallenberg, Private, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, Thomson Locations: Kastrup, Denmark, Rights COPENHAGEN, Danish, Copenhagen, EU, Europe, SWEDEN, NORWAY, Swedish, Sweden, Private Swedish

Search resuls for: "Finance Ministry"

25 mentions found