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☆ In praise of American finance’s regulatory mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - There are many issues on which China and the United States are far apart. The People’s Republic this week proposed combining financial regulatory functions into a new super watchdog to govern its financial sector more effectively. China’s proposed new National Financial Regulatory Administration is roughly in this mold. Since 2008, officials in Beijing have criticized the United States’ financial excesses and its “warped conception” of financial discipline. The new National Financial Regulatory Administration would sit directly under the State Council, which serves as China’s cabinet.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway resumes Occidental purchases, stake reaches 22.2%
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berkshire paid about $355 million for 5.8 million Occidental shares between March 3 and March 7, according to the filing. Buffett's company now owns about 200.2 million Occidental shares worth $12.2 billion, based on Tuesday's closing price of $60.85. Berkshire also owns $10 billion of Occidental preferred stock that throws off $800 million of annual dividends, plus warrants to buy another $5 billion of common stock. Occidental ended January with about 900 million shares outstanding. Berkshire ended 2022 with $128.6 billion of cash and equivalents.

☆ China plans to revamp finance, tech oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China plans to overhaul its financial regulatory system by consolidating aspects of the central bank and securities regulator under a new entity, while doing away with the existing banking regulator. The moves also come as Beijing has increased regulation on parts of the economy that had developed quickly, with little oversight. The latest plan calls for the establishment of a National Financial Regulatory Administration, which replaces the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and expands its role. watch nowThe China Securities Regulatory Commission's investor protection responsibilities are set to shift to the new financial regulator. "China's consolidated financial regulatory body is [a] paradigm shift to ramp up oversight of its vast financial system," said Winston Ma, adjunct professor of law at New York University.

☆ China's State Council shakeup aims to counter rising US tech restrictions and financial risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“These proposed institutional changes reflect key focus areas of Chinese policymakers in the next few years, namely improving financial regulation coordination to enhance financial stability,” Goldman Sachs analysts said on Wednesday. Among the changes announced Tuesday during the annual gathering of the National People’s Congress, Beijing will set up a new powerful financial regulator: the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA). VCG/Getty ImagesA super regulatorChina’s financial system has traditionally been jointly overseen by the People’s Bank of China, the CBIRC and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The new regulator is meant to “better manage risks” in the financial system and strengthen the supervision of “institutions, behaviors, and functions,” the government proposal said. The move comes as risks to the stability of China’s financial system are rising amid a housing market slump and economic slowdown.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in sweeping reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The new financial regulator will replace the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and bring supervision of the industry, excluding the securities sector, into a body directly under the State Council, or cabinet. The proposal for setting up the new regulator, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, was presented to China's parliament during its annual meeting on Tuesday. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall responsibility. The setting up of the new financial regulatory body comes as Beijing seeks to rein in large corporate and financial institutions that may bring systemic risks via regulatory arbitrage among multiple authorities. 'STRENGTHEN SUPERVISION'The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions", according to the plan.

☆ China to set up new financial regulator in major supervisory overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China will set up a national financial regulatory administration, according to a plan announced on Tuesday, in the biggest overhaul of the country's financial supervisory apparatus in years. China's financial sector is currently overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the CBIRC, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee having overall purview. The new administration will "strengthen institutional supervision, supervision of behaviours and supervision of functions," according to the plan, with all kinds of financial activities to be supervised according to the law. The overall reform plan will be "targeted, intensive and wide-ranging, touching on deep-rooted interests", Xi told the party's Central Committee. Reporting by Ryan Woo and Ziyi Tang; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A new nuclear reactor in the U.S. starts up. It's the first in nearly seven years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For the first time in almost seven years, a new nuclear reactor has started up in the United States. On Monday, Georgia Power announced that the Vogtle nuclear reactor unit 3 has started a nuclear reaction inside the reactor. It's when the nuclear fission process starts splitting atoms and generating heat, Georgia Power said in a written announcement. However, because nuclear energy is generated without releasing carbon dioxide emissions, which cause global warming, the current increased sense of urgency in responding to climate change has given nuclear energy a chance at a renaissance. The cost associated with building nuclear reactors is a major barrier to a potential resurgence in nuclear energy, however.

Previously the Communist Party chief in Shanghai, Li is poised to be confirmed as premier on Saturday during the ongoing National People's Congress, charged with managing the world's second largest economy. Trey McArver, co-founder of consultancy Trivium China, said Li is likely to be much more powerful than his predecessor. "Officials know that Li Qiang is Xi Jinping's guy," he said. "He clearly thinks that Li Qiang is a very competent person and he has put him in this position because he trusts him and he expects a lot of him." American author Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who met Li and Xi together in 2005 and 2006, said the two shared an easy rapport.

☆ U.S. regulators seek more answers from Freeport LNG to weigh restart request
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Freeport LNG Development LP FollowMarch 6 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators sent another list of questions seeking information to Freeport LNG on Monday, as they evaluate its request to restart full commercial operations of its export facility in Texas. Last month, the privately held LNG export facility, the second-biggest in the U.S., started to exit an eight-month outage that was caused by a fire in June 2022. FERC and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) sought answers on operating conditions and steps taken to improve safety. The request asked for "a status update on Freeport LNG’s hiring efforts to address operator fatigue and training status of the new hires," according to FERC's letter to Freeport. The fiery blast that knocked the facility offline last June resulted from inadequate operating and testing procedures, operator fatigue and other shortcomings, a review found.

MADRID/PARIS/STOCKHOLM, March 2 (Reuters) - France and Spain are poised to announce a breakthrough this week in a long-running impasse over hefty costs of what would be their first undersea electricity link, a minister and sources in both countries told Reuters. That was due to unforeseen seabed instability on the French side that required costly re-routing, and rising costs of raw materials. Spain is a growing producer of renewable energy that it exports to France and it wants its neighbour to pay most of the extra costs. That had led to disagreement amid wider tensions between them about pipeline connections and protectionism. Spanish sources said the go-ahead would likely mean that France, whose nuclear power industry has been beset by problems, finally agreed to pay more.

☆ Dow and X-energy to build U.S. Gulf Coast nuclear demonstration plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Dow Inc (DOW.N) and private company X-energy said on Wednesday they have agreed to develop and demonstrate the first grid-scale next-generation nuclear reactor for an industrial site in North America. The X-energy Xe-100 plant featuring four high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors is set to be built at one of Dow's sites on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Backers of next-generation nuclear reactors, including the Biden administration, say the technology is crucial to fight climate change. The X-energy plant will provide a Dow facility with process heat and power to make products. Dow, a chemicals company, makes a wide variety of products including polyethylene used in packaging, paints, and foams.

☆ Xi's planned revival of Chinese financial watchdog exerts more party control
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - Plans by China's Communist Party to revive a high-level economic watchdog after two decades signal President Xi Jinping push to increase oversight of the financial sector, analysts say, part of a wider tightening of control by Xi and the party. "Through the CFWC, Xi and his allies could more rapidly roll out a reshuffle to replace the remaining legacy technocrats with people more loyal to them," he said. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee at the top. Under the new proposed structure, the party would take on a direction-setting role for the economy and regulatory bodies. "But this could also lead to policies replacing some market forces, which may not be ideal for financial liberalisation", she said.

☆ UBS Set to Apply for China Mutual-Fund License
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jing Yang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

UBS was the first foreign bank in China to take majority ownership of its local investment-banking unit. UBS Group AG is preparing to apply for a mutual-fund license in China, according to people familiar with the matter, becoming the latest Western bank to take advantage of Beijing’s relaxed rules on foreign financial institutions. The Swiss bank has held informal communications with the China Securities Regulatory Commission about its intention to apply, and plans to submit the application as soon as possible, some of the people said.

☆ UBS set to apply for China mutual fund license - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Switzerland's biggest bank UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) is looking to apply for a mutual fund license in China, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Swiss bank is in informal talks with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) about its intention to apply, the report said. UBS plans to submit the application as soon as possible, the report said without mentioning a timeline. The company declined to comment, while CSRC did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why it's so hard to build new electrical transmission lines in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Building new transmission lines in the U.S. takes so long — if they are built at all — that electrical transmission has become a roadblock for deploying clean energy. Energy companies that build new transmission lines need to get a return on their investment, explains James McCalley, an electrical engineering professor at Iowa State University. "Someone that benefits more frequent transmission line will pay more than someone who benefits less from a transmission line." transmission lines, energy grid, clean energyGreat River Energy and Minnesota Power are in the early stages of building a 150-mile, 345 kilovolt transmission line from northern to central Minnesota. Engaging with all members of the respective community is a necessary part of any successful transmission line build out, Patel and Johnson both say.

SYDNEY/HONG KONG, Feb 20 (Reuters) - New rules laying out how Chinese companies can list outside mainland China will often mean getting a nod from several domestic government agencies, potentially making for a lengthy approval process, investment bankers say. On one hand, the rules provide clarity after a regulatory crackdown by Beijing since mid-2021 that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese firms to a trickle. Those hoops, combined with U.S.-Sino tensions over a multitude of issues from suspected spy balloons to trade friction, means a rush of Chinese firms seeking initial public offerings in New York is unlikely. Last year, U.S. listings of Chinese firms were worth less than $230 million, according to Refinitiv data, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021. "I don't think an overseas listing for the start-up would get the Chinese regulatory nod due to data security.

☆ China formalizes rules for overseas IPOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING – China-based companies now have more clarity on whether they can list overseas in the U.S. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced late Friday new rules that require domestic companies to comply with national security measures and the personal data protection law before going public overseas. The securities regulator's rules do not ban the variable interest entity structure commonly used by Chinese companies when listing in the U.S. The CSRC said its rules for overseas listings are set to take effect March 31. The new rules also call for IPO underwriters, typically international investment banks, to annually report to the CSRC their involvement with Chinese listings overseas.

☆ China refines capital and risk management of commercial banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

China's banking regulator and the central bank plan to adopt a more differentiated regulatory system for assessing commercial banks' capital adequacy and risk management, in a step to better prevent risks in the country's financial system. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China on Saturday jointly released amended draft rules that they said aimed to help banks "continuously improve the precision of risk measurement and guide banks to better serve the real economy." The draft rules, which bring the banking sector closer to global standards, will divide lenders into three groups based on business scale and risk level.

☆ China publishes rules to revive offshore listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's securities watchdog published rules on Friday to regulate offshore listings, reviving foreign initial public offerings (IPOs) by Chinese firms after a regulatory freeze imposed in July 2021. Daniel Tu Active Creation CapitalUnder its new filing system, which effectively ends decades of unregulated overseas IPOs by Chinese companies, the CSRC will vet offshore listings. Friday's rules, amending a December draft, stipulate that overseas listings should not jeopardize China's national interests. Chinese offshore listings ground to a halt after Didi Global Inc's New York listing in June 2021 that triggered Beijing's regulatory backlash over data security concerns. China's tech crackdown also contributed to a near freeze in overseas listings by Chinese companies.

☆ China’s Securities Regulator Releases Long-Awaited Rules on Overseas Listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jing Yang | Rebecca Feng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New rules published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission require all mainland Chinese companies planning foreign share sales to inform the regulator beforehand. China’s securities regulator has released its long-awaited rules on companies’ overseas listings, taking a concrete step to move past a long regulatory assault that upended some of the country’s biggest internet companies. The move follows repeated calls from the country’s top leadership to normalize the policy environment, part of an attempt by the government to shift focus back toward economic growth after a strict zero-Covid policy and a series of regulatory moves pushed down valuations in the technology and internet sectors and shook investor confidence.

☆ China’s property crash is prompting banks to offer mortgages to 70-year-olds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Some banks in the cities of Nanning, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Beijing have extended the upper age limit on mortgages to between 80 and 95, according to a number of state media reports. China’s property market is in the midst of a historic downturn. The mortgage borrower’s age plus mortgage length should not usually exceed 70 years, according to previous rules published by the banking regulator. Separately, a branch of Citic Bank has extended the upper age limit on its mortgages to 80, the paper said, citing a bank client manager. Other than Beijing, some banks in Nanning, the provincial capital of Guangxi province, have raised the upper age limit on mortgages to 80, according to the city’s official newspaper Nanguo Zaobao.

☆ They were convicted for marijuana. Now they’re first in line to sell it legally
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Stefan Sykes for CNBCTRENTON, N.J. – Tahir Johnson has been arrested for marijuana possession three times. Stefan Sykes for CNBCA conditional license is a provisional license that allows awardees to begin operating while they fulfill requirements for an annual license. Stefan Sykes for CNBC"The generational wealth this will create for my family is surreal," he said. He's sold marijuana since he was Stefan Sykes for CNBCIn Trenton, African Americans represent nearly half of the city's population. Stefan Sykes for CNBC

But retail investors are haunted by the regulatory purges, volatility and losses since 2021. With 212 million retail investors, equal to Brazil's population, the conservatism of China's retail army has implications for the viability of the rally. Individual retail investor transactions accounted for about 60% of the total A-shares turnover in late 2022, China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Yi Huiman said in November. But data shows barely any investor accounts being opened and the margin financing that retail investors typically use has plateaued. Retail investors are waiting for clearer policy signals, said Lei Meng, China equities strategist at UBS Securities.

☆ Senators blast Big Tech companies over kids’ safety amid renewed push for legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Senators from both parties blasted Big Tech on Tuesday and called for the passage of federal legislation to regulate tech platforms in the midst of a mental health crisis among young Americans. But Durbin hinted at a possible future hearing involving Big Tech representatives, saying “don’t worry, they’ll have their chance” as the committee invites them to weigh in on legislative proposals. The hearing comes amid renewed attention on the impact social networks are having on their youngest users. In his State of the Union address last week, President Joe Biden called for Congress to pass legislation to protect kids’ privacy and safety online. On Tuesday, senators promoted several new and existing pieces of legislation in the works to address different potential online harms.

☆ Warburg Pincus moves closer to buying a stake in Chinese fund Zhong Ou
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) disclosed in its 2021 annual report that its board had approved the sale of a 23.3% stake in Zhong Ou to Warbug Pincus. The planned 23.3% stake sale to Warburg Pincus was confirmed on Monday by a source familiar with the transaction. The CSRC did not say how big a stake Warburg Pincus will buy in Zhong Ou, which has more than 350 billion yuan ($51.3 billion) of assets under management (AUM). In the regulatory feedback, the CSRC asked Warburg Pincus to explain how it would support Zhong Ou's development. The regulator also requested further proof from Warburg Pincus that it's a leading global player with good international reputation and performance.

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