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☆ Scandals in China and Australia hit Big 4 giant PwC, but global revenues reached a record high
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After two scandals this year, PwC's business in the Asia-Pacific region has fallen. While PwC faced these regional setbacks, it hit record-high revenues and hired 10,000 new employees. AdvertisementAfter scandals in Australia and China this year, PwC has lost business in the Asia-pacific region. AdvertisementDespite the regional impact on the business, PwC posted an overall growth of 3.7% to reach record-high gross revenues of $55.4 billion. Like other leading consultancies, PwC has been hit by falling demand for consulting services, and its growth rate has slowed.

Persons: PwC, —, Mohamed Kande, Uber, we've Organizations: Service, Big, PwC, Google, Australian Financial, EY, Deloitte Locations: Asia, China, Australia, India

☆ China property stocks rally after major cities ease homebuying restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Anniek Bao | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Noel Celis | Afp | Getty ImagesShares of Chinese property developers rallied on Monday after major cities in mainland China unveiled easing measures to boost homebuyer sentiment, following the central bank's blitz of policy stimulus. The Guangzhou city government said in a notice on Sunday that all restrictions on home purchases would be removed, effective from Monday. China Overseas Land & Investment and China Vanke climbed 5.06% and 12.89%. Mainland China's CSI 300 surged 6% Monday, after the index logged its best week in almost 16 years on Friday. The easing measures follow the central government's call last week to combat the property slump last week.

Persons: Noel Celis, China Vanke, Allen Feng, Gary Ng, Ng, Xi Jinping Organizations: HK, Afp, Getty, Mainland Properties, Longfor Group Holdings, Hang Lung, China Resources, ., . China Overseas Land & Investment, China's CSI, CSI, People's Bank of Locations: Guangzhou, China's, Guangdong, China, Shanghai, Hong Kong, . China, —, Beijing, People's Bank of China

☆ Goodbye Louis Vuitton. China’s Gen Z leans into ‘dupe economy’ as growth prospects stall
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mainly a print model, Zheng used to rake in 30,000 yuan ($4,230) a month when she began working two years ago. Some are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing, while others are inspired by the original design and offer morecolors or textures. The popularity of this product category is soaring as consumer confidence in China nears a historic low, according to analysts. Shoppers are sitting on the sidelines due to a combination of falling stock prices, capital flight and “tepid” wage growth, the economists said. A Hong Kong court ordered the liquidation of the Chinese property giant on on January 29.

Persons: Zheng Jiewen, Zheng, “, ”, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Laurel Gu, Lulu, dupes isn’t, Nomura, Xinxin, Greg Baker, Nicole Hal, “ I’ve, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Prada, Reuters, Shoppers, Barclays, Hong, Getty, Goldman Locations: China, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Asia, Japan, Chongqing, Beijing, AFP, Europe, “

☆ China fines PwC a record $62 million for its role in the Evergrande collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese regulators have hit PwC’s auditing unit in mainland China with a six-month business suspension and a record fine of 441 million yuan ($62 million) over the firm’s audit of troubled property developer China Evergrande Group. “PwC has seriously eroded the basis of law and good faith, and damaged investors’ interest,” said the China Securities Regulatory Commission in a statement. PwC Zhong Tian, the registered accounting entity and the main onshore arm of PwC in China, was the country’s top-earning auditor in 2022, according to the latest official data. The ministry also imposed a fine of 116 million yuan ($16 million) on PwC Zhong Tian for its auditing failure of Hengda in 2018, according to an MOF statement. The CSRC said in a separate statement that it had confiscated PwC Zhong Tian’s revenue involved in the Evergrande case totalling 27.7 million yuan and fined the unit 297 million yuan.

Persons: Zhong Tian, “ PwC, ”, PwC Zhong, Daniel Li, Hemione Hudson, CSRC, PwC Organizations: China Evergrande Group, Big, —, China Securities Regulatory Commission, China’s Ministry of Finance, Bank of China Locations: China, PwC, Hong Kong, New York

☆ Evergrande Chairman Hui kept in special detention center in Shenzhen
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hui Ka Yan, the chairman of China Evergrande Group — the company at the center of the country's property sector crisis — has been moved to a special detention center in Shenzhen, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. After China's securities regulator found Evergrande's flagship unit had inflated earnings and committed securities fraud, Hui was fined $6.6 million in March and barred from the securities market for life. Chinese authorities have detained many former high-flying business executives and some have remained in detention for years with little or no information about their fate. He was transferred to Shenzhen a few months ago to allow him to more easily communicate with top Evergrande executives, said the second source. Evergrande is headquartered in the neighboring southern city of Guangzhou and its wealth management unit is based in Shenzhen.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Evergrande Organizations: China, — Locations: Shenzhen, Beijing, Guangzhou

☆ Beijing suspends PwC's China unit for six months in record penalty over Evergrande audit
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese regulators on Friday hit PwC's auditing unit in mainland China with a six-month business suspension and a record fine of 441 million yuan ($62 million) over the firm's audit of troubled property developer China Evergrande Group . "PwC has seriously eroded the basis of law and good faith, and damaged investors' interest," said the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) in a statement. PwC Zhong Tian, the registered accounting entity and the main onshore arm of PwC in China, was the country's top-earning auditor in 2022, according to the latest official data. "The cost is enormous in reputation, affecting the ability to get new business in China beyond the fine. PwC also deliberately excluded properties that Evergrande marked as "not allowed to visit" from audit samples, it added.

Persons: Zhong Tian, PwC, Gary Ng, PwC Zhong Tian, PwC Zhong, Daniel Li, Hemione Hudson, CSRC Organizations: China Evergrande Group, Big, China Securities Regulatory Commission, China's Ministry of Finance Locations: China, PwC, Asia, Pacific, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, New York

☆ China Evergrande's EV arm units to enter bankruptcy, reorganization proceedings
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Evergrande Group headquarters building in Shenzhen is pictured on January 11, 2022 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle said on Monday a local court had ruled that two of its units should enter into bankruptcy and be reorganized, a week after individual creditors of the units filed for such proceedings. Shares of the electric vehicle maker plunged 7% on July 29, a day after individual creditors of Evergrande New Energy Vehicle (Guangdong) and Evergrande Smart Automotive (Guangdong) sought court approval for the units to go through bankruptcy proceedings and be reorganized. The firm said a local court hearing was held on Aug. 2, and the court ordered the units to enter into such proceedings. The EV unit of embattled real estate developer China Evergrande Group in May updated the market that its liquidators were in talks with a potential buyer to take a stake in the company, thereby increasing chances of extending a new credit line for the firm to support production.

Organizations: Group, China Evergrande, Energy Vehicle, Evergrande New Energy Vehicle, Smart Automotive, China Evergrande Group Locations: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China, China, Guangdong

☆ The Chinese economy is so bad, even Chinese people can't be enticed into buying dirt-cheap mega-sale items
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese e-commerce giants try to lure in customers with attractive salesHistorically, e-commerce has accounted for a hefty chunk of China's retail spending. AdvertisementIn 2023, online retail sales nationwide reached $2.12 trillion, accounting for 27.6% of the total retail sales of consumer goods in the country, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. China's youth unemployment rate stood at 14.9% as of December, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. And the average per capita income in China in the first quarter of 2024 was $905, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that new home prices in 70 major Chinese cities were down 0.7% from April.

Persons: —, they've, Alibaba, JD.com, Allison Malmsten, Yaling Jiang, they're, Jiang, Evergrande Organizations: Service, Business, CNBC, National Bureau of Statistics, Apple, Daxue Consulting, National Bureau, Statistics Locations: China

☆ China fines Evergrande's Hengda $577 million for fraudulent bond issuance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view of construction sites and new residential developments in the Nanchuan area of Xining, Qinghai province, China. China has fined China Evergrande's onshore flagship unit 4.18 billion yuan ($577 million) for fraudulent bond issuance and illegal information disclosure, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Friday. The regulator also fined Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan 47 million yuan and barred him from the securities market for life, according to a statement. "The maximum fine (against Hengda) is the most severe since the unified law enforcement of the bond market," said CSRC, adding it had considered Hengda's bond issuance size and mandate to complete home constructions for buyers when making the decision. China is weighing imposing a record fine of at least 1 billion yuan on PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and suspending some of the auditor's local operations over its role in auditing Evergrande, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Persons: Hui Ka, Evergrande Organizations: China, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Evergrande, Hui Ka Yan, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Bloomberg Locations: Nanchuan, Xining, Qinghai province, China, Hong Kong

☆ ‘I feel like I've been tricked’: Some property buyers in China’s Tianjin have been waiting 8 years for their homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As is common in China, the apartment complex in Tianjin sold the units before they were completed. Their concerns are just one example of the wider challenges that persist in pockets of China's property sector. Following early efforts to recoup their money or to garner information about their property purchases, a few buyers said police visited their homes, sometimes in the middle of the night. "I feel like I've been tricked this whole time," one buyer said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. In all, Nomura estimated late last year that there are around 20 million unconstructed and delayed pre-sold homes in China.

Persons: Wu Qing, Fred Dufour, I've, Dan Wang, Evergrande, Nomura Organizations: Afp, Getty, BEIJING, CNBC, Hang Seng Bank Locations: Tianjin, Beijing, China

☆ Big Chinese cities are making it easier to buy homes to boost depressed property market
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Last October it removed curbs in most districts, and in March loosened restrictions on purchases of second homes. Other cities have also taken major steps to make the process of buying property easier. Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province, has also lifted home purchase curbs since last month. “The April Politburo meeting set a more supportive tone for the property sector, prioritizing the reduction of existing home inventory,” they said. “This may suggest that more local governments may be allowed to purchase homes directly from the market for social housing purposes.”

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Geely, Hangzhou Housing Security, Real, Administration, Getty Images, homebuyers, Communist Party, UBS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Chengdu, China's, Sichuan, Getty Images Chengdu, Changsha, Hunan province, Evergrande, Beijing

☆ Fitch's negative outlook for China is more bad news for its stalling economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFitch Ratings has cut its outlook for China, adding to the gloom surrounding the world's second-largest economy. It cut its outlook from "stable" to "negative," but maintained its overall rating at "A+." The move comes after Moody's Investor Services, another major credit-rating agency, also downgraded its outlook for China to "negative" in December. As a result Fitch expects economic growth to fall to 4.5% for 2024. The ratings agency said policymakers will probably have no choice but to borrow to address its economic woes.

Persons: —, Fitch, Fitch's Organizations: Service, Business, Moody's Investor Services, Analysts, St Louis Federal Reserve, CSI Locations: China, Beijing

☆ Shimao Group: Another big Chinese property developer faces a liquidation suit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Shanghai-based property giant Shimao Group said on Monday that it had received a liquidation petition from a Chinese state-owned bank in yet another instance of creditors taking legal action to reclaim money from troubled developers in the world’s second-largest economy. A “winding-up petition” was filed against the company by China Construction Bank (Asia) on April 5 in Hong Kong, according to a stock exchange filing by Shimao. The company’s shares were down over 14% in Hong Kong on Monday, having fallen nearly 40% this year. In January, Evergrande, the world’s most-indebted property developer and the poster child of China’s property crisis, was ordered to liquidate by a Hong Kong court. Country Garden, another major developer that defaulted on its debt last year, received a liquidation petition in February from a creditor after not repaying a loan.

Persons: ”, Shimao Organizations: CNN, Shimao, China Construction Bank, HK Locations: Shanghai, Asia, Hong Kong, Evergrande

☆ Country Garden misses results and likely faces trade suspension in fresh blow for China’s property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —Troubled housing giant Country Garden announced late Thursday that it would delay the publication of its annual results, in the latest sign of the turmoil still coursing through China’s huge property sector. The move is likely to cause its share trading to be suspended from Tuesday, as is required by Hong Kong’s listing rules. Country Garden, once the China’s largest property developer, is reeling under about $194 billion worth of debt. Last month, it received a liquidation petition in Hong Kong from a creditor for non-payment of a loan worth 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars ($204 million), according to the company. Country Garden’s woes echo that of another huge, and now insolvent, Chinese property giant Evergrande.

Persons: Hong Kong’s, Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Garden, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, China’s

☆ Beijing says Evergrande and its tycoon founder committed a $78 billion fraud. That would rank it as one of the biggest financial frauds ever.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Beijing has accused Evergrande of inflating revenue by $78 billion in 2019 and 2020. Regulatory authorities have fined Evergrande's founder and banned him from the securities market for life. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementIt just seems to get worse and worse for fallen Chinese real-estate giant Evergrande.

Persons: —, it's, Hengda, Hui Ka Yan, Xu Jiayin Organizations: Service, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Business Locations: Beijing, China —

☆ China Evergrande's flagship unit, founder punished for securities fraud
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Evergrande Group headquarters building in Shenzhen is pictured on January 11, 2022 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. China Evergrande Group founder Hui Ka Yan will be barred from the securities market for life and fined 47 million yuan ($6.53 million) after the regulator accused the group's flagship unit of inflating results, securities fraud and failing to make timely disclosures. China Evergrande Group founder Hui Ka Yan will be barred from the securities market for life and fined 47 million yuan ($6.53 million) after the regulator accused the group's flagship unit of inflating results, securities fraud and failing to make timely disclosures. It comes days after the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, vowed to crack down on securities fraud, and protect small investors with "teeth and horns". Last September, Evergrande said its founder was being investigated over suspected crimes.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande Organizations: Group, China Evergrande Group, Evergrande, Hong Kong High Court, China Securities Regulatory Commission Locations: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China, China

☆ China Evergrande Founder Accused of Exaggerating Revenue by $78 Billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Alexandra Stevenson | More About Alexandra Stevenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China Evergrande Group exaggerated its revenue by more than $78 billion and committed securities fraud over two years before its spectacular collapse in 2021, a top Chinese regulator said. The China Securities Regulatory Commission accused Hui Ka Yan, the founder of Evergrande, of “making decisions and organizing fraud,” the company reported in a filing to the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges on Monday night. Xia Haijun, a former chief executive, was fined $2 million and also banned from financial markets, along with several other executives. The New York Times reported in December that questionable accounting and poor oversight led to Evergrande’s demise. Over the years before it defaulted on its debt, Evergrande had been treating money it received for apartments as revenue even though at times it had not built those apartments, the Times reported.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Xia Haijun, Evergrande Organizations: China, Group, China Securities Regulatory Commission, New York Times, Times Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Evergrande: China accuses troubled property developer of committing financial fraud in $78 billon case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese regulators have accused Evergrande and its founder of inflating revenues by $78 billion, putting the insolvent property developer at the heart of the country’s biggest ever financial fraud case. Xu Jiayin, founder and chairman of the Evergrande Group, was fined 47 million yuan ($6.5 million) for the overstatement and other alleged violations. The regulator said Hengda had fabricated 214 billion yuan ($30 billion) in sales for 2019, which accounted for half of that year’s revenue. Another 350 billion yuan ($48.6 billion) in sales for 2020, accounting for 78% of revenue, were also falsified. “Xu Jiayin had made decisions, organized, and implemented the financial fraud … Xia Haijun had organized, arranged and prepared the falsified financial reports… their means were really bad and the circumstances were grave,” the regulator said.

Persons: Evergrande, Xu Jiayin, ”, Hengda, Xu, Xia Haijun, “ Xu Jiayin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Evergrande Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ China's property crisis could get even uglier. This time, a state-backed developer is the one raising concerns.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

China's years-long property crisis could get worse. There are concerns over Vanke amid reports the state-backed property developer was seeking debt maturity extensions. AdvertisementChina's years-long real-estate debt crisis has already taken down property giant Evergrande, which is undergoing liquidation. But China's property crisis could still get worse. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, that's, Charlene Chu Organizations: Service, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Business Locations: China

☆ Vanke: China scrambles to prevent another big property developer going bust
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Vanke’s stock soared in Hong Kong and Shenzhen following the reports of potential new financing. On Monday, Moody’s cut Vanke’s rating to Ba1, which is often referred to as a junk rating. Residential buildings being built by Vanke in Nanjing STR/AFP/Getty ImagesFounded in 1984 in Shenzhen, Vanke is a flagship company in China’s property sector. It was the first listed property company in mainland China, boasting a high-profile IPO in 1991 on the still-nascent Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In 2023, property sales dropped 6.5% from 2022.

Persons: Moody’s, China Vanke, Vanke, Kaven Tsang, Fitch, Wang Shi, Donald Trump, Refinitiv Eikon, Vanke’s, it’s, —, Ni, ”, ” Nomura Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Economic Observer, CNN, Getty, Time, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Metro, National People’s Congress Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Evergrande, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Vanke

☆ China's housing minister says real estate developers must go bankrupt if necessary
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — China's struggling real estate developers won't be getting a major bailout, Chinese authorities have indicated, warning that those who "harm the interests of the masses" will be punished. "For real estate companies that are seriously insolvent and have lost the ability to operate, those that must go bankrupt should go bankrupt, or be restructured, in accordance with the law and market principles," Ni Hong, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said at a press conference Saturday. "Those who commit acts that harm the interests of the masses will be resolutely investigated and punished in accordance with the law," he said. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks published in an official transcript of the press conference, held alongside China's annual parliamentary meetings. Ni's comments come as major real estate developers from Evergrande to Country Garden have defaulted on their debt, while plunging new home sales have put future business into question.

Persons: China's Organizations: BEIJING, Hong, Housing, CNBC Locations: Evergrande

☆ Beijing says property developers in deep trouble must go bankrupt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's housing minister, Ni Hong, said real-estate developers in serious trouble should be bankrupted and restructured. Analysts suggest Beijing's priority is to ensure delivery of property projects, not to save developers. AdvertisementChina's housing minister said Beijing will not be bailing out the country's distressed property developers. China's real-estate debt crisis has already taken down property giant Evergrande, which is currently undergoing liquidation. "We view the tone on the property sector set at the 'Two Sessions' as negative," they added, referring to China's parliamentary sessions.

Persons: Ni Hong, —, Xi, Li Qiang's, Ni, Jizhou Dong, Riley Jin Organizations: Service, Authorities, Nomura Locations: China, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Evergrande chairman's second seized Hong Kong mansion put up for sale
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

China Evergrande Center sign seen on the front of their building. A second mansion in Hong Kong that once belonged to China Evergrande Group's chairman has been put up for sale by its receivers, according to property agent Savills. A second mansion in Hong Kong that once belonged to China Evergrande Group's chairman has been put up for sale by its receivers, according to property agent Savills. Evergrande, the world's most indebted property developer which defaulted its offshore debt in late 2021, was liquidated by a Hong Kong court in January. Hui owned three mansions in the same residential development on the Peak in Hong Kong.

Persons: China Evergrande, Savills, Hui Ka Yan, Hui Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Deutsche Bank to file liquidation suit against Chinese developer Shimao, Reuters reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Deutsche Bank is preparing a liquidation lawsuit in Hong Kong against Chinese developer Shimao Group, two sources said, in a rare move by a foreign firm that comes amid rising credit defaults and China's deepening property sector crisis. Deutsche Bank is preparing a liquidation lawsuit in Hong Kong against Chinese developer Shimao Group, two sources said, in a rare move by a foreign firm that comes amid rising credit defaults and China's deepening property sector crisis. After that missed payment, its entire $11.7 billion worth of offshore debt is deemed to be in default. Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Reuters could not determine the amount of exposure Deutsche Bank had to the developer.

Persons: Shimao Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Shimao, China Evergrande Group Locations: Hong Kong, Shanghai, China

☆ How China's property bubble burst
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Gaelle Legrand | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Since China's economic liberalization in the 1970s and housing reforms in the late 1980s, locals have flocked to properties as the investment vehicle of choice over alternatives such as the stock market. The property and construction boom helped fuel China's – and the world's – economic growth for 30 years. By some estimates, property in China was worth $60 trillion at its peak, making it the biggest asset class in the world. But the country's property crisis has deeper roots than speculation and uncontrollable debt. Watch the video to find out how China's property bubble burst.

Persons: wasn't Locations: China, Beijing

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