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☆ CNBC Daily Open: Better to stay prudent than bask in the postelection afterglow
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Separately, the estate of crypto exchange FTX sued Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, over a "fraudulent" share deal. Some think the rally is getting ahead of itself, writes CNBC Pro's Fred Imbert. A Wall Street analyst pointed out that, according to history, one ostensibly bullish sign actually portends retreats in the near term.

Persons: FTX, Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Donald Trump, Jeremy Siegel, Siegel, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Dow Jones, NatWest, Metrics, Trust, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Trump, U.S

☆ The economic data this week were all surprising to the upside, says NatWest's Michelle Girard
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | 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 EmailThe economic data this week were all surprising to the upside, says NatWest's Michelle GirardMichelle Girard, NatWest head of U.S. coverage and CEO of NatWest Markets Securities, joins 'Squawk Box' to preview the October jobs report, state of the economy, impact of the 2024 election, and more.

Persons: NatWest's Michelle Girard Michelle Girard Organizations: NatWest, NatWest Markets Securities

☆ Jack Dorsey's payments company Block expands corporate card service to the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Block, the payments company owned by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey has launched its corporate card service in the U.K. in a bid to deepen its expansion into the country and take on big incumbents like American Express . In the U.K., Square Card will come up against local banking giants like Lloyds and NatWest . Hussain-Letch highlighted The Vinyl Guys as an example of an early adopter of its corporate card offering. The vehicle branding and signage printing shop based in Stafford used the corporate card as part of a testing phase with domestic U.K. customers. Once an employee is onboarded onto the Square Card program, they can begin using within their own digital wallet apps.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Samina Hussain, Hussain, Letch, We've, Rachel Reeves, Reeves Organizations: American Express, CNBC, Citigroup, U.K, Lloyds, NatWest, Entrepreneurs, Tax Locations: Britain, North America, U.S, Canada, Stafford

☆ Dutch government to reduce its stake in ABN Amro by a quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( April Roach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Dutch government on Tuesday said it will reduce its stake in lender ABN Amro by a quarter to 30% through a trading plan. Shares of the Dutch bank traded 1.2% lower at the market open and was last down 0.6% as of 9:15 a.m. London time. The Dutch government, which currently holds a 40.5% interest in ABN Amro, announced via its investment vehicle firm NLFI that it will sell shares using a pre-arranged trading plan set to be executed by Barclays Bank Ireland. ABN Amro was bailed out by the state during the 2008 financial crisis and later privatized in 2015. The U.K. and German administrations have both made moves this year to reduce their respective shareholdings in NatWest and Commerzbank.

Persons: UniCredit, Commerzbank Organizations: ABN Amro, Barclays Bank Ireland, NatWest, Commerzbank Locations: London, Europe

☆ Girard: The Fed focuses on core CPI, excluding food and energy prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | 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 EmailGirard: The Fed focuses on core CPI, excluding food and energy pricesMichelle Girard, Head of NatWest Markets, highlights the importance of core CPI for the Federal Reserve in assessing inflation trends.

Persons: Michelle Girard , Organizations: Girard, Michelle Girard , Head, NatWest Markets, Federal Reserve

☆ Tensions rise between banks and tech companies over online fraud liability in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Meta is facing calls from U.K. banks and payment firms like Revolut to financially compensate people who fall for scams on their services. Proposals to make tech firms liableTensions have been running high between banks and tech companies for some time. A key ask has been for the tech firms to share more detailed intelligence on how criminals are abusing their platforms. Social media firms not doing enough to combat and remove attempts to defraud internet users was another complaint from regulatory authorities at the event. Jones added that it was tough to "break the inertia" at tech companies to "really get them to get after it."

Persons: Jaap Arriens, it's, Meta, Woody Malouf, Matt Akroyd, Kate Fitzgerald, Rob Jones, Jones Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, Systems, PSR, Payments Association, Facebook, NatWest, Metro Bank, Financial Times, Labour Party, CNBC, Stewarts, Social, Economic Crime, U.K, National Crime Agency, Tech, Meta, Intelligence Locations: London

☆ Countdown to September jobs report: Here's what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | 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 EmailCountdown to September jobs report: Here's what to expectMichelle Girard, NatWest head of U.S. coverage and CEO of NatWest Markets Securities, joins 'Squawk Box' to preview the September jobs report, state of the economy, latest market trends, and more.

Persons: Michelle Girard Organizations: NatWest, NatWest Markets Securities

☆ Meta found a new way to crack down on scam accounts, and it seems to be working
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta is partnering with banks to identify scam accounts. Meta says the collaboration led to the removal of 20,000 scam accounts in the UK alone. So Meta launched a new program that allows banks to "share intelligence" directly with the social media conglomerate to more efficiently combat scams. Meta said in a statement that, based on data shared by the two banks, it has already removed 20,000 accounts it believes were run by scammers. In just the first six months, the program blocked 8,000 different pages and 9,000 celebrity scams, Meta told the outlet.

Persons: Meta, —, David Lindberg, Andrew Forrest Organizations: Meta, Service, Facebook, Intelligence, Wednesday, NatWest, Metro Bank, scammers, Guardian, Retail Banking, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Business Locations: Australia, cryptocurrency

☆ Digital bank Revolut slams Meta over approach to scams, says tech giant should compensate victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

British financial technology firm Revolut on Thursday criticized Facebook parent company Meta over its approach to tackling fraud, saying the U.S. tech giant should directly compensate people who fall victim to scams via its social media platforms. In a statement, Woody Malouf, Revolut's head of financial crime, said that Meta's plans to tackle financial fraud on its platforms amount to "baby steps, when what the industry really needs is giant leaps forward." "These platforms share no responsibility in reimbursing victims, and so they have no incentive to do anything about it. Britain's Payments System Regulator had previously recommended a £415,000 maximum compensation amount for fraud victims, but backed down following backlash from banks and payment firms. The fintech firm published a report Thursday alleging that 62% of user-reported fraud on its online banking platform originated from Meta, down from 64% last year.

Persons: Revolut, Woody Malouf, Malouf, Meta, Revolut's Malouf, WhatsApp Organizations: Facebook, Meta, NatWest, Metro Bank, CNBC, Regulator, Consumer Security Locations: U.S, Meta

☆ Facebook owner Meta forms data-sharing pact with UK banks to counter scams
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Facebook parent company Meta on Wednesday said that it's working with two leading banks in the U.K. on an information-sharing arrangement to help protect consumers from fraud. Meta said that the tech has already been tested with multiple lenders in the U.K. "We will only beat these criminals if we work together and share relevant information related to scams. Meta has long faced calls from banks in the U.K. to do more to stop scammers from running rampant on its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta already has policies in place banning promotion of financial fraud, such as loan scams and schemes promising high rates of returns.

Persons: Meta, scammers, Nathaniel Gleicher, Gleicher, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Facebook, Meta, Intelligence, Exchange, NatWest, Metro Bank . NatWest, Metro Bank, scammers Locations: British

☆ UK finance chief says public finances show $28 billion spending hole, cuts road and rail projects
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has pledged to make the "necessary", "urgent" and "incredibly tough" choices to restore the country's economic stability. Britain's Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Monday announced a raft of project cuts after detailing how the newly elected Labour government has inherited a projected overspend of £22 billion ($28.2 billion) from the center-right Conservatives. The finance minister also said she had canceled plans to sell NatWest shares to the public, saying the proposal put forward by her predecessor Jeremy Hunt did not "represent value for money." Britain's finance chief has previously ruled out increases to income tax, national insurance, VAT or corporation tax — the main sources of government revenues. However, Reeves must orchestrate a delicate balance act given the pledges from her party to also boost national investment and public sector pay.

Persons: Rachel Reeves, Reeves, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt Organizations: Britain's, Monday, Labour, Railways Fund, Conservative, NatWest

☆ NatWest to buy Metro Bank mortgage portfolio after 16% profit fall
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of NatWest, a retail unit of RBS, outside a bank branch in London, U.K., on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. NatWest's first-half pretax operating profit fell by a less than expected 16% to 3 billion pounds ($3.86 billion), it said on Friday, with margins hit by mortgage market competition and savers shifting deposits to higher-paying products. The British bank also said it would buy a portfolio of prime residential mortgages from Metro Bank for 2.4 billion pounds as it looks to build up its retail banking business. Income for the year is expected to reach about 14 billion pounds, up from an earlier forecast of between 13 billion and 13.5 billion pounds. The results followed a similar update from rival Lloyds Banking Group on Thursday, which reported a 14% fall in first-half profit but offered signs of optimism for the economic outlook in the second half.

Persons: NatWest's, Paul Thwaite Organizations: NatWest, RBS, Metro Bank, Lloyds Banking Group Locations: London

☆ The Fed can't wait for inflation to get to 2% to start cutting, says NatWest's Michelle Girard
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | 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 EmailThe Fed can't wait for inflation to get to 2% to start cutting, says NatWest's Michelle GirardMichelle Girard, NatWest head of U.S. coverage and CEO of NatWest Markets, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest market trends, what to expect from this morning's June CPI report, the Fed's rate path outlook, and more.

Persons: NatWest's Michelle Girard Michelle Girard Organizations: NatWest, NatWest Markets

☆ US judge’s financial conflict leads to revived lawsuit against big banks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A US appeals court threw out the dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit accusing 10 large banks of overcharging investors on corporate bonds, saying the trial judge should have been recused because his wife owned stock in one of the banks. Liman, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, was assigned the lawsuit in April 2020 and dismissed it with prejudice in October 2021, three months after his wife sold $15,000 of Bank of America stock. The banks said Liman’s failure to uncover his conflict didn’t require recusal or reviving the case. But the appeals court found a “legitimate risk” that similar violations could undermine public confidence in the judicial process. US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts highlighted in his 2021 annual report on the judiciary a need for judges to be vigilant about financial conflicts.

Persons: Judge Lewis Liman “, ”, Liman, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Wells, Donald Trump, Valerie Caproni, John Roberts, George Zelcs, Judge Caproni Organizations: US, Bank of America, Street Journal, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, NatWest, ” Bank of America Locations: Manhattan, overcharging

☆ NatWest swoops on retailer Sainsbury's banking business
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The disposal by Sainsbury's mirrors this year's deal by rival supermarket chain Tesco to offload most of its banking activities to Barclays for 600 million pounds. The assets acquired include 1.4 billion pounds in unsecured personal loans, 1.1 billion pounds in credit card balances and about 2.6 billion pounds of customer deposits. The deal is expected to close in March 2025 and NatWest will receive an additional 125 million pounds payment from Sainsbury's at completion. Argos Financial Services (AFS) is also excluded from the deal, the retailer said, adding that its plans for this business will be announced at a future date. Sainsbury's expects to return excess capital of at least 250 million pounds to investors after the disposal and its future model for AFS is in place.

Persons: Jose Sarmento Matos, Paul Thwaite, Thwaite, Sainsbury's, Simon Roberts Organizations: National Statistics, Bloomberg, Getty, NatWest, Sainsbury, NatWest Chief, Tesco, Barclays, Argos Financial Services Locations: London

☆ Britain cuts stake in NatWest via £1.24 billion share sale
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A NatWest Group Plc bank branch in the City of London, UK, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. The British government has sold 1.24 billion pounds ($1.58 billion) worth of shares in NatWest Group back to the lender, it said on Friday, decreasing its stake to about 22.5% from nearly 26% previously. The London-listed bank bought back 392.4 million shares from the government in an off-market purchase at 316.2 pence a share, as part of its existing contract with the state. The heavily anticipated stock sale is a key milestone in the bank's full privatization. The settlement of the off-market purchase will occur on June 4, the government said in a statement.

Organizations: NatWest Group, City of, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland Locations: City, City of London, London

☆ British neobank Monzo boosts funding round to $610 million to crack U.S. market, launch pensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

MonzoBritish neobank Monzo said Wednesday that it's raised another $190 million, lifting the total it's raised so far this year to $610 million. Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC also participated in Monzo's latest fundraise, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC. The total $610 million round marks the single-biggest funding round for a European fintech in the past year, according to Dealroom data. "What I like about how we're approaching this is, at the heart of it, it's not just words," Anil told CNBC in an exclusive interview Tuesday. European expansion is also on the cards, Anil said, although he didn't commit to a date for when this will happen.

Persons: Anil, Monzo, it's, GIC, we've, Monzo's, Revolut Organizations: CNBC, Hedosophia, Barclays, NatWest, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Citibank Locations: U.S, Berlin

☆ European markets set to open higher as positive momentum returns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets were poised to open higher Friday, regaining momentum after a dip in yesterday's session. The pan-European benchmark Stoxx 600 index ended Thursday's session lower as investors digested a slew of first-quarter earnings, as well as a potential mining takeover bid. Looking ahead, corporate releases on Friday come from L'Oreal, TotalEnergies and NatWest. Asia-Pacific markets were higher after the Bank of Japan kept its benchmark policy rate at 0%-0.1%, as expected. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures rose overnight as Big Tech names Alphabet and Microsoft saw shares rally on strong earnings.

Organizations: L'Oreal, TotalEnergies, NatWest, Bank of Japan, U.S, Big Tech, Microsoft Locations: Asia, Pacific

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's committed to cost cutting while investing in AI in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +41 min

This work diminished short-term revenue, but was best for customers, much appreciated, and should bode well for customers and AWS longer-term. We're also making progress on many of our newer business investments that have the potential to be important to customers and Amazon long-term. Being intentional about building primitives requires patience. Customers building their own FM must tackle several challenges in getting a model into production. Customers' AI models contain some of their most sensitive data.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, he's, we've, Martha Stewart, Clinique, we're, We've, bode, We're, I've, iterating, We'd, we'd, Fox, affordably, you've, They're, Anthropic, that's, Claude, Dana, debugs, Slack Organizations: Amazon, Services, AWS, Deal, Prime, MGM, Savings, Regions, Citadel, Target, Storage Service, Netflix, Disney, Max, Paramount, CIA, . Intelligence, Amazon Freight, Carrier, Amazon Shipping, Foods, Drones, Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon Clinic, Robotics, Nvidia, Ricoh, NatWest, FMs, Meta, Bridgewater Associates, Farber Cancer Institute, Delta Air Lines, Intuit, KT, Lonely, LexisNexis, Netsmart, Pfizer, PGA, Rocket Companies, Siemens, Media, Inc Locations: North America, U.S, Europe, India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Berlin, Hulu, Amdocs, Genomics England, GoDaddy, GenAI

☆ Dollar firms, yen skids as Fed cut wagers crumble
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are being shown in this picture illustration taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 15, 2023. Japan intervened in the currency market three times in 2022 as the yen slid toward what was then a 32-year low of 152 to the dollar. The Japanese central bank last month ended eight years of negative interest rates but yen has remained rooted near 151 per dollar levels since then. The euro was last at $1.0744, having dropped 1% on Wednesday ahead of the European Central Bank, or ECB, meeting later in the day. The Australian dollar was little changed at $0.651, while the New Zealand dollar eased 0.17% to $0.598.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kyle Rodda, Rodda, Kazuo Ueda, Kevin Cummins, Sterling Organizations: Fed, Reuters, Bank of, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, U.S, NatWest, Treasury, European Central Bank, ECB, New Zealand Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan, U.S

☆ Dollar steady, yen soft as BOJ policy shift beckons
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, a person is seen holding 100, 50, and 5 U.S. dollar bills in his hand. Tom Kenny, senior international economist at ANZ, said an end to negative interest rate policy is likely to reflect a 10-basis-point hike taking the current policy rate from -0.1% to 0.0%. "We expect this to be a dovish hike with the BOJ unlikely to signal its intention to hike again soon." The focus has shifted to whether the policymakers will make any changes to their projections of rate cuts, or dot plots for this year. The Fed in December projected 75 basis points, or three rate cuts, of easing in 2024.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Tom Kenny, Powell, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, ANZ, Beyond, Reuters, New Zealand, Bank of England, Fed, NatWest Locations: Japan, United States, England, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Asia, Beyond Japan, Australia's, U.S, cryptocurrencies

☆ The BT Tower, London’s futuristic landmark, to become hotel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Tourists who fancy getting a top-down view of London may soon be able to book themselves a room in the city’s famous BT Tower. Situated in Fitzrovia, central London, it was officially opened by the then-prime minister, Harold Wilson, the following year. An aerial view of the BT Tower Tim Motion/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty ImagesOriginally known as the Post Office Tower, the building was designed to relay microwave signals carrying telecommunications from London around the country. It remained London’s tallest building until 1980, when it was overtaken by the NatWest Tower in the financial district. It’s been a privilege to adapt the TWA Flight Center into new use for future generations, as it will be the BT Tower.”

Persons: Harold Wilson, Tim, Brent Mathews, “ It’s, Eero Saarinen’s, John F, Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Tyler Morse, Morse, It’s Organizations: London CNN — Tourists, BT, “, BT Group, British, Post, NatWest, MCR, TWA, Big Apple, Art Deco New Yorker, TWA Flight, Center Locations: London, Westminster, Fitzrovia, England, New, JFK

☆ European stocks set to extend gains; UK retail sales better than expected; NatWest posts profit beat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European stocks are set to open higher on Friday, coming off the back of two positive sessions that have taken it back toward its recent record highs. U.K. retail sales came in stronger than expected, in a much-needed glimmer of light for the economy which data Thursday showed has entered a technical recession. Sales rose by 3.4% month on month, according to the Office for National Statistics, higher than the 1.5% growth forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. The earnings flow slowed Friday, though bank NatWest posted a 20% increase in full-year pre-tax profit, ahead of expectations. In the U.S., stock futures were mixed after the S&P 500 closed at a record high.

Organizations: Office, National Statistics, NatWest, Nikkei Locations: Asia, Pacific, U.S

☆ NatWest profit jumps 20% as Thwaite confirmed as CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of NatWest, a retail unit of RBS, outside a bank branch in London, U.K., on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. British bank NatWest confirmed Paul Thwaite as its permanent chief executive on Friday and reported forecast-beating profit for 2023, as it gears up for a crunch sale of state-owned stock in the company after a scandal-hit year. The taxpayer-backed lender reported pre-tax profit of 6.2 billion pounds ($7.81 billion) for the 12-month period, up 20% on 5.1 billion pounds the prior year and ahead of a 5.95 billion pounds average of analyst forecasts compiled by the bank. NatWest also announced a final dividend of 11.5 pence per share and a share buyback of 300 million pounds. NatWest set aside 578 million pounds for potential soured loans, up from 337 million pounds the prior year - but the figure came in below analyst forecasts.

Persons: Paul Thwaite, Thwaite, Alison Rose, Nigel Farage, Rose, Peter Flavel Organizations: NatWest, RBS, Brexit Party Locations: London

☆ European markets mixed with earnings, U.S. inflation in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — European markets were a mixed bag on Tuesday morning, as investors assessed incoming corporate earnings reports and awaited a key U.S. inflation print. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index slipped 0.15% in early trade, with tech stocks shedding 1.3% to lead losses while mining stocks added 0.5%. Headline inflation is expected to come in at 0.2% month-on-month and 2.9% annually, according to economists polled by Dow Jones. The regional Stoxx index has recorded a muted February so far, following a strong end to January. This week will see reporting from several major European businesses, including Heineken, Airbus, Renault, NatWest and Commerzbank.

Persons: DAX, Dow Jones Organizations: LONDON, Japan's Nikkei, Dow Jones Industrial, Federal Reserve, Heineken, Airbus, Renault, NatWest, Commerzbank Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S, London, Europe

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