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☆ Hong Kong’s office landlords face a tough rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Thomas Shum | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Hong Kong offices are emptier than in other Asian financial centres. Singapore and Tokyo boast rates well under half of Hong Kong’s level, and figures there are either improving or roughly unchanged. Last year, mainland-based companies accounted for less than 6% of all leases in Hong Kong’s key Central business district, from nearly 30% in 2019. Hong Kong’s economy shrunk for three of the last four years, and its population is slimming too. However, the plan to reduce its office footprint may not apply to Hong Kong, a person familiar with the situation told Breakingviews.

☆ Australia plans to reform cyber security rules, set up agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Australia plans to overhaul its cyber security rules and set up an agency to oversee government investment in the field and help coordinate responses to hacker attacks, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told public radio on Monday. Current cyber security rules are not adequate to deal with attacks and cannot protect consumer data, O'Neil told ABC Radio, blaming the previous government for implementing them. She said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet industry leaders and cyber security experts on Monday, and that he has decided to appoint a cyber security coordinator tasked with ensuring government agencies work together during cyber incidents. The office of the cyber security coordinator will exist within the department of home affairs, she said. The government has published a discussion paper on a new cyber security strategy, which it aims to implement next year, and is seeking feedback on how businesses can improve their cyber security in partnership with the government.

☆ Publishing Magnate Si Newhouse’s Art Trove Could Sell for Near $150 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Kelly Crow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The estate of publishing magnate Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. took note last fall when collectors clamored after Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s $1.6 billion record-setting estate sale. Heartened by the art market’s resilience, the publisher’s family said Tuesday it plans to follow suit—auctioning off more of Mr. Newhouse’s own trove this spring. The move marks the third time the Newhouse estate has plied his pieces into sales since he died six years ago at age 89—a trickling strategy that contrasts with the theatrical, everything-must-go atmosphere conjured when Mr. Allen or the Rockefellers before him sold off vast art holdings all at once. The 16 latest works consigned to Christie’s for its coming New York sales in May represent a fraction of the art amassed over the decades by Condé Nast’s chairman emeritus, but the batch is estimated to top $144 million and will showcase his taste for a broad sweep of artists, including Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, Jasper Johns and Lee Bontecou.

☆ India, Singapore launch real-time link for cross-border payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - India and Singapore launched on Tuesday a real-time link to facilitate easier cross border money transfers between one of the world's biggest recipients of remittances and an Asian financial powerhouse. Transfers of funds will now be possible using just mobile phones due to the tie-up between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow facility. UPI is an instant real-time payments system, allowing users to transfer money across multiple banks without disclosing bank account details. To begin with, State Bank of India (SBI.NS), Indian Overseas Bank (IOBK.NS), Indian Bank (INBA.NS) and ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) will facilitate both inward and outward remittances while Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) and DBS India will facilitate inward remittances, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement. At the launch event, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that cross-border retail payments and remittances between India and Singapore currently amount to over $1 billion annually.

LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. partner of global cryptocurrency exchange Binance has confirmed that a trading firm managed by Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao operated as a market maker on its platform. It did not elaborate on when in 2021 the activity ceased, or comment on Zhao's role at the trading firm. Binance transferred over $400 million from the account at California-based Silvergate Bank to Merit Peak between January and March of 2021, Reuters reported on Thursday. Before that story's publication, Binance.US had told Reuters that "Merit Peak is neither trading nor providing any kind of services on the Binance.US platform," without giving further details. A spokesperson for the global Binance exchange, which did not respond to Reuters' questions for the story on Thursday, told crypto news outlet CoinDesk that the transfers were "a Binance.US issue."

☆ Ken Griffin's Citadel Securities reveals 5.5% stake in crypto bank Silvergate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 14 (Reuters) - Citadel Securities, the market maker that is owned by Citadel's Ken Griffin, on Tuesday reported a 5.5% stake in cryptocurrency-focused lender Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) worth about $25 million, according to a regulatory filing. The filing was a result of the firm's market making operations as opposed to a directional investment in Silvergate, according to a person familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors in Washington are probing Silvergate and its dealings with FTX and Alameda Research, a source familiar with the investigation has said. U.S. custodian bank State Street Corp (STT.N) reported a 9.32% passive stake in Silvergate earlier this month. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SINGAPORE, Feb 13 (Reuters) - DBS Group (DBSM.SI) has a tightly managed exposure to India's Adani group of companies, the chief executive of Southeast Asia's largest bank said on Monday. DBS was among a group of banks which provided finance to Adani's $10.5 billion acquisition of Holcim's (HOLN.S) cement business in India last year. "They're solid, cash-generating companies, so we're not concerned about the exposure," Chief Executive Piyush Gupta told reporters after DBS reported quarterly results. The cement industry has huge potential, given the growth in the market, Gupta said, "and so that exposure is quite tightly managed." New York-based short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the Adani Group in a Jan. 24 report of stock manipulation and improper use of offshore tax havens that it said obscured the extent of Adani family stock ownership in group firms.

☆ European militaries are emptying their arsenals to send heavy-duty howitzers to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US and European countries have sent scores of artillery pieces to Ukraine. Estonia has promised to transfer all 24 of its FH-70 towed 155 mm howitzers. But at least the US and large European militaries, like Britain, France, Germany, or even Sweden, have sufficiently large arsenals to send weapons to Ukraine while still retaining some equipment for their own forces. For example, the US is scrambling to boost production of 155 mm artillery shells as Ukraine fires up to 7,000 shells a day. But expanding manufacturing capacity for artillery shells may take years, while the artillery pieces themselves may not even be in production anymore.

☆ Singapore bank DBS Q4 profit soars 68%, flags robust outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Feb 13 (Reuters) - DBS Group (DBSM.SI) reported a higher-than-expected 68% rise in quarterly profit as rising interest rates boosted its net interest margins and Southeast Asia's largest bank by assets retained its full-year outlook for mid-single-digit loan growth. DBS, which earns most of its profit from Singapore and Hong Kong, announced a special dividend of 50 Singapore cents per share, citing its strong earnings and capital position. Singapore lenders were set to report their highest quarterly net interest margins in more than a decade on rising interest rates but as the cycle peaks and economic growth falters, profit growth will be curbed, analysts said. It reported a total net interest margin of 2.05% for the latest quarter, up from 1.43% in the same period a year earlier. ($1 = 1.3297 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Kim Coghill, Stephen Coates and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Singapore's DBS profit jumps two-thirds, CEO sees rate rises moderating
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DBS Chief Executive Piyush Gupta said in the bank's results statement that interest rate increases are likely to moderate, but he doesn't expect rate cuts this year. We expect confidence to return to markets in the coming year as interest rate increases ease and China reopens," Gupta said. DBS reported a total net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, of 2.05% for the latest quarter, up from 1.43% in the same period a year earlier. DBS' annual profit soared 20% to a record S$8.2 billion. Smaller peers OCBC (OCBC.SI) and UOB (OCBC.SI), which report results next week, are also expected to post a sharp rise in annual profits, but quarter-on-quarter earnings are seen as being flat to slightly lower.

☆ BTS agency HYBE seeks to take over K-pop rival SM Entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Heo Ran/File PhotoSEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South Korean entertainment company HYBE (352820.KS) said on Friday it will buy shares worth 423 billion won ($335 million) in rival SM Entertainment (041510.KQ), seeking management rights to strengthen its position in the K-pop industry. HYBE is the agency that manages K-pop mega band BTS. HYBE has also tendered an offer on Friday for SM shares held by minority shareholders, seeking to buy up to 25% of the rival agency with the intention of acquiring management rights. HYBE and SM Entertainment shares were up 6% and 16%, respectively, as of 11:05 a.m. (0205 GMT). Earlier this week, South Korean tech firm Kakao Corp (035720.KS) said it would acquire a 9.05% stake in SM Entertainment to pursue joint projects including global K-pop auditions.

☆ Investors turn picky in Asia after easy wins from China’s reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Herald van der Linde, HSBC's head of equity strategy for Asia Pacific, points out that travel and gaming stocks have already benefited. That has led investors to hunt for sectors and companies with depressed valuations outside China. Reuters GraphicsMSCI China Vs MSCI Asean vs MSCI Asia excluding JapanGLOBAL PUSH OR CHINA PULL? After a torrid 2022, investors have been betting that a swift recovery in China's economy will somewhat cushion the impact of a global slowdown and possible recession. "China and its reopening trade, on the other hand, are in early stages and may be the additional tailwind for Asian equities later this year."

☆ Gautam Adani’s woes were in banks' plain sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

MUMBAI, Feb 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Gautam Adani’s recent woes have vindicated persistent doubts in India about the tycoon’s rise. The Indian group dismisses those claims as a “malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations”. By contrast, other big Indian groups like Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (DBKGn.DE) and those carrying the Tata name are more popular with institutional investors. Fee-hungry international banks were much less picky. Deutsche, Barclays and StanChart pocketed $57 million of the $260 million of investment banking revenue generated by the Adani group since Dealogic records began.

☆ U.S. prosecutors probe Silvergate's dealings with FTX, Alameda - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors in the Justice Department's fraud unit are looking into Silvergate Capital Corp's (SI.N) dealings with bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and Alameda Research, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The criminal investigation is examining Silvergate's hosting of accounts tied to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's businesses, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The Department of Justice and Silvergate Capital did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Earlier this week, a group of bipartisan U.S. senators sent a letter to Silvergate asking for details of its risk management practices and its dealings with FTX. Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ State Street reports 9.32% stake in embattled crypto bank Silvergate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. custodian bank State Street Corp (STT.N) on Thursday reported a 9.32% passive stake in cryptocurrency-focused lender Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) as of Dec. 31, according to a regulatory filing. The disclosure comes as Silvergate seeks to ease investor concerns over its future, after reporting a $1 billion loss for the fourth quarter because FTX's bankruptcy shook confidence in the crypto sector. Earlier this week, a group of bipartisan U.S. senators sent a letter to Silvergate asking for details on its dealings with FTX and affiliate Alameda. Passive shareholders do not seek to influence a company's management or its course of business. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. "If Taiwan falls into the sphere of influence of CCP, then the beacon of democracy will be destroyed. Speaking through a translator, You said about 50% of global shipping used the Taiwan Strait between the island and China, "so it has very important economic significance for the global trade." "And ... Taiwan has produced the best semiconductor chips and will be very important for global trade as well," he said. "So if Taiwan cannot be safeguarded very carefully, it will be very dangerous to global trade as well as global peace."

☆ Silvergate pressed by senators after 'evasive' responses on FTX - Bloomberg Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. senators have asked cryptocurrency-focused bank Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) if it knew about bankrupt exchange FTX's alleged misuse of customer funds after the lawmakers found the company's earlier responses "evasive", Bloomberg Law reported on Tuesday. The questions were asked in a letter sent to the bank by senators including Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republicans Roger Marshall and John Kennedy, who questioned Silvergate about its ties to FTX, the report said. They said Silvergate in December had declined to fully answer related questions, citing restrictions on disclosing "confidential supervisory information", the report added. Earlier this month, Silvergate slashed its headcount by 40% and reported a net loss of $1 billion for the fourth quarter. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Everything coming to — and leaving — Netflix next month, from 'You' season 4 to new episodes of 'Outer Banks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix just released the list of TV shows and movies that are coming to and leaving the site next month. New seasons of "You" and "Outer Banks" will be added, as will all three "Lord of the Rings" movies. But some titles, including "Scream 4" and "Shutter Island," will be removed in February. NetflixAvailable 2/10/23"10 Days of a Good Man" — Netflix Film"Love is Blind: After the Altar Season 3" — Netflix Series"Love to Hate You" — Netflix Series"Your Place or Mine" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/13/23"Squared Love All Over Again" — Netflix Film"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/14/23"All the Places" — Netflix Film"A Sunday Affair" — Netflix Film"In Love All Over Again" — Netflix Series"Jim Jefferies: High n' Dry" — Netflix Comedy"Pasión de Gavilanes: Seasons 1-2""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series"Re/Member" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/15/23"#NoFilter" — Netflix Series"African Queens: Njinga" — Netflix Documentary"CoComelon: Season 7""Eva Lasting" — Netflix Series"Full Swing" — Netflix Documentary"The Law According to Lidia Poët" — Netflix Series"Red Rose" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/16/23"47 Meters Down: Uncaged""Ouija""The Upshaws: Part 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/17/23"A Girl and an Astronaut" — Netflix Series"Community Squad" — Netflix Series"Ganglands: Season 2" — Netflix Series"Unlocked" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/19/23"Whindersson Nunes: Preaching to the Choir" — Netflix ComedyAvailable 2/20/23"Operation Finale""VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/21/23"Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)Available 2/22/23"Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" — Netflix Documentary"The Strays" — Netflix Film"Triptych" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/23/23"Call Me Chihiro" — Netflix Film"Outer Banks: Season 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/24/23"Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 5" — Netflix Documentary"Oddballs: Season 2" — Netflix Family"Married at First Sight: Season 12""Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series: Part 2" — Netflix Family"The Real World: Season 12""We Have a Ghost" — Netflix Film"Who Were We Running From?" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/27/23"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/28/23"A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou" — Netflix Comedy"American Pickers: Season 15""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)"Too Hot to Handle: Germany" — Netflix SeriesEmma Roberts in "Scream 4."

☆ Tata's Air India to seal half of jumbo plane order - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Air India did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported last month Air India was closing in on a deal for about 500 jets. The aim is to corner 30% of the domestic air travel market over the next five years thus narrowing the gap with market leader IndiGo. Tata's four airlines, including two budget carriers, Air India and Vistara its joint venture with Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), have a combined market share of 24%. Analysts have said Air India has the ability to claw back some passengers from rival Gulf carriers but not before it matches their quality of fleet and service.

☆ Amazon creates bazaar for U.S. banking wannabes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The e-commerce goliath recently added to its growing pile of debt with an $8 billion loan. After first tapping the market’s biggest bookrunners, Amazon enlisted Canada’s TD Securities to shop the lesser-traveled byways around Wall Street for the follow-up deal. It’s easy to understand why the wannabes would jump at the chance to work with Amazon. Others such as BBVA, which offloaded its American subsidiary but kept its broker-dealer business, are keen to expand in U.S. investment banking. For Amazon, spreading the wealth is a chance to trial new banking relationships before potentially hiring them for more complicated matters.

☆ FuboTV insiders describe how its 'doomed' sportsbook collapsed in a year — and what it means for the future of the streaming company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Colin Salao | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

But despite the MetLife lounge remaining open throughout the 2021-22 NFL season, the Fubo Sportsbook wouldn't launch in New Jersey until the following one, in September 2022. "It was doomed from the start," one former Fubo Gaming staffer told Insider. Meanwhile, Rattner — whom the first former Fubo gaming staffer described as a "good talker" — sustained the startup's more youthful culture. The Fubo Sportsbook launched in New Jersey on September 7, days before the first Jets home game. A promotional image from when the Fubo Sportsbook went live in New Jersey in September 2022.

☆ Silvergate Capital reports net loss of $1 billion for the fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) reported a net loss of $1 billion in the fourth quarter, after reporting earlier this month that investors spooked by the collapse of crypto exchange FTX pulled out more than $8 billion in deposits in the last three months of 2022. The company sold $5.2 billion of debt securities at a loss of $718 million in the fourth quarter to maintain liquidity. The bank said it would take an impairment charge of $196 million in the fourth quarter on assets purchased for the payment solution venture. Founded in 1988, Silvergate ventured into crypto in 2013. Company filings show that the bank received $4.3 billion in advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco in the fourth quarter.

☆ Investing Club: The week in review, the week ahead — Jan. 14, 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Also, earnings season is just kicking off, when we'll learn much more about what companies are seeing on the ground. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. People shop at the Pioneer Supermarkets on January 12, 2023 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City.

☆ Volkswagen announces changes to Mexico, Canada supervisory boards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Volkswagen AG FollowFRANKFURT, Jan 12 (Reuters) - German car company Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) announced on Thursday promotions in its North American operations, CFO and COO Arno Antlitz posted on LinkedIn. Volkswagen of America President and CEO Pablo Di Si will take on the role of chairman of the company's Mexican supervisory board, and Andrew Savvas, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Volkswagen of America, will become chairman of its Canadian supervisory board. Both appointments take effect immediately, in a region Antlitz describes as "a cornerstone of the group's strategy." Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr, editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Olam’s Saudi-Singapore IPO sign of shifting times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Signs of deepening ties between Asia and the oil-rich Gulf are coming thick and fast. A planned Saudi Arabia-Singapore dual listing this year for Olam Agri, a trader of grains and seeds, is the latest example. Corporate and financial moves underscore how the global pin-code, as Olam’s co-founder and Chief Executive Sunny Verghese puts it, is changing. Between population trends, the Russia-Ukraine war and polarising geopolitics, expect the Gulf and Asia to get cosier. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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