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☆ TenneT lines up 8 bln-euro credit ahead of German operations sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, June 14 (Reuters) - Electric grid operator TenneT Holding (IPO-TTH.AS) said on Wednesday it has signed an 8 billion euro ($8.63 billion) credit facility to support its spending plans as it awaits a deal to sell its German operations to the German state. Governments of the two countries have said they hope to agree a deal on the sale of TenneT Germany this summer and close a deal by the end of 2023, though talks have been going slowly. TenneT, which had a debt-heavy balance sheet of 38.5 billion euros at the end of 2022, in March estimated equity needs at its German arm of 15 billion euros and of 10 billion euros at its Dutch arm. TenneT said the 2.5-year facility is provided by BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO, BNG, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank, Santander, SMBC Nikko, and UniCredit. ($1 = 0.9271 euros)($1 = 0.9268 euros)Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Louise Heavens and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: TenneT, Toby Sterling, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: TenneT, BNP, ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank, Santander, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Dutch, Germany, Netherlands, BNG, Nikko

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Major banks and fintech companies claim to be piling into generative artificial intelligence as the hype surrounding the buzzy technology shows no signs of fizzling out — but there are lingering fears about potential pitfalls and risks. Chalapathy Neti, head of AI at global bank messaging network Swift, described the progress made with ChatGPT and GPT-4 as "mind-boggling." The Netherlands' ABN Amro is one banking giant that's piloting the use of generative AI in its processes. It's also using it to help its employees gather data on customers to assist with answering queries and avoid repetitive questions. Indeed, the banks appeared unanimous in their hesitation to roll out ChatGPT-like tools to customer-facing scenarios.

Persons: Vreugdenhil, It's, Mariana Gomez de Organizations: ABN Amro, ABN, Mariana Gomez de la Villa, ING Bank Locations: Warsaw, Poland, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Amsterdam

☆ How to thrive in a new era of AI with trust and confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Ibm With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But success in applying AI, whether based on the most advanced machine learning (ML) or the latest generative AI leveraging foundation models, is not just measured in speed. Whether based on ML or foundation models, the more customized your AI models are to those priorities, the better you will be able to serve your customers and deliver real business value. A hybrid cloud architecture provides the data foundation for extending AI deep into the business. If the models contain bias, or if AI models are misleading, "hallucinate," or are not explainable, the risk and cost of reputational damage and regulatory fines could be high. Three opportunities to put AI into actionHere are the best opportunities to derive benefit from AI in your business today:1.

Persons: IBM Watson, Carhartt, Let's Organizations: IBM Consulting, IBM, Dutch Bank ABN AMRO, IT, Insider Studios

☆ ABN Amro Q1 net profit jumps 77% on higher rates and lower costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, May 10 (Reuters) - Dutch bank ABN Amro (ABNd.AS) on Wednesday beat analyst expectations with a 77% jump in first-quarter net profit to 523 million euros ($576 million), helped by rising interest rates and lower costs. Analysts in a company-compiled poll on average had predicted a net profit of 370 million euros for the first three months of 2023, up from 295 million euros a year before. Improving deposit margins drove net interest income up 24% to 1.6 billion euros, while impairments for bad loans fell to 14 million euros as economic growth in the Netherlands remained strong despite surging inflation. The lender was re-privatised in 2015, following a bailout during the 2008 financial crisis, but the Dutch state has held a majority stake since then. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ferrovial shareholders vote on Dutch move in possible prelude to U.S. listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Corina Pons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MADRID, April 13 (Reuters) - Ferrovial (FER.MC) shareholders vote on Thursday on a plan to move the Spanish construction group's holding company to the Netherlands, paving the way to a listing in the U.S. and potentially access to subsidies available there. The government fears more companies could follow suit and argues that a full U.S. listing is perfectly possible for a Spain-based company, although there are no such precedents. The move must be approved by a majority of shareholders to go ahead in a meeting that starts at midday (1000 GMT). Several investment funds have said they will vote in favour and two independent proxy advisers recommended backing the move. Ferrovial also wants to approach institutional funds in the U.S. willing to buy stakes if it gets a listing there.

☆ Check out the 9-slide pitch deck Quantexa, a data intelligence startup, used to raise $129 million at a $1.8 billion valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Quantexa, a data intelligence startup, has become a unicorn following its latest funding round. The London-based company has raised $129 million in a round led by GIC. The startup positions itself as a "decision-making" platform that provides companies with the best data available to help reduce costs and optimize growth. The new investment values the business at $1.9 billion, bringing Quantexa's total funds raised to $370 million. The company had seen a lot of inbound interest from investors leading into this funding round, Marria added.

☆ Dutch online bank Bunq applies for U.S. banking licence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, April 4 (Reuters) - Bunq BV, a prominent European online banking start-up, formally filed for a banking licence with U.S. regulators on Tuesday, the company's CEO told Reuters in an interview. Bunq raised $228 million at a $1.9 billion valuation in 2021. Bunq, which competes with Britain's Revolut and Germany's N26, said that as of March 14, it had deposits of around 2.3 billion euros, up 27% from 1.8 billion euros at the end of 2023. Bunq offers savers in its native Netherlands 1.56% interest on deposits, a percentage point above rates offered by the three big banks that dominate Dutch banking, ING, ABN Amro and Rabobank. Bunq makes some mortgage loans but keeps more than half of its reserves at the European Central Bank's deposit facility, which Niknam said should reassure depositors.

☆ Analysis: Market turmoil is doing central bankers' jobs for them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde reckons market turmoil may do some of the ECB's tightening for it if it dampens demand and inflation. Financial conditions reflect the availability of funding in an economy, so they dictate spending, saving and investment plans of businesses and households. Central banks have been trying to tighten them by raising rates to slow rising prices. Signs of tightening financial conditions were plentiful. "Central banks no longer have a good idea about the true tightness of monetary policy," he said.

☆ UBS could see big gains after forced Credit Suisse merger. Big U.S. banks may also be winners, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

UBS ' acquisition of Credit Suisse could lead to big gains for the Swiss bank. UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs, or around $3.2 billion, in a forced deal announced Sunday. As part of the deal, Credit Suisse shareholders receive 1 UBS share for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares they hold. But Barclays analyst Amit Goel wasn't so sure, cutting his view on European banks to neutral from positive on Monday. Wells Fargo's Mike Mayo, meanwhile, sees opportunity for U.S. banks coming out of the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse.

☆ Instant View: Banking stocks tank again as Credit Suisse woes rock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: A Credit Suisse logo is pictured on a the roof of a branch in Geneva, Switzerland, November 3, 2022. European banks shares slid over 6%, European stocks were down more 3% and U.S. stock futures pointed to a weak start for Wall Street shares. MARKET REACTION:STOCKS: Credit Suisse share trading was halted after heavy losses, last down over 20%, ING Group, ABN AMRO were4 down over 6%. “But in general, the balance sheet is in a much better position, with the European banks all highly regulated. So, it is important that the European regulator make clear that the underlying systemic risk, not only for deposits, but in the overall European banking market, is rather low.”

☆ Saipem shares drop, group says cannot explain why
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Saipem (SPMI.MI) does not have any information explaining Monday's share movements, a spokesman for the Italian energy contractor said, after the stock closed down 5.7%. More than 10% of the share capital of the group was traded on the Milan stock exchange, according to Refinitiv data. In July a pool of lender bought Saipem's shares worth almost 600 million euros after a cash call fell short of the 2 billion euro target. BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit were the joint global coordinators of the Saipem issue. Reporting by Francesca Landini and Giancarlo Navach, editing by Gianluca Semeraro and Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ABN Amro announces 500 mln euro share buyback as Q4 profit beats forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Net profit of the largely state-owned bank dropped to 354 million euros in the last three months of 2022, down from 552 million euros the year before - but much better than the 105 million euros analysts on average had predicted in a company-compiled poll. Impairments were 74% lower than a year before at 32 million euros as economic growth in Europe held stronger than expected despite surging inflation. Since its bailout by the Dutch state in 2008, ABN has refocused its operations and orientation on the Dutch market, cutting thousands of jobs in the process. One of three dominant banks in the Netherlands, it was re-privatized in 2015, but the Dutch state still owns 56% of the shares and has sold none since September 2017. The state will participate in the share buyback, which has been approved by the European Central Bank and will maintain its relative stake, ABN said.

☆ ION starts to bring clients back online after ransomware attack - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - ION, the financial trading services group hit by a ransomware attack last week, started to bring clients back on to its cleared derivatives platform overnight, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. Among the many ION clients whose operations were likely to have been affected by the attack and ensuing disruption were ABN Amro Clearing (ABNd.AS) and Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI), Italy's biggest bank, according to messages to clients from both banks that were seen by Reuters last week. The hackers who claimed responsibility for the breach at ION said last week a ransom had been paid, declining to say how much it was, or offer any evidence that the money had been handed over. ION declined to comment on whether the ransom had been paid. Reporting by Harry Robertson; Editing by Amanda CooperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hackers who breached ION say ransom paid; company declines comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Raphael Satter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The hackers who claimed responsibility for the disruptive breach at financial data firm ION say a ransom has been paid, although they declined to say how much it was or offer any evidence that the money had been handed over. Britain's National Cyber Security Agency (NCSC), part of Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping intelligence agency, told Reuters it had no comment. ABN told clients on Wednesday that due to "technical disruption" from ION, some applications were unavailable and were expected to remain so for a "number of days." ION was removed from Lockbit's extortion website, where victim companies are named and shamed in a bid to force a payout. As of late Friday, Lockbit's extortion website alone counted 54 victims who were being shaken down, including a television station in California, a school in Brooklyn and a city in Michigan.

ION Group, the financial data firm's parent company, said in a statement on its website that the attack began on Tuesday. "The incident is contained to a specific environment, all the affected servers are disconnected, and remediation of services is ongoing," ION Group said, declining requests for further comment. ABN told clients on Wednesday that due to "technical disruption" from ION, some applications were unavailable and were expected to remain so for a "number of days". It added that its staff had to process trades directly with the exchange. Intesa Sanpaolo told clients that its brokerage and clearing operations on exchange-traded derivatives had been "severely hampered" by IT problems at ION and that it was not able to handle orders.

☆ Insurer ASR to consider sale of bank acquired in Aegon deal, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON/AMSTERDAM, Jan 23(Reuters) - Dutch insurer ASR (ASRNL.AS) will consider a sale of its banking arm after completing its acquisition of rival Aegon's (AEGN.AS) domestic operations, a source close to the matter told Reuters. The lending business, however, is likely to be put up for sale, given ASR's previous stance on banking operations, the source said on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. ASR labelled its original banking arm, ASR Bank, as "non-core" in 2018 and sold part of it to rival Achmea the following year. Aegon Bank had 16.2 billion euros ($17.6 billion) in assets on its balance sheet at the end of 2021, with 735.2 million euros of equity. ASR paid 2.5 billion euros in cash for Aegon's Dutch operations, with Aegon to retain a 30% stake in the enlarged group.

☆ Energy is 'less relevant' to inflation now, says ABN AMRO CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | 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 EmailEnergy is 'less relevant' to inflation now, says ABN AMRO CEORobert Swaak, CEO of Dutch bank ABN AMRO, gives his outlook for inflation, interest rates and the market for the year ahead during the World Economic Forum 2023.

☆ Bruce Batkin Turned a Love of Architecture Into a Financial Career
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Bruce Batkin co-founded Terra Capital Partners in 2002 to package real-estate funds for investors, initially in Australia and later in the U.S.As a boy riding his bicycle on Long Island, Bruce Batkin often stopped at fancy homes and rang doorbells to request house tours, invariably granted to a cherubic child in the 1960s. Back inside his parents’ three-bedroom, one-bath ranch, he drew lavish floor plans. Later, at Cornell University, he earned a degree in architecture. He worked in real-estate finance for Merrill Lynch, ABN Amro Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank. In 2002, he co-founded Terra Capital Partners to package real-estate funds for investors, initially in Australia and later in the U.S.

Doha, Qatar CNN —They’re known as The Atlas Lions, the Moroccan football team that’s ripped up the history books at the FIFA World Cup. Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri, center, celebrates after scoring the only goal in his side's World Cup quarterfinal win over Portugal, at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on December 10, 2022. “I think this moment of joy resonates with everyone who is downtrodden.”Morocco’s success has also breathed new life into a once-lost identity, as people from across the Arab world celebrated the team’s victories. “If anything, [the World Cup] has shown the stark contrast between the rulers and the ruled, between the regimes and the publics,” he said. Walid Regragui, Morocco head coach, is thrown in the air after the team qualified for the World Cup knockout stages by beating Canada on December 1.

☆ Analysis: Investors on alert for policy error after cheering slower rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

With inflation potentially peaking and recession looming, the risk of overtightening accelerating a downturn is on investors' watchlists for next year. "We're past the point of the big (Fed) policy mistake, we think they kind of made it," Robert Waldner, head of macro research at $1.3 trillion asset manager Invesco, said. Recent Fed research suggests the bank has exceeded the level called for by commonly followed policy rules and should target 3.52%, versus the 3.75%-4% it currently targets. Fed research, taking into account the premium on mortgages and corporate borrowing costs, has found financial conditions in September already reflected the equivalent of a 5.25% policy rate. I am worried the Fed may not be taking into account the lags in their monetary policy," Costerg said.

[1/2] The logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen in Zurich, Switzerland October 26, 2022. Credit Suisse declined to comment on the market moves. Credit Suisse rights for its 2.24 billion Swiss francs ($2.4 billion) share issue were down 8%, having reversed initial gains. Credit Suisse bonds also weakened, with additional tier 1 dollar bonds down over 4 cents and many sinking below the levels seen during a sell off in the bank's shares and bonds in early October, Tradeweb data showed. Battered by a series of scandals and mounting losses, Credit Suisse last month embarked on a turnaround plan.

☆ European shares ease from eight-week highs as U.S. midterm results pour in
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) fell 0.6% by 0930 GMT, with the retail sector index (.SXRP) down 1.1%. Britain's Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) slipped 3.6%, down the most on the sector index, as it warned of a "gathering storm" of higher costs and pressure on household budgets. Among other stocks, Germany's Commerzbank shed 5.2%, weighing down the banks index by 0.9%. German speciality chemicals maker Lanxess (LXSG.DE) dropped 3.6% as it cut the top end of its forecast range for annual profit on weaker demand. Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Uttaresh.V and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ABN Amro's Q3 profit jumps as interest income recovers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Dutch bank ABN Amro (ABNd.AS) beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday, as it said net profit had more than doubled to 743 million euros ($747.98 million) in the third quarter, helped by rising interest rates and low impairments. Analysts in a company-compiled poll on average had predicted net profit would fall to 323 million euros for the July-September period, down from 343 million a year ago. ($1=0.9933 euros)Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In bankrupt Lebanon, locals mine bitcoin and buy groceries with tether, as $1 is now worth 15 cents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +32 min

Others arrange clandestine meetings via Telegram to swap the stablecoin tether for U.S. dollars in order to buy groceries. In Jan., police raided a small crypto mining farm in the hydro-powered town of Jezzine, seizing and dismantling mining rigs in the process. But mining crypto tokens to earn a living is not for everybody. Younes tells CNBC that he initially moved 15% of his money into bitcoin, and he kept the remaining balance in cash. Lebanon has six bitcoin ATMs — one in Aamchit and five in Beirut, according to metrics offered by coinatmradar.com.

☆ Bank of England to hike by 75 bps on Nov. 3 but may go bigger
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Jonathan Cable | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Annual price rises were expected to peak at 10.4% this quarter, the poll showed, before gradually declining, but won't fall to target until at least 2025. The median forecast in the Oct. 18-25 poll showed the BoE would take Bank Rate up by 75 bps to 3.00% next week. But while that was a view held by 18 of 30 respondents, 10 expected 100 bps, one said 125 bps and one said 150. It was then expected to add another 75 bps in December and 50 bps next quarter before pausing, meaning rates would peak at 4.25% in the current cycle. Both the European Central Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve are expected to deliver 75-bps increases at their next meetings.

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