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MAS imposed penalties of S$2.6 million ($1.93 million) for DBS, S$600,000 for OCBC, or Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, S$400,000 for Citibank and S$200,000 for Swiss Life. Asked whether illicit activities had taken place involving the institutions, MAS said its checks focused on compliance with its requirements. DBS failed to adequately inquire into the background and purpose of "unusually large transactions", it said. A Swiss Life spokesperson said it had terminated a client relationship in 2020 after being approached by authorities about a contract. "Since then, and in close cooperation with the authorities, additional measures have been implemented within Swiss Life (Singapore) to detect client misconduct more effectively."

Persons: Wirecard, OCBC, Chen Lin, Yantoultra, Selina Li, Martin Petty, Conor Humphries Organizations: Citibank, DBS, Swiss, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Chinese Banking Corp, MAS, FIs, Singapore police, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore

☆ A federal judge in charge of Titanic wreck turned down an invitation to take ill-fated sub dive and see it herself
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

OceanGate Expeditions' lost contact with its sub Sunday en route to the wreckage of the Titanic. OceanGate invited a federal judge who has overseen access to the wreckage on the trip; she declined. The judge, Rebecca Beach Smith, has supervised the famous wreck since 2002 from her seat on the U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia. In April, a consultant for OceanGate Expeditions notified her of the company's intent to "undertake a series of photographic and scientific survey expeditions at the wreck site of the R.M.S. "I thank you for the invitation to participate in the 2023 Titanic Survey Expedition, and perhaps, if another expedition occurs in the future, I will be able to do so," she wrote.

Persons: OceanGate, Rebecca Beach Smith, David Concannon, Concannon, Beach Smith, Smith Organizations: U.S, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic Survey, Coast Guard Locations: Norfolk , Virginia

☆ Inside the Titan: Quiet and Cramped, With a Single Porthole
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Anushka Patil | Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Passengers seeking a glimpse of the R.M.S. Titanic aboard the submersible that disappeared in the North Atlantic this week have endured hours in a dangerous drop to the ocean floor aboard a cramped craft with a single porthole. Mike Reiss, a producer and writer for “The Simpsons,” boarded the vessel, known as the Titan, last summer. He said that passengers were required to sign a waiver that mentioned death three times on the first page. Passengers on his 10-hour journey — a trip than can cost up to $250,000 — were composed but excited, he said.

Persons: Mike Reiss, ” Organizations: Titanic, OceanGate Expeditions Locations: North

☆ Singapore bank DBS deepens focus on booming family office business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, June 12 (Reuters) - Singapore lender DBS Group (DBSM.SI) is stepping up its focus on the business of family offices, where its assets have surged in the last two years. Southeast Asia's largest bank by assets is introducing a new investment platform tailored towards the needs of family offices, which are one-stop firms that manage the portfolios of the wealthy. DBS said in a statement it is currently in talks with more than 20 clients and prospective clients across Asia to provide the new investment solution. "It is also an attractive option for some families who are not looking to immediately relocate to Singapore, but would like to consolidate their assets here," said Lee Woon Shiu, DBS' Group Head of Wealth Planning, Family Office and Insurance Solutions. DBS provides banking services to more than one-third of the 700 single family offices established in Singapore, and its family office assets under management (AUM) has more than doubled in the last two years, it added.

Persons: Lee Woon Shiu, Yantoultra Ngui, Muralikumar Organizations: DBS, Wealth, Family, Insurance Solutions, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia's, Asia

☆ Westpac to layoff 300 workers in business and retail unit, says trade union
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Australian lender Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) will cut around 300 jobs in its consumer and business banking segments at a time of strong profit growth amid rising interest rates and soaring inflation, a local trade body said. The Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU) said on Friday the country's third-largest bank would reduce headcount from its Consumer and Business Banking Division, citing a Westpac internal memo seen by the union. 2 mortgage provider reported a 22% rise in its first half net profit to A$4.00 billion ($2.70 billion) amid a high-inflationary environment. The bank could not be reached immediately for a comment on account of a public holiday on Monday. ($1 = 1.4839 Australian dollars)Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Julia Angrisano, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Organizations: Westpac Banking Corp, Finance Sector Union of Australia, FSU, Consumer, Business Banking, Westpac, Reuters, ANZ Group, National Australia Bank, DBS, Australia's, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

NEW YORK, June 9 (Reuters) - Stephanie Cohen, the head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's (GS.N) fintech unit called Platform Solutions, is taking a leave of absence for family reasons, she said in a memo to staff seen by Reuters. "The past year has brought some challenges for my family," Cohen said in the memo. Philip Berlinski, the bank's treasurer, and Ericka Leslie, its chief administrative officer, will handle Cohen's responsibilities in her absence. Cohen is the only woman executive to lead one of Goldman's three main business units. Cohen joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 1999, was named managing director in 2008 and partner in 2014.

Persons: Stephanie Cohen, Cohen, Philip Berlinski, Ericka Leslie, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, John Waldron, Lananh Nguyen, Saeed Azhar, Nick Zieminski Organizations: YORK, Goldman Sachs, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ Exclusive: Bank of America promotes Bettamio to co-head of investment banking; Ahmad to co-head capital markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lananh Nguyen | Thomson Reuters | Lananh Nguyen Is The U.S. Finance Editor At Reuters In New York | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, June 8 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) promoted the head of its Latin America business, Alex Bettamio, to co-head of global investment banking alongside Thomas Sheehan, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday. It also elevated Faiz Ahmad to jointly lead global capital markets with Sarang Gadkari. Bank of America's investment-banking revenue rose 19% to $6.2 billion in the first quarter, its second-best quarter for revenue, even as investment banking fees sank 20%. Jin Su will become the bank's sole president for the Asia Pacific region when Seguchi retires. Peter Guenthardt will lead global corporate investment banking in the region.

Persons: Alex Bettamio, Thomas Sheehan, Faiz Ahmad, Sarang Gadkari, Ahmad, Bilgi Zapparoli, Bernie Mensah, BofA's, Mark Monaco, Augusto Urmeneta, Jiro Seguchi, Jin Su, Seguchi, Peter Guenthardt, Lananh Nguyen, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: YORK, Bank of America Corp, Reuters, Sarang, Global Transaction Services, Bank of, GTS, Asia, Thomson Locations: America, U.S, Asia Pacific

☆ What’s on TV This Week: ‘The Idol’ and ‘Dave’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Shivani Gonzalez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Entering its 18th season, the show that celebrates talents and strange party tricks of all kinds is back with its first round of auditions this week. This semi-autobiographical show about the rapper Dave Burd, a.k.a. Lil Dicky, is wrapping up its third season this week with Dave ending his quest to find love. Titanic has had countless retellings; from the 1997 film to many documentaries, there is not a lot left unknown or uncovered. Who was on the ship that sailed away?

The forecast is 22% higher than the S$8.19 billion annual net profit it achieved in 2022. Its ROE was 15% last year, while its CET1 ratio was 14.6%, according to its 2022 annual report. DBS said faster growth in capital-light high-ROE businesses such as wealth management, global transaction services and treasury market sales will help it achieves its goals. DBS aims to be among the top 10 private sector banks in India, projecting net profit to triple to around S$375 million by 2026, according to the slides. ($1 = 1.3245 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Optimist’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence and Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Sarah Kessler | Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Brynjolfsson and his co-authors of a study compared the call center employees who used the tool to those who didn’t. Customer sentiment was also higher and employee turnover lower in the group that used the tool. “That offers an opportunity to enable more workers to do valuable work that relies on some of that expertise,” he said. tool for some tasks may free up workers to expand their work on tasks that can’t be automated. Of course, there’s no guarantee that workers will be qualified for new jobs, or that they’ll be good jobs.

Under his leadership, Morgan Stanley became a wealth management powerhouse that aims to manage $10 trillion in assets. Morgan Stanley bought money manager Eaton Vance, online broker E*Trade, and stock-plan manager Solium Capital under Gorman's leadership. He was also the key architect behind Morgan Stanley's purchase of Smith Barney, a brokerage and investment adviser, in 2009. The acquisitions have made Morgan Stanley's U.S. wealth business an "asset gathering monster," and a "killer machine," he said on an earnings conference call last month. "This structure will ensure the continued stability of Morgan Stanley, while at the same time positioning it for a decade of exciting growth under new leadership."

☆ Revealed: Vladimir Putin's secret Black Sea bunker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Anastasiia Carrier | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

You would think that the architects who designed Vladimir Putin's palace thought of everything. They failed to hide plans showing two elaborate tunnels running beneath the palace complex — plans that any competent state-security apparatus would fight tooth-and-nail to keep secret. The underground complex beneath Putin's palace consists of two separate tunnels connected by an elevator that descends roughly 50 meters below the surface. Gelendzhik is the town closest to the palace complex, a five-hour drive from the resort city of Sochi. "With the war in Ukraine," Kimmage said, "there's speechmaking, there's propaganda, there's exaggeration — there's this performative aspect that plays to Russia's domestic politics.

☆ ‘Digital Twin’ of the Titanic Shows the Shipwreck in Stunning Detail
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An ambitious digital imaging project has produced what researchers describe as a “digital twin” of the R.M.S. Titanic, showing the wreckage of the doomed ocean liner with a level of detail that has never been captured before. The project, undertaken by Magellan Ltd., a deepwater seabed mapping company, yielded more than 16 terabytes of data, 715,000 still images and a high-resolution video. The visuals were captured over the course of a six-week expedition in the summer of 2022, nearly 2.4 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, Atlantic Productions, which is working on a documentary about the project, said in a news release.

☆ Singapore bank OCBC posts record quarterly profit, upgrades margin guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OCBC, which is also Southeast Asia's second-biggest bank by assets, said January-March net profit rose 39% to S$1.88 billion ($1.42 billion), beating the mean estimate of S$1.74 billion from five analysts polled by Refinitiv. OCBC reported a total net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, of 2.30% for the first quarter, up from 1.55% in the same period a year earlier. The bank forecast a full-year net interest margin of about 2.2%, up from 2.1% previously. The first quarter was also strong for Singapore's other major banks, with larger peer DBS Group (DBSM.SI) reporting last week a 43% jump in first quarter net profit that was also a record. Smaller United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) posted last month a 74% surge in core net profit.

OCBC, which is also Southeast Asia's second-biggest bank by assets, said January-March net profit rose to a record S$1.88 billion ($1.42 billion) from S$1.36 billion a year earlier. The bank reported a total net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, of 2.30% for the first quarter, up from 1.55% in the same period a year earlier. OCBC expected full-year net interest margin in the region of 2.2%. The first quarter was also strong for Singapore's other major banks, with larger peer DBS Group (DBSM.SI) reporting last week a 43% jump in first quarter net profit that was also a record. Smaller United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) posted last month a 74% surge in core net profit.

☆ ‘Panic’ and Shortages in Parts of Occupied Ukraine Amid Russian Evacuation Orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Marc Santora | Anna Lukinova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Ukraine — People living in Russian-occupied areas of southern Ukraine described in recent days an atmosphere of confusion, defiance and scarcity, as the occupation authorities ordered tens of thousands of civilians to evacuate in the face of a looming Ukrainian offensive. The New York Times communicated with more than a dozen people in occupied towns and villages in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, by phone and through secure messaging applications. They said gas stations were running dry, grocery store shelves were emptying and A.T.M.s were out of cash. “They discharge people from the hospitals and take away the equipment,” said Andriy, 38, a resident of occupied Kamianka-Dniprovska in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine. And people are afraid to ask since there are armed soldiers around.”Access to occupied areas is heavily restricted, and the accounts of residents could not be independently verified.

May 8 (Reuters) - Australia's Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) on Monday threw out a cost-cutting target citing inflation and flagged thinner profit margins going ahead, but investors pushed its shares higher after it handily beat expectations for first-half profit. Westpac shares closed 2% higher, ahead of a broader market advance (.AXJO) of 0.8%, as the market cheered the better-than-expected profit. Costs for Westpac came to A$5 billion for the half, down from A$5.2 billion a year earlier. Westpac declared an interim dividend of 70 Australian cents per share, up from 61 Australian cents last year. ($1 = 1.4810 Australian dollars)Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 5 (Reuters) - The Monetary Authority of Singapore on Friday imposed additional capital requirement on DBS Bank, the banking arm of the country's largest lender DBS Group (DBSM.SI), following the disruption of its banking services in recent months. "Together with the additional capital requirement imposed on DBS in February 2022, this translates to approximately S$1.6 billion ($1.21 billion) in total additional regulatory capital," MAS added. The additional capital requirement for DBS is now a multiple of 1.8 times to its risk weighted assets for operational risk, an increase from the multiple of 1.5 times MAS applied in February 2022 following the November 2021 disruption, according to MAS. MAS has now required a comprehensive review it directed DBS to conduct in March to cover the May incident, MAS said. "The additional capital requirement imposed at this time underscores the seriousness with which MAS treats this matter," she said.

☆ LATAM Airlines reverses loss, posts $122 mln net profit in Q1
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN) reported a first-quarter net profit of $121.8 million, the company said on Wednesday, reversing a net loss of $380 million in the year-ago period. The airline, created by the 2012 merger of Chile's LAN with Brazilian rival TAM, operates units in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Revenue for Santiago-based LATAM during the quarter rose about 43.2% to $2.8 billion from the year-ago period, boosted by an increase in passenger revenue. Last November, LATAM announced the completion of a years-long restructuring process after it declared bankruptcy in 2020. Reporting by Noe Torres and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inside the Delirious Rise of ‘Superfake’ Handbags
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Amy X. Wang | Grant Cornett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Once upon a time, the legend goes, Theseus slew the Minotaur and sailed triumphantly home to Athens on a wooden ship. What if, Thomas Hobbes wondered, someone rustled up a second boat out of the discarded planks; would you now have two original vessels? Not long ago, I found myself wandering through Paris with a fake Celine handbag slung over my shoulder. In France, a country that prides itself on originating so much of the world’s fashion, punishments for counterfeiting are severe, to the point that I technically risked three years in prison just by carrying my little knockoff around. My plunge into the world of fantastically realistic counterfeit purses — known as “superfakes” to vexed fashion houses and I.P.

☆ It’s time HSBC’s top owner calms down or sells up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Sticking around as a noisy unhappy owner with an 8% stake, though, risks hurting itself, HSBC and maybe even Hong Kong. A vote on Friday at HSBC’s annual meeting will test whether Ping An has garnered much support for its stance. A second resolution from the group wants the pre-Covid dividend reinstated and paid at not less than that level each year. Chances are both resolutions will pick up some votes, the latter especially from retail shareholders who globally between them own about one-third of the bank. If any large institutional investment houses join the Chinese group, it will be a blow to HSBC boss Noel Quinn.

HSBC posted a pretax profit of $12.9 billion for the quarter ended March, versus $4.2 billion a year earlier. HSBC said the planned $10 billion sale, originally slated to be completed by the end of this year, will now only likely go through in the first quarter of 2024. HSBC reported deposits fell 0.6% to $1.6 trillion, excluding those it acquired by bailing out the UK arm of failed U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank and the reclassification of French retail deposits. Despite the surging profit, HSBC did not raise its key performance target of a return on tangible equity of at least 12% from this year onwards, which analysts were anticipating. Reporting by Selena Li ing Kong Kong and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HSBC CEO Noel Quinn said the results showed its strengths in a rising rate environment, and played down the risks of further contagion for the banking sector. HSBC posted a pretax profit of $12.9 billion for the quarter ended March, versus $4.2 billion a year earlier. The profit was much higher than the $8.64 billion average estimate of 17 analysts compiled by the bank. Despite the surging profit, HSBC did not raise its key performance target of reaching a return on tangible equity of at least 12% from this year onwards, while analysts were estimating the key metric would be lifted. Reporting by Selena Li ing Kong Kong and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ DBS' safe profit haven nears its peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Top Singapore-based bank DBS (DBSM.SI) on Tuesday released first-quarter numbers that will make rivals envious. Expenses fell, meaning the bank used just 38% of its revenue to cover costs compared to 59% at JPMorgan (JPM.N). Net interest income already fell 1% last quarter from December. Meanwhile, as much as DBS still touts its status as a safe haven for those – especially rich Chinese people – who want to shield their money from trouble elsewhere, that advantage is also dimming. Absent other such calamities or Gupta being wrong about interest rates, this might be as good as it gets for DBS for now.

DBS, which is also Southeast Asia's largest lender by assets, said January-March net profit rose to S$2.57 billion ($1.92 billion) from S$1.8 billion a year ago, beating a mean estimate of S$2.44 billion from five analysts polled by Refinitiv. Return on equity rose to a new high of 18.6% in the first quarter from 13.1% the same quarter a year earlier, according to its financial statement. Smaller peer United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) reported on Thursday a 74% surge in core net profit in the first quarter from a year earlier on the back of strong net interest and non- interest income growth. DBS, which earns most of its profit from Singapore and Hong Kong, declared a dividend of 42 Singapore cents per share for the first quarter. ($1 = 1.3362 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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