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☆ Country Garden: How bad is China's property crisis?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HONG KONG, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The debt crisis at Country Garden (2007.HK), China's largest property developer before this year and once considered a financially sound company, has triggered fresh contagion fears just two years after China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) defaulted. S&P Global Rating said on Wednesday it could adjust its forecast for property sales to a "descending staircase" figure from an "L" shaped recovery, if Country Garden officially defaulted. However, it emerged when the property market and the economy are in much worse shape. Evergrande was already insolvent at the time of default, but Country Garden currently still has more assets than liabilities. Analysts warn that Country Garden could become insolvent if it had to write off large inventories, and run into negative equity if its asset values dropped over time.

Persons: Evergrande, Moody's, Lehman, Clare Jim, Sumeet Chatterjee, Stephen Coates Organizations: HK, China Evergrande, Local, Beijing, International, International Monetary, WILL, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Evergrande, China, Beijing

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG/NEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Chinese fears of a spillover from missed payments on some shadow banking linked trust products and worsening consumer sentiment are expected to hasten a policy response to revive the country's cash-starved property sector. Zhongrong International Trust Co, which traditionally had sizable real estate exposure, has recently missed repayments on some investment products, fuelling contagion fears. 'CONTAGION'The trust sector had been a major fundraising channel for property developers seeking rapid expansion. The outstanding value of trust products invested in the property sector was 1.2 trillion yuan as of end-2022, down about 30% year-on-year. Still, exposure to the real estate sector varies from different trust firms.

Persons: Aly, Yan Wang, Nomura, Arthur Kroeber, Kamil Dimmich, Phillip Wool, Wool, Vidya Ranganathan, Laura Matthews, David Randall, Ziyi Tang, Sumeet Chatterjee, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, HONG KONG, Trust Co, Barclays, International Trust, South Capital LLP, China Equity ETF, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG, Zhongrong, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore, Summer Zhen

"The situation is already very bad for dollar-based funds to invest in China's tech sector. There isn't much room for things to get worse," said Beijing-based China Growth Capital partner Wayne Shiong. Biden's move will likely make China-focussed venture capital firms feel more urgency to raise yuan funds from Chinese investors, he said. In response to Biden's executive order, China's commerce ministry said it was "gravely concerned" and reserved the right to take countermeasures. But the executive order is barely going to do anything, and China escalating would risk turning a molehill into a mountain."

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Weiheng Chen, Wilson Sonsini, Biden, Chen, Wayne Shiong, Biden's, Yuan, Pan, Trump, Derek Scissors, Kane Wu, Michael Martina, Roxanne Liu, Ziyi Tang, Yantoultra, Sumeet Chatterjee, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Reuters Graphics Reuters, China Growth Capital, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, TECH, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Analysts, American Enterprise Institute, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, Beijing, Washington, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bengaluru

☆ Exclusive: Credit Suisse to cut 80% of Hong Kong investment bank jobs from this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrian walks past a logo of Credit Suisse outside its office building in Hong Kong, China March 21, 2023. Hong Kong accounts for Credit Suisse's biggest share of investment bankers in Asia. It has since said it would reduce risk in Credit Suisse's investment banking operation. UBS laid off employees from Credit Suisse's investment bank in New York last week, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the situation. Besides Hong Kong, other regional markets in which Credit Suisse has investment bankers include China, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea, Thailand and India.

Persons: Lam, HONG KONG, Christian Deiss, Deiss, Selena Li, Julie Zhu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Credit Suisse, REUTERS, UBS Group, Credit Suisse's, Asia . Credit Suisse, UBS, Credit, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG, Asia ., Swiss, New York, Houston, Asia, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, India, Credit Suisse's Asia, Pacific

☆ Citigroup's Asia family office clients poised to grow 25% in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoHONG KONG, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Citigroup's (C.N) Asia family office business expects a 25% increase in clients this year, the U.S. bank's regional head of its family office advisory business said, as Singapore and Hong Kong vie to attract more wealth. Global banks have been beefing up family office arms in Asia, as demand continues to surge among rich Asians wanting to set up private investment vehicles and plan for business succession. Citi in 2020 turned its Asia family office service into a full-fledged unit combining advisory, family governance, legacy planning, philanthropy, investment and deal-making capabilities for ultra-wealthy clients. "We have seen great interest from China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, India, and Indonesia in settling their family offices here (Hong Kong)," Ong said, adding there was also growing interest from Middle Eastern clients. There is scale and Singapore is becoming more discerning about the type of family offices it wants to attract," Ong said.

Persons: Athit, HONG KONG, Faye Ong, Ong, Faye, Xie Yu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Jamie Freed Organizations: Citi, REUTERS, Reuters, Global, Accenture, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, HONG, Asia, U.S, Singapore, Hong Kong, China , Hong Kong, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Hong

A panel displaying share prices is seen inside the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen October 23, 2009. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange, one of the two major bourses in the Chinese mainland, is in negotiations with the Saudi Tadawul Group (1111.SE), operator of the Saudi Stock Exchange, for ETF Connect, as the programme is called, two of the sources said. The China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Tadawul Group did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. China has launched 'ETF Connect' projects in recent years with offshore stock exchanges in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Reporting by Xie Yu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh in Dubai; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bobby Yip, HONG KONG, HKEX, Jackie Choy, Xie Yu, Selena Li, Hadeel Al, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Shenzhen Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Saudi Tadawul Group, Saudi Stock Exchange, Connect, China's, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Tadawul, Singapore . Industry, Government Bond Index, Management, Saudi, Hong Kong Exchanges, Clearing, Tadawul Group, Hong Kong bourse, Morningstar Asia, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment, Saudi Aramco, Thomson Locations: Shenzhen, HONG, China, Saudi, Beijing, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, East Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, HK, Hong, Europe, East, Africa, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Dubai

Chinese developers are allowed to sell residential projects before completion but are required to put those funds in escrow accounts. Local city governments permit them to withdraw a portion of the funds, depending on the progress of construction. China's housing ministry did not respond to Reuters request for comment on the tightening of developers' access to escrow funds. FALTERING HOUSING DEMANDThe new measures come as property demand is sluggish - China's property sales between May and June showed the largest monthly drop this year, based on sales by floor area, and investment in property also slumped. Under those rules, the authority has asked the bank to make escrow funds available only to developers who have other sources of funding to cover construction costs, said the person.

Persons: Gary Ng, Ng, Clare Jim, Tang, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Asia Pacific, National Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, Asia, Hunan, Hefei, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Beijing

HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's stock exchange will no longer require companies to spell out China-related business risks in listing applications from Tuesday, in a move that aligns the city more closely with disclosure changes ordered by Beijing. China's securities watchdog published updated rules for offshore listings in February and Hong Kong followed with its own consultation on proposed changes a week later. In a summary of rule revisions, the exchange didn't list the removal of China risk disclosures as a major change. The majority of Chinese companies' offshore listing proposals have been filed with the Hong Kong exchange since the country new offshore listing regime came into effect on March 31, but few of them have got Beijing's nod to start raising funds. Reporting by Selena Li and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Selena Li, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christina Fincher Organizations: bourse, Hong Kong Exchanges, Clearing, HK, People's, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Reuters, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Hong, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Beijing, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, United States, Hong

The move, which not been reported before, is the latest in tightening scrutiny of Chinese companies' offshore listings, and comes at a time when Beijing is stepping up controls over cross-border transfer of sensitive information. The Chinese law firms acting as IPO advisors have been asked to drop such boilerplate risk disclosures, said one of the people, who declined to be identified as the discussions were confidential. China's new offshore listing rules that came into effect on March 31 forbid any comments in the listing documents that "misrepresent or disparage laws and policies, business environment and judicial situation" of China. Representatives from the CSRC's International Cooperation Department, more than 10 Chinese law firms and other government and industry bodies attended the July 20th meeting, according to one of the people. Large domestic law firms Fangda Partners, Han Kun Law Offices，and Zhong Lun Law Firm were among the attendees, said two of the sources.

Persons: prospectuses, CSRC, Han, Zhong, Han Kun, Zhong Lun, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, CSRC's International Cooperation Department, Fangda Partners, Zhong Lun Law, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, United States, The China

[1/2] A Chinese national flag flutters outside the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) building on the Financial Street in Beijing, China July 9, 2021. China's long-awaited rules for offshore stock exchange listings form part of a regulatory tightening on cross-border listings after years of a laissez-faire approach. REGULATORY 'BLACKBOX'The new listing regime requires CSRC to respond within 20 working days upon accepting an issuer's listing filing. Submitting additional materials can be time-consuming and thus delay the listing process, said bankers and lawyers. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, JD.com, Scott Murdoch, Kane Wu, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, REUTERS, China, U.S, iMotion Automotive Technology, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Hong Kong, SYDNEY, HONG KONG, Suzhou, Sydney

The hectic pace of activity comes after private credit funds targeting Asia jumped 76% last year to a record $11.2 billion, driven by both regional and India-dedicated strategies, according to Global Private Capital Association. As large global sponsors continue to invest into multi-billion dollar Asia-focused credit funds such as Apollo, Blackstone and KKR, the Asian private credit industry is set for further boom, Robert Wright, partner in law firm Baker McKenzie, said. The string of new private credit funds come against the backdrop of startups facing the threat of having down rounds. Nevertheless, alternative financing such as private credit does not come cheap, industry experts warned. Private credit firms usually arrange loans, with assets secured, on a floating rate basis.

Persons: GPCA, Singapore's SeaTown, Europe's 21yield, Nicholas Mairone, Robert Wright, Baker McKenzie, SeaTown, Rakshat Kapoor, Camille Krejci, Parthiv Rishi, Sidley Austin, Siew Kam Boon, Yantoultra Ngui, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Asia, SINGAPORE, Global Private Capital Association . Industry, Silicon Valley Bank, Blackstone, KKR, Reuters Graphics, Bain Capital, India's, Mahindra Bank, Hong Kong's ADM, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Reuters, Prosus NV, Thomson Locations: Asia, India, Singapore, United States, North America, Silicon, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong

☆ Asia lobby group pushes for easing of China's offshore listing rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters) - China's new offshore listing rules for domestic companies have left bankers and lawyers who work on listings unsure how to take on liabilities and avoid breaching tightened confidentiality rules, Asia's largest financial lobby group said on Tuesday. China's long-awaited rules for offshore stock exchange listings came into effect on March 31 as part of a regulatory tightening on cross-border listings after years of a laissez-faire approach. Chao said the concept of such papers is vaguely defined, and also gave rise to disputes among investment banks and law firms over which side was primarily responsible for storing the documents. It's not good for Chinese companies who need to seek capital from the world," Chao said. The slowing Chinese economy, dimming offshore fundraising prospects, and heightened geopolitical tensions have prompted Wall Street and European banks to layoff investment bankers working on China deals in the last few months.

Persons: China's, Lyndon Chao, ASIFMA, Chao, Goldman Sachs, It's, Hong, Wall, Selena Li, Scott Murdoch, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Susan Fenton, Himani Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, Asia Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, JPMorgan, UBS, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, New York, Hong Kong, China

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters) - China should allow cross-border sharing of information by financial firms operating in the country, a leading financial lobby group said, as authorities tighten control of data generated within its borders in a national security drive. Last July, China unveiled cross-border data review measures that require a security review for "important" offshore data transfers - a move that triggered confusion and concern among foreign financial firms operating in the country. The financial sector lobby group said cross-border transfer of data such as investment outlooks, portfolio analysis, shareholding information and anti-money laundering information should be allowed. However, ASIFMA said the data security rules have made operating in China "very painful" for some of its members. One major complaint from firms operating in China is that Chinese data rules are ambiguous, the lobby group said.

Persons: Alice Law, Lyndon Chao, ASIFMA, Chao, Neuberger Berman, They've, Law, Samuel Shen, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Sonali Paul Organizations: Asia Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, BlackRock, Fidelity International, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, China, Beijing, U.S

Most economists expect another modest 10 bps LPR cut in the second half - on top of a 25 bps cut in banks' requirement ratio (RRR). The PROC last cut the RRR - the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves -- in March, by 25 bps. Each 5 basis points LPR cut could reduce pre-tax profits of major banks by as much as 1.8%, China Merchants Securities said in a report. "A small rate cut is a useful painkiller for symptoms but cannot alleviate the real problem," said Gary Ng, Asia Pacific senior economist of Natixis. On Friday, China's cabinet discussed policy measures to support the economy.

Persons: COVID, NIM, Wang Yifeng, Wang, Gary Ng, China's, Zhang Ming, Zhang, Morgan Stanley, Kevin Yao, Ziyi Tang, Kripa Jayaram, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: People's Bank of China, Reuters, Everbright Securities, China Merchants Securities, Asia Pacific, stoke, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Thomson Locations: China, BEIJING, Beijing, Asia

As of end-March, the three banks had total credit exposure of about $64 billion to China, or roughly 1% of their total assets, according to their financial statements. The FSA's request to look into China-related geopolitical risk was made in May, said two other sources. At a meeting last month, one of the banks was asked by the FSA how it is assessing risk related to China operations, one of them said. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Dealing with China sanctions would be extremely complex, the executive added.

Persons: Banks, SMFG, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Takaya Yamaguchi, Makiko Yamazaki, Sumeet Chatterjee, Jamie Freed Organizations: Financial Services, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho, American Chamber of Commerce, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, TOKYO, Ukraine, Russia, United States, China . U.S, Beijing, West, Taiwan, U.S, Tokyo, New York

China's top graft-busting watchdog earlier this year vowed to eliminate ideas of a Western-style "financial elite" and rectify the hedonism of excessive pursuit of "high-end taste". Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) (601398.SS) and China Construction Bank Corp (CCB) (601939.SS) plan to cut some allowances of employees at the banks' headquarters from this year, two sources familiar with the matter said. Domestic rival China International Capital Corp (CICC) (3908.HK) last month cut this year's bonuses for investment bankers by 30%-50% from a year earlier, Reuters has reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. Besides anti-corruption crackdown and "common prosperity" drive, financial firms are also reining in the flashy lifestyle of their staff to make sure they are not violating the Communist Party's ideology, said industry officials. China's securities regulator and the central bank cut the budget allocation for employee salaries in 2023, following reforms ordered as part of a broader drive to reduce income disparity, Reuters reported last month.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, CCB, Xin Sun, Sun, Xie Yu, Julie Zhu, Selena Li, Ziyi Tang, Binbin Huang, Rong Ma, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln Organizations: Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp, Securities, Reuters, China International Capital Corp, HK, Party, King's College London, Thomson Locations: China, HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai

☆ Goldman cutting more than 30 Asia investment banking jobs - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, June 15 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group (GS.N) is cutting more than 30 banking jobs in Asia, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, as a challenging markets environment weighs on Wall Street banks' dealmaking and trading revenues. The reduction in regional jobs, most of which are in the global banking & markets division, started on Wednesday, said the sources. Citigroup has started to cut more than 20 jobs in Asia, mostly at junior levels, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. All sources declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Reporting by Julie Zhu, Kane Wu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Goldman Sachs, Reuters, Citigroup, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Asia, China, Beijing, Hong Kong, dealmaking

☆ Bill Gates in China: Microsoft co-founder to meet Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Julie Zhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, June 14 (Reuters) - Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) co-founder, is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday during his visit to China, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The meeting will mark Xi's first meeting with a foreign private entrepreneur in recent years. The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates was in 2015, when they met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan province. In early 2020, Xi wrote a letter to Gates thanking him, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for pledging assistance to China including $5 million for the country's fight against COVID-19. Several foreign CEOs have visited China since it reopened early this year but most have mainly met with government ministers.

Persons: Bill Gates, Xi Jinping, Gates, Melinda Gates, Xi, Premier Li Qiang, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Ding Xuexiang, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Qin Gang, Qin, Julie Zhu, Greg Roumeliotis, Brenda Goh, Alex Richardson, Sumeet Chatterjee, Nick Macfie, William Maclean Organizations: Microsoft, Melinda Gates Foundation, Information Office, COVID, Premier, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Beijing, Hainan province, U.S, United States, Hong Kong, New York

The business conference will draw about 2,000 attendees from Greater China, in what will be one of the region's biggest-yet business delegation to Saudi Arabia, according to one person with direct knowledge of the matter. "From the perspective of both capital and new market, the Middle East, Saudi Arabia are really good new choices for Chinese companies and investors," said Henry Zhang, president of Hong Kong-based private equity firm Hermitage Capital. "Since late last year, a large number of Chinese funds have rushed to the Middle East looking for new investors. For the upcoming conference, Chinese entrepreneurs in attendance represent a range of industries -- from renewable energy and artificial intelligence to biotech, finance and tourism. "Previously, I had to actively pitch Chinese companies to consider Saudi Arabia as their destination of outbound investment and overseas expansion.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Antony Blinken, Henry Zhang, Zhang, Robert Mogielnicki, Edison Gao, I've, Gao, Julie Zhu, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Sumeet Chatterjee, Michael Perry Organizations: China Business Conference, Hermitage Capital, Gulf States Institute, Ajlan, Brothers, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, RIYADH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Arab, Gulf, Beijing, Washington, U.S, Greater China, East, Hong Kong, Hermitage, China, Saudi, Rachna, Dubai

Citigroup (C.N) had at one point shown interest in acquiring Credit Suisse Securities China (CSS), they added. Citi, whose CEO Jane Fraser was in China this week, is setting up a securities brokerage in China. UBS already has a majority-owned securities brokerage business in China. UBS and a spokesperson representing both Credit Suisse and CSS declined to comment. Founder Securities and the China Securities Regulatory Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Persons: Jane Fraser, Selena Li, Engen Tham, Sumeet Chatterjee, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Securities China, Citi, Securities, SS, CSS, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, China, Swiss, Hong Kong, Shanghai

Star fund manager Zhang Kun, who manages nearly 90 billion yuan for Guangzhou-based E Fund Management, has seen his flagship 56 billion yuan Blue Chip Selected Mixed Fund lose 8% so far this year. The fund soared 95% in 2020 which attracted significant subscriptions and helped Zhang become China's first so-called "100 billion fund manager". Another high profile fund manager, Ge Lan at Lombarda China Fund Management, saw her flagship 28 billion yuan healthcare fund retreat 7% in 2021 and 23% in 2022, after a nearly 100% gain in 2020. "Not just mutual funds, the overall fund issuance is difficult, as this is closely connected with the economic situation," Steve Chen, partner of Shanghai-based hedge fund manager MX Capital. To boost market sentiment, some mutual funds announced fee cuts or started to purchase their own fund shares recently.

Persons: Thomas Peter HONG, Jiao Jinyuan, Zhang Kun, Zhang, Ge Lan, Emily Gao, Steve Chen, Debbie Dai, Dai, China Asset’s Jiao, Summer Zhen, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Z, Ben Advisors, CSI, China Asset Management, Star, E Fund Management, China Fund Management, MX Capital, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Thomas Peter HONG KONG, Guangzhou, Shanghai

George Clinical declined to comment. The private equity firm has entered a deal to buy most of George Clinical, the clinical research organisation said in December, adding the transaction was subject to FIRB approval. George Clinical did not disclose a sale price but said its parent, the George Institute, a medical research group, would retain an undefined stake. The George Clinical deal would involve the holding of healthcare and patient data which is considered sensitive in Australia. Hillhouse has offered to ensure data remains onshore and not be shared overseas, the people said.

Persons: George Clinical, Hillhouse, Zhang Lei, George, George Clinical's, Scott Murdoch, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Hillhouse Capital, Foreign Investment, Board, of, Treasury, George Institute, Yale University, Tencent Holdings, HK, JD.com Inc, Baidu Inc, Koninklijke Philips NV, Thomson, & $ Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, United States, Australia, China, Refinitiv, Netherlands, Asia, Pacific, Sydney

☆ Exclusive: China's state banks told to lower cap on dollar deposit rates -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - In a rare attempt to bolster China's yuan, a self-regulatory body overseen by the country's central bank has told major state-owned banks to lower dollar deposit interest rates, four people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The buoyant U.S. currency and the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes have prompted many Chinese companies to hoard dollar receipts. China's central bank said last month it would resolutely curb large fluctuations in the exchange rate and study the strengthening of self-regulation of dollar deposits. China's central bank has so far appeared calm after the yuan breached the psychologically important 7 per dollar level in May. During previous rounds of depreciation, the central bank has sent verbal messages against one-way bets on the yuan.

Persons: Sumeet Chatterjee, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Alexander Smith Organizations: Reuters, People's Bank of China, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, United States, China, Beijing

But China, which bristles at visits to Taiwan by foreign government officials, tends to ignore trips by business executives, who usually keep clear of politics. Dimon will meet bank employees and clients in Taiwan on his visit, said the source, who sought anonymity as the plans were not public, while adding that no meetings were planned with Taiwan officials. As part of his Asia tour, Dimon will also visit South Korea after the Taiwan trip, said the source. But there was no plan for President Tsai Ing-wen to meet Dimon, her office said on Friday. Dimon favours East-West "derisking" rather than decoupling, he told the three-day JPMorgan Global China Summit event in the city on Wednesday.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Andrew Collier, Dimon, Nvidia Corp's, Jensen Huang, Pat Gelsinger, Dimon's, Ma Ying, Tsai Ing, Chen Jining, Selena Li, Kane Wu, Scott Murdoch, Ben Blanchard, Emily Chan, Mrinmay Dey, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: JPMorgan Chase &, JPMorgan, Orient Capital Research, Bloomberg, Wall, U.S, Nvidia, Intel, Financial, Commission, Shanghai's Communist, JPMorgan Global China, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Asia, South Korea, East, United States, Sydney, Bengaluru

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE, June 1 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian e-commerce and gaming giant Sea Ltd (SE.N) is winding down its investment arm, two people with knowledge of the matter said, amid a cooling investment environment globally as macroeconomic and market uncertainty weigh on valuations. The arm, Sea Capital, stopped new equity investing in 2022 with leadership moving on in May, while Sea itself is placing less priority on investing given market conditions, one of the people said. Singapore-based Sea launched Sea Capital in March 2021 with initial capital of $1 billion after buying Hong Kong's Composite Capital Management, founded by former Hillhouse Capital partner David Ma who became Sea's chief investment officer. One of the people said the decision to wind down Sea Capital was prompted by "less deal activity" resulting in fewer investment opportunities. Sea Capital had made at least three investments, including in 2021 into collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Persons: David Ma, Ma, FTX, Kane Wu, Fanny Potkin, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Capital, Hong Kong's, Capital Management, Hillhouse, Sea, U.S, Asia's, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, Asia, Japan, Singapore, New York, Sea, India, Europe, Hong Kong

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