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LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - Mastercard (MA.N) will expand its cryptocurrency payment card programme by seeking more partnerships with crypto firms, the company's head of crypto and blockchain said, even as the sector comes under closer scrutiny from regulators and banks grow wary. Mastercard has already partnered with crypto exchanges including Binance, Nexo and Gemini to offer crypto-linked payment cards in some countries. "We have dozens of partners around the world who offer crypto card programmes and they continue to expand," Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard's head of crypto and blockchain, told Reuters on Thursday. Banks have become wary of crypto clients after a number of big crypto firms collapsed last year, including the bankruptcy of major exchange FTX. Asked if Mastercard is considering imposing restrictions on the amount of money that could be transferred to crypto exchanges using its payments network, Dhamodharan said, "We're not here to pick winners.

☆ Morning Bid: Amazon cools, Intel warms, Japan hesitates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A smartphone with a displayed Intel logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. But the dramatic re-acceleration of Big Tech stocks this week - where the NYFANG+TM (.NYFANG) index of the top 10 Big Tech stocks is now up 37% so far this year - is competing with multiple macro narratives that are increasingly hard to read. With the Fed meeting in view, the release of March PCE price inflation data later on Friday tops the diary. Wall St stock futures fell back 0.4% after a wild ride in Amazon.com shares overnight. With much of Europe and Asia closed on Monday for the May Day bank holiday, Asia bourses advanced in Wall St's slipstream but Europe retreated sharply on some jarring corporate updates.

NatWest said the reduction in its deposits, however, mainly reflected the axing of its underperforming Irish arm Ulster and higher customer tax bills. Deposits across its consumer, business and private bank nonetheless fell 11.1 billion pounds. NatWest, meanwhile, reported pretax profit that leapt 49% to 1.8 billion pounds ($2.24 billion), above an average of analyst forecasts of 1.6 billion pounds. Rising interest rates boosted NatWest's income by 29% to 3.9 billion pounds, but analysts said this narrowly missed expectations and they had hoped for an upgraded outlook. ($1 = 0.8028 pounds)Reporting by Iain Withers, Editing by Sinead Cruise and Lawrence WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: Wowed by tech, worried by banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

That makes investors wary of such provisions at the likes of HSBC (HSBA.L), Lloyds (LLOY.L) and NatWest Group (NWG.L), all of which are due to report earnings in the coming weeks. Across the Atlantic, First Republic Bank's (FRC.N) plunging deposits and tumbling shares are rippling through the U.S. regional banking sector. U.S. recession fears have also resurfaced after consumer confidence hit a nine-month low, alongside some weak earnings. In a week packed with tech sector earnings, the focus moves from artificial intelligence to advertising revenues as Facebook-parent Meta Platforms (META.O) and streaming device maker Roku Inc (ROKU.O) report. Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:U.S. durable goods orders, Germany and France consumer confidenceEarnings: Meta Platforms, Boeing, GSK, Deutsche Boerse, Roku IncEditing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Calls to move away from the U.S. dollar are growing — but the greenback is still king
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Penny Chen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kacper Pempel | ReutersCalls to move away from relying on the U.S. dollar for trade are growing. The U.S. dollar accounted for 58.36% of global foreign exchange reserves in the fourth quarter last year, according to data from the IMF's Currency Composition of Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER). China is one of the most active players in this push given its dominant position in global trade right now, and as the world's second largest economy. The IMF estimates that Asia could contribute more than 70% to global growth this year. In the Middle East, major oil exporter Saudi Arabia has reportedly signaled it's open to trade in other currencies other than the greenback.

☆ Factbox: What is embattled British business group the CBI?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is some information about the CBI and its role:WHAT IS THE CBI? Founded in 1965, the CBI is Britain's top business lobby group. A not-for-profit organisation, the CBI says it represents 190,000 businesses employing nearly 7 million people, including many of Britain's biggest companies. In his speech, Sunak called the CBI "a valued institution in this country and a powerful voice for business". A spokesperson for NatWest said the bank had no confidence in the CBI's capacity to be a strong representative voice for British business at present.

[1/2] A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) logo is seen during their annual conference in London, Britain November 9, 2015. "While the CBI was not previously aware of the most serious allegations, it is vital that they are thoroughly investigated now and we are liaising closely with the police," CBI President Brian McBride said. Virgin Media O2 criticised how the CBI had dealt with the allegations. Aviva (AV.L) and two other insurers, Phoenix Group and Zurich Insurance Group (ZURN.S), also quit on Friday along with asset manager Schroders. Accountancy firm PWC suspended activity with the CBI, as has telecoms company BT Group, while bank Santander said it was reviewing its membership.

☆ Asia shares gain as Singapore stops tightening, euro climbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dovish signals helped keep non-yielding gold near one-year highs, while the euro led the currency pack as the European Central Bank stays stubbornly hawkish. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) surprised many by leaving policy unchanged, saying the tightening already underway would ensure inflation slowed sharply later this year. A break under 100bp would see the spread at its narrowest since early 2014, when the euro was up around $1.3600. The dollar was relatively steady on the yen at 132.51 yen , supported by the Bank of Japan's easy policy stance. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday he told his G20 counterparts the central bank will likely keep monetary policy ultra-loose.

☆ Morning Bid: Singapore signals a peak for policy tightening
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. Singapore's central bank sprang the surprise of the Asian day by halting its tightening cycle when markets had expected a sixth straight round of restraint. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said there was enough currency appreciation - controlling the SGD is its primary policy tool - already in the pipeline to ensure inflation slowed sharply as the year progressed. It also sounded more downbeat on the economic outlook as GDP growth missed forecasts with a rise of just 0.1%. It made a five-month top on the yen, a 10-month peak on the Singapore dollar and a 17-month high on the Australian dollar.

☆ Asia shares up as Singapore joins the pause camp
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) surprised many by leaving policy unchanged, saying the tightening already underway would ensure inflation slowed sharply later this year. The prospect of a peak for rates helped offset worries about recession and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) nudged up 0.4%. The euro was also near highs seen back in November above 146.00 yen , and jumped to a 10-month peak on the Singapore dollar after the MAS decision. The dollar was relatively steady on the yen at 132.57 yen , supported by the Bank of Japan's still uber-easy policy stance. Brent edged up 27 cents to $86.36 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose 26 cents to $82.42 per barrel.

In addition to mergers and acquisitions, the options include a sale of the bank and an initial public offering (IPO), the people said. Officials for Co-op Bank, Aldermore, OneSavings Bank, Paragon and Shawbrook declined to comment. Co-op Bank had an equity value of close to 1.3 billion pounds ($1.61 billion) as of the end of December, based on its latest annual accounts. It had more than 28 billion pounds of assets on its balance sheet and reported a profit before tax of 132.6 million pounds for 2022. Later that year, Co-op Bank made an offer for domestic rival TSB Group, which was rejected by Spanish parent Banco Sabadell (SABE.MC).

☆ Fed showing signs it won't hike rates in May, says NatWest's Michelle Girard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | 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 EmailFed showing signs it won't hike rates in May, says NatWest's Michelle GirardCNBC's Steve Liesman and Michelle Girard, NatWest Markets head of U.S., joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the cooler than expected PPI read.

☆ Jobs report raises probability of 25 basis point hike in May, says New Edge Wealth CIO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJobs report raises probability of 25 basis point hike in May, says New Edge Wealth CIOCameron Dawson, New Edge Wealth CIO, and Kevin Cummins, Chief U.S. economist at NatWest Markets, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest jobs numbers, and key economic data to look forward to in the week ahead.

☆ Stocks meander as US jobs dry up, kiwi jumps on RBNZ surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Futures indicated European markets were set for a broadly lower open, with Eurostoxx 50 futures down 0.26%, German DAX futures down 0.12%. Two-year treasury yields , which closely track short-term rate expectations, dived almost 15 basis points and the dollar tracked the move to hit two-month troughs. Elsewhere investors see a few more rate hikes in store in Europe, where German exports have turned surprisingly strong. The euro flat at $1.0952, just shy of a two-month high it hit overnight on the dollar at $1.0973. Commodity markets are settling after Monday's surge in oil prices on news of surprise OPEC+ production cuts.

☆ Stocks struggle as US jobs dry up, kiwi leaps on RBNZ surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Two-year treasury yields , which closely track short-term rate expectations, dived almost 15 basis points and the dollar tracked the move to hit two-month troughs. U.S. interest rate futures have rallied strongly over the last few weeks, as traders figure that under pressure banks will tighten up on lending anyway and save the need for monetary policymakers to do the job. DOLLAR SQUEEZEDOutside the United States, markets see other central banks staying the course on hikes to tame inflation. Elsewhere investors see a few more rate hikes in store in Europe, where German exports have turned surprisingly strong. Commodity markets are settling after Monday's surge in oil prices on news of surprise OPEC+ production cuts.

Several major finance companies also voluntarily reported ethnicity pay data for the period. The majority of major finance firms nonetheless made progress in narrowly closing their gender pay gaps, according to their disclosures. ETHNICITY PAY GAPSHalf of the 20 finance firms reviewed reported varying detail on ethnicity pay gaps, with some including insurer Phoenix doing so for the first time. Where pay gaps were further broken down by ethnicity, they showed the largest pay disparities were between Black and white employees. All the employers said in their pay gap reports they were taking steps to improve diversity, particularly at senior levels.

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - The British government has extended a trading plan to help cut the taxpayer's stake in NatWest (NWG.L) by another two years, as it chips away at its remaining 41.5% holding with small sales after a recent bout of global banking volatility. The trading plan involves drip-feeding further stock into the market and is one of the government's main methods of reducing its stake. Britain's finance ministry said on Monday its trading plan had been extended to Aug. 11, 2025 and would continue to be run by investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N). Under the plan, the government can sell up to 15% of its stake in the company over the two-year period. Around 3.7 billion pounds has been raised by selling shares under the plan to date, the finance ministry added.

☆ Johnnie Walker maker Diageo appoints Debra Crew CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —One of the world’s largest alcoholic drinks companies has appointed its first female CEO. Diageo, which makes Guinness beer and Johnnie Walker whisky, said Tuesday that chief operating officer Debra Crew would succeed Ivan Menezes, who will retire from the company after 10 years at the helm. Diageo is the seventh-largest member of the FTSE 100 (UKX) index and will now become the largest UK-listed company led by a woman. There are just nine other FTSE 100 (UKX) companies led by women, including pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GLAXF) and bank NatWest. Diageo is the world’s fourth biggest alcoholic drinks company by market value, after AB InBev (BUD) and China’s Wuliangye Yibin and Kweichow Moutai.

NatWest, supported by climate activist groups, is happy with 100% of facilitated emissions being attributed to the banks behind capital markets deals. Tonia Plakhotniuk, NatWest Markets' Vice President, Climate & ESG Capital Markets, said that 17% risked "a mismatch" because investors would not account for the remainder themselves. This includes Barclays, which apportions 33% of the capital markets financing to the bank and the rest to investors. Reuters GraphicsUntil banks agree on a compromise, experts say lenders could look to book more business as capital markets rather than loans. The Basel Committee's methodology for assessing Global Systemically Important Banks considers direct lending to be six times more important in its impact on the financial system than capital markets underwriting.

☆ Dollar slips as Fed outlook shifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That's a contrast to Europe where markets see another 50 bp or so to go, and the gap sent the euro surging. Dollar/yen fell 0.7% overnight and was edging lower in the Asian morning at 131.19. "From the foreign exchange perspective, we think that argues for further dollar weakness as the ceiling for the Fed cycle has clearly come down." The risk-sensitive Australian dollar recoiled sharply from a two-week high of $0.6759 to be back at $0.6707 on Thursday morning. The New Zealand dollar also gave up overnight gains, but was firm in morning trade at $0.6238.

☆ Markets saw a dovish Fed hike but Powell's warning on credit conditions spooked investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Are we going to celebrate the end of Fed rate hikes because things have started to hit the fan?" Strategists pointed to Powell's comment that financial conditions may have tightened more than it appears in traditional market measures, which would be stocks and bond spreads. "Number one, he remains unwavering on inflation, and he does acknowledge he sees a tightening of credit conditions. Briggs also called out Powell's comments about the impact from credit tightening , and the effect those actions can have. "That tightening via credit conditions can take the place of hikes (and vice versa if we don't get tighter credit conditions)," he said. "

☆ Girard: The market is priced in for a 25 bps rate increase by the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGirard: The market is priced in for a 25 bps rate increase by the FedMichelle Girard, Head of U.S. at NatWest Markets, discusses her expectations for the latest FOMC meeting.

☆ There's 'radical uncertainty' among economists on what will happen at Fed meeting: Strategist
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | 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 EmailThere's 'radical uncertainty' among economists on what will happen at Fed meeting: StrategistGalvin Chia of NatWest Markets discusses interest rate forecasts, which range from a 25 basis point cut to a 50 basis point hike, and says such a "divided economist consensus" hasn't been seen in the last year and a half.

☆ European banks battered after Credit Suisse rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Lucy Raitano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Shares in European banks were battered in early trade on Monday following UBS's (UBSG.S) state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) that brought with it massive writedowns for the latter's bondholders. Shares in Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) fell more than 63% while UBS Group (UBSG.S) shares were last down 12.5%. UBS on Sunday agreed to pay 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.23 billion) for 167-year-old Credit Suisse and assume up to $5.4 billion in losses. JPMorgan said that although UBS stood to gain in the longer-term from the deal, the writedown of the AT1 bonds would impact other European banks. Barclays cut its view on European banks to "neutral" from "positive" on Monday, citing likely increased regulatory scrutiny after Silicon Valley Bank collapse and UBS agreeing to buy Credit Suisse.

REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoLONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Investment managers Bridgewater Associates, Millennium Management and Marshall Wace added to short positions on European banking shares after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked contagion fears across global banks, according to data from Breakout Point. Short sellers had amassed bearish positions worth more than $15.7 billion against European banks by Tuesday, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Millennium Management, Citadel, Wellington Management, Capital Fund Management, Odey Asset Management and Marshall Wace declined to comment. Marshall Wace held the largest disclosed number of short positions against banks, public filings from Austria, Italy, Sweden, Britain, Spain and Poland analysed by Breakout Point showed. Its shares were up 18% at 1602 GMT, in a broader European banking index (.SX7P) up 1.4%In the week to Wednesday, some 120 billion euros had been wiped off the value of European bank shares.

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