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☆ The future of ESG is expanding. Here’s how 2 experts define ESG investing and why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Elizabeth Wood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Experts share how ESG investors can understand and grow with emerging opportunities. Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) investing is adapting to consumer behavior. However, ESG investing has recently come under review for greenwashing or other hidden tradeoffs. Leaders in the field are working to better define and understand what ESG investing is and the good it can do for companies and beyond. During the session "Navigating ESG Investing Challenges" Rebecca Ungarino, senior finance reporter, spoke with Shah and Nikita Singhal, coHead of sustainable investment and ESG at Lazard Asset Management.

☆ Private equity finds silver lining in Asia Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, March 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - It’s hard working in Asia-Pacific private equity these days. On Monday Brookfield Asset Management (BAM.TO) and MidOcean Energy agreed to take Australia’s Origin Energy (ORG.AX) private for A$18.7 billion ($12.5 billion). A few days earlier Toshiba’s (6502.T) board tentatively backed Japan Industrial Partners’ $15.3 billion offer. Origin’s buyers, which plan to split the business in two, had already made three offers before Origin accepted. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Factbox: Binance, world's top crypto exchange, at the center of US investigations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Tom Wilson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - The world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao have been sued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over regulatory violations, according to a court filing on Monday. The exchange offers spot and derivatives trading and a host of services from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to crypto loans and asset management. FINANCESBinance's global trading platform, Binance.com, is by far the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange. Last year it processed crypto trades worth about $65 billion a day, Binance said, dominating the crypto trading landscape with more than half of the market, CryptoCompare data shows. Binance last year extended its reach beyond the crypto sector in 2022, investing $500 million in Tesla boss Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter.

☆ TSX opens week higher as banking crisis fears ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ET (14:03 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) was up 62.9 points, or 0.32%, at 19,564.39. "First Citizens' announcement of the acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank instilled a broad sense of confidence and calm in the stability of the banking system." The energy sector (.SPTTEN) added 0.3%, tracking strength in crude oil prices. If gains hold, the TSX is on course to eke out a gain of 0.9% for the quarter ending in March. Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Goldman Sachs scraps plan to buy a third corporate jet amid scrutiny of CEO's plane use and cost-cutting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs had an option to buy a third Gulfstream when it bought two in 2019. Goldman Sachs has decided to scrap a plan to buy a third corporate jet for the company's use, a move that follows scrutiny of the CEO's plane use and a companywide plan to review expenses. The decision means that the company won't exercise an option it received in 2019, when it purchased two other Gulfstream jets: a G280 and a G650ER. Goldman also received an option to purchase a third jet, according to people briefed on the arrangement. Both of Goldman's planes feature simple paint jobs of thin blue and gray stripes running from nose to tail.

Brookfield has prevailed over other investment firms in an auction that Data4's majority owner, Axa Investment Managers, held for the company, the sources said on Friday. If negotiations and financing arrangements are concluded successfully, a deal could be announced as early as next week, the sources added. The sources cautioned that there remained a chance that no deal would be completed and asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Brookfield declined to comment, while representatives for Data4 and AXA Investments, a division of French insurer AXA (AXAF.PA), did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Headquartered in Paris, Data4 operates at least 25 data centers across France, Italy, Spain and Luxembourg, according to its website.

☆ Toshiba board accepts Japan Industrial Partners' $15 bln buyout proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) board has accepted a buyout offer from a group led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, valuing the company at 2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion), the company said on Thursday. [1/2] The logo of Toshiba Corp is seen at the company's facility in Kawasaki, Japan June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo 1 2The fallout from that debacle eventually led to the strategic review and the buyout proposal. Toshiba started an auction process about a year ago, receiving eight initial buyout proposals as well as two offers for capital alliances. The JIP consortium last month submitted a binding buyout proposal backed by $10.6 billion in loan commitments from major banks.

☆ Credit Suisse rescue creates bank twice the size of Switzerland's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

London CNN —The last-minute rescue of Credit Suisse may have prevented the current banking crisis from exploding, but it’s a raw deal for Switzerland. An aerial view of the headquarters of Credit Suisse, center, and UBS, left, at Paradeplatz in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday, 19 March, 2023. Credit Suisse is “part of Switzerland’s identity,” said Hans Gersbach, a professor of macroeconomics at ETH university in Zurich. “The Credit Suisse Swiss bank is a fine asset that we are very determined to keep,” Kelleher said Sunday. Integration is difficultAt $3.25 billion, UBS got Credit Suisse for 60% less than the bank was worth when markets closed two days prior.

☆ Toshiba board accepts Japan Industrial Partners' $15 billion buyout proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Toshiba Corp's board has accepted a buyout offer from a group led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, valuing the company at 2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion), the company said on Thursday. A successful deal would see the scandal-ridden industrial conglomerate taken private and firmly in domestic hands after much tension with overseas activist shareholders. Some 20 Japanese companies including financial services firm Orix Corp, chipmaker Rohm Co <6963.T> and Chubu Electric Power plan to take part in the deal, sources have said. Toshiba started an auction process about a year ago, receiving eight initial buyout proposals as well as two offers for capital alliances. The JIP consortium last month submitted a binding buyout proposal backed by $10.6 billion in loan commitments from major banks.

☆ Indian market watchdog speeds up action against social media stock tips - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jayshree P Upadhyay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Securities and Exchange Board of India's rules say that only advisers registered with it can offer investment advice. Companies potentially facing enforcement action are digital investment platforms which offer financial products and investment advice without appropriate regulatory licences, the sources said. "This is a part of series of enforcement actions that the regulator is taking to tackle unsolicited investment advice being peddled on social media," said the second source cited above. The regulator will consult the market participants on ways to regulate social media financial influencers more broadly. These influencers could be required to make disclosures and disclaimers on their social media platforms before they offer any public advice.

☆ Analysis: Credit Suisse collapse threatens Switzerland's wealth management crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Logos of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse are seen in Zurich, Switzerland March 20, 2023. Switzerland's credibility as a stable, predictable country had been upended by moves like the decision to wipe out the holdings of Credit Suisse bondholders, he said. Under the takeover deal, holders of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds will get nothing, while shareholders, who usually rank below bondholders in compensation terms, will receive $3.23 billion. "In that sense I also see a prosperous future for the financial centre because we have hundreds of very well capitalised banks and very successful wealth management and asset management banks." Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsOthers were more skeptical about the future, highlighting a reluctance to confront mistakes at Credit Suisse or take responsibility for the aftermath.

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Lawyers from Switzerland, the United States and UK are talking to a number of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond holders about possible legal action after the state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse by UBS (UBSG.S) wiped out AT1 bonds, law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said on Monday. Quinn Emanuel said it was in discussions with Credit Suisse AT1 bondholders representing a "significant percentage" of the total notional value the instruments. PIMCO had 3.49% of its 5.66 billion euro ($6.06 billion) GIS Capital Securities Fund in Credit Suisse AT1 bonds, the Morningstar data showed. Lazard Asset Management had 7.4% of its 1.45 billion euro Lazard Capital Fi SRI fund allocated to Credit Suisse AT1 debt. GAM's 1.15 billion euro Star Credit Opportunities fund's exposure to Credit Suisse AT1 debt was 4.81% at the end of last month, based on the Morningstar data.

Credit Suisse employs 50,000 people globally across wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations, with more than 150 offices in 50 countries. Outside its office near Singapore's central business district, nearby coffee shops, usually bustling with bankers from Credit Suisse and rivals, were less crowded early on Monday. UBS warned on Sunday that it would pare back much of Credit Suisse's investment bank, which Credit Suisse had planned to spin off. UBS and Credit Suisse sources said Southeast Asia was among the regions where the banks had the most overlap on the wealth management and investment banking teams. "Investment banking stands out and that could be where the pain is felt most for Credit Suisse," a senior executive at UBS said.

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, March 20 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse staff arriving to work in Hong Kong and Singapore on Monday morning fretted about retrenchments and retaining business after larger Swiss rival UBS agreed to swallow the 167-year-old bank in a state-backed rescue. Credit Suisse employs 50,000 people globally across wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations, with more than 150 offices in 50 countries. Outside its office near Singapore's central business district, nearby coffee shops, usually bustling with bankers from Credit Suisse and rivals, were less crowded early on Monday. In Hong Kong, Credit Suisse said it would still press ahead with its annual investment conference that kicks off on Tuesday, although media are no longer invited. UBS warned on Sunday that it would pare back much of Credit Suisse's investment bank, which Credit Suisse had planned to spin off.

☆ UBS mulls sweeteners to keep Credit Suisse wealth bankers - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Stefania Spezzati | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - UBS Group AG told Credit Suisse wealth bankers it's weighing financial sweeteners for them to stay as it seeks to reassure key staff following the takeover, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. In a town hall for Credit Suisse's employees in wealth management in Zurich, Iqbal Khan, UBS's president for global wealth management and Francesco de Ferrari, Credit Suisse's CEO for wealth management, reassured staff on Monday that the two banks will all be acting as a "big family," the person said. Before the deal, Credit Suisse had embarked on a plan to slash 9,000 jobs. That number can grow to 10,000, Reuters has reported as UBS acquires Credit Suisse. UBS said in a presentation that the acquisition will scale up the bank's global wealth and asset management franchise with more than $3.4 trillion in invested assets on a combined basis, according to a press release on Sunday.

☆ Credit Suisse's investment bankers are so concerned about cuts, employees are being told to look for new jobs. 'They encouraged it.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Carter Johnson | Casey Sullivan | Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The fate of Credit Suisse's investment bank hangs in the balance after being sold to UBS. The investment bank's planned spinoff has been put on hold and bankers are bracing for job cuts. People said they expect Credit Suisse's planned spinoff of its investment banking operations, announced last year, to be scuttled. Over at 11 Madison Ave., where Credit Suisse's NY operations are headquartered, emotions were running hot on Monday. Now, the proposed CS First Boston deal hangs in the balance, with both industry experts and Credit Suisse employees uncertain whether it will go through.

☆ UBS seeks Swiss backstop in any Credit Suisse deal - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 18 (Reuters) - UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) is asking the Swiss government for a backstop if it were to buy Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S), Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. UBS is discussing scenarios in which the government would take on certain legal costs or other specific losses in any deal, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Under one likely scenario, the deal would involve UBS acquiring Credit Suisse to obtain its wealth and asset management units, while possibly divesting the investment banking division, the report added. UBS Group and Credit Suisse did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters reported earlier that Credit Suisse is weighing several survival options as regulators urge the investment bank to pursue a deal with UBS.

☆ Fail or sale? What could be next for stricken Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In this article CSG.N-CHSBNY Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTPeople walk by the New York headquarters of Credit Suisse on March 15, 2023 in New York City. Barry Norris, CEO of Argonaut Capital, which has a short position in Credit Suisse, stressed the importance of a smooth outcome. watch nowEuropean banking shares have suffered steep declines throughout the latest Credit Suisse saga, highlighting market concerns about the contagion effect given the sheer scale of the 167-year-old institution. At the moment, the forecaster sees the problems at Credit Suisse and SVB as "a collection of different idiosyncratic issues." "We know that for most banks, including Credit Suisse, that exposure to higher yields has largely been hedged.

☆ From spying to Swiss bailout: How years of turbulence at Credit Suisse came to a head
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland February 21, 2022. The announcement that Credit Suisse would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the central bank came after consecutive sessions of steep drops in its share price. It made Credit Suisse the first major bank to receive such an intervention since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Scandals Credit Suisse is currently undergoing a massive strategic overhaul in a bid to address these chronic issues. These oversight failures resulted in a massive shakeup of Credit Suisse's investment banking, risk and compliance and asset management divisions.

☆ Explainer: Credit Suisse: How did it get to crisis point?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Credit Suisse confirmed last month that clients had pulled 110 billion Swiss francs of funds in the fourth quarter while the bank suffered its biggest annual loss of 7.29 billion Swiss francs since the financial crisis. In December, Credit Suisse had tapped investors for 4 billion Swiss francs. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHAT STEPS CAN CREDIT SUISSE TAKE TO CALM INVESTORS? HOW IMPORTANT IS CREDIT SUISSE? Credit Suisse has a local Swiss bank, wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations.

☆ What happened at Credit Suisse and how did it reach crisis point?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In December, Credit Suisse had tapped investors for 4 billion Swiss francs. Credit Suisse shares have lost more than 75% of their value over the past twelve months. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHAT STEPS CAN CREDIT SUISSE TAKE TO CALM INVESTORS? HOW IMPORTANT IS CREDIT SUISSE? Credit Suisse has a local Swiss bank, wealth management, investment banking and asset management operations.

☆ How Credit Suisse has evolved over 167 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here is how Credit Suisse has developed over 167 years:1856Politician and business leader Alfred Escher founds Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA) to finance the expansion of the railroad network and promote Swiss industrialisation. 1997A reorganisation turns CS Holding into Credit Suisse Group and drops the SKA name; it also buys insurer Winterthur, a strategic partner. 2002A reorganisation creates two units: Credit Suisse Financial Services and Credit Suisse First Boston; two years later it splits into three units by adding Winterthur. 2005Credit Suisse and CSFB merge and stop using the Credit Suisse First Boston brand name. The Swiss authorities provide assurances that Credit Suisse has met "the capital and liquidity requirements imposed on systemically important banks".

☆ Exclusive: Semiconductor manufacturer Infinera explores sale -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Milana Vinn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Infinera Corp (INFN.O), a U.S. manufacturer of semiconductors for the telecommunications industry that competes with China's Huawei, is exploring options that include a sale of the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. The San Jose, California-based company, which has a market value of $1.6 billion, is working with investment bank Centerview Partners on a sale process that will launch in a few weeks, the source said. There is no certainty that Infinera will reach any deal, added the source, who requested anonymity because the deliberations are confidential. Infinera and Centerview did not respond to requests for comment. Infinera makes optical semiconductors and networking equipment for fixed line and mobile telecommunications networks.

☆ Here’s how we navigated three sessions of SVB-sparked chaos and Tuesday’s bounce
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The S & P 500 climbed roughly 1% in afternoon Tuesday trading, clawing back only some of its 3.4% decline between Thursday and Monday's close. We spent Monday morning looking for things to buy in what our trusted S & P Oscillator signaled was an oversold market. In the three sessions Thursday through Monday, both stocks underperformed the S & P 500 as they fell 5.4% and 4.4%, respectively. Palo Alto didn't get either nod, but we think it's only a matter of time before its added to the index. While S & P 500 constituency wasn't in the cards this time, we will continue to add to our position into weakness.

☆ Over a dozen Chinese-based firms say they have minimal exposure to SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 13 (Reuters) - Over a dozen Hong Kong-listed companies have stepped forward to say they had little or no exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, the failed U.S. lender which has roiled investors and markets globally. Startup-focussed SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O), which did business as Silicon Valley Bank, collapsed on Friday in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. China-based drug developer Beigene Ltd (6160.HK) said it has uninsured cash deposits held at the bank representing 3.9% of its last reported total cash and cash equivalents. Six Hong Kong-listed companies, mostly Chinese pharmaceutical firms also over the weekend disclosed cash deposits at Silicon Valley Bank. Broncus Holding Corporation (2216.HK) said it held $11.8 million at SVB, representing around 6.5% of its total cash.

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