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☆ Ping An urges HSBC to make aggressive cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] The company logo of Ping An Insurance is seen in Beijing, China, Aug. 27, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas PeterHONG KONG, Nov 4 (Reuters) - HSBC Holdings shareholder Ping An has urged the lender to cut costs aggressively and exit sub-scale non-Asian markets as the Chinese insurer pushes harder for the bank to spin off its Asia operation. HSBC should be "more aggressive in radically reducing costs" and consider layoffs, Ping An Asset Management, the bank's largest shareholder and a wholly-owned unit of Ping An Insurance (601318.SS), said in a statement on Friday. Reporting by Selena Li Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ HSBC top shareholder Ping An urges aggressive cost cuts, renews spin-off push
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HSBC should be "more aggressive in radically reducing costs" and consider layoffs, Ping An Asset Management (Ping An AM), the bank's largest shareholder and a wholly-owned unit of Ping An Insurance (601318.SS), said in a statement on Friday. The statement on Friday marks Ping An AM's first public comments on the subject. Ping An AM said cost reduction was "urgent and absolutely needed" for the bank to improve performance, suggesting HSBC should consider layoffs and cuts in expenses at headquarters. HSBC said in a statement it had kept a tight grip on costs by driving greater efficiencies across the organisation. "We will support any initiatives including a spin-off that are conducive to improve HSBC's performance and value; we will consider any suggestions that will help HSBC improve its development and operation strategy," Ping An AM said.

Those returns would come from "great trading opportunities", including placing long and short bets on Chinese equities, said Man Group CEO Luke Ellis, without giving any details. "I think the alpha opportunities in China are very attractive," Ellis told Reuters on Thursday, referring to the potential to generate returns that are higher than market benchmark gains. "We've been able to generate good alpha in the Chinese market. With China gradually opening up its markets to foreign investors, Ellis sees the potential for Man Group to expand its operations in that country when it relaxes its stringent COVID-induced border controls. Man Group launched a Chinese domestic private fund unit in 2017 that currently runs one fund with a macro strategy.

HONG KONG, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Wall Street major Morgan Stanley (MS.N) is expected to start a fresh round of layoffs globally in the coming weeks, three people with knowledge of the plan said, as dealmaking business takes a hit due to rising inflation and an economic downturn. One of the sources said the bank's 30-plus technology investment banking team in Asia Pacific will also be affected by the cuts. Morgan Stanley last month reported a 30% slump in third-quarter profit, missing analysts' estimate as a slowdown in global dealmaking hurt its investment bank business. Gorman is currently in Hong Kong at a high-profile financial summit aimed at re-opening the city to international investors after nearly three years of strict COVID restrictions. Reporting by Kane Wu and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong, Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Auditor exodus at embattled China property firms triggers governance concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Auditors of at least 14 Hong Kong-listed Chinese property firms have exited this year, securities filings showed, raising governance concerns about the debt-ridden developers several of whom are yet to publish long-pending financial results. Embattled developers including Sunac China (1918.HK), Shimao Group (0813.HK) and Kaisa Group (1638.HK) are among those whose auditors have parted ways in recent months. In many cases, firms outside the Big-Four accounting firms have been roped in as replacements. The trend, which accelerated earlier this year, has seen auditors, including the world's top auditing firms PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte, resigning from their roles. Deloitte in Hong Kong declined to comment on the reasons for ending their auditing mandates for some Chinese property developers.

☆ Credit Suisse plans to push ahead with China expansion after overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

As part of the global revamp, Credit Suisse is evaluating its presence in 13 locations in Asia Pacific with an aim to "simplify" operations in each location, Credit Suisse's Singapore-based Asia Pacific chief executive Edwin Low told Reuters, without elaborating. Low said China and Hong Kong, however, will remain brighter spots. A Credit Suisse report in September forecast the number of Chinese millionaires will double by 2026. As part of its China expansion plans, Credit Suisse struck a deal to buy out its Chinese partner in a local securities joint venture last month, at a time when plans of its global overhaul were being deliberated internally. "China will go through ups and downs, but we're giving the opportunity to acquire 100% of Credit Suisse Securities with our full commitment, knowing that the China recovery may not be immediate," Low said.

HONG KONG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong aims to restore its reputation as a global financial hub by playing host to a bevy of top Wall Street executives this week, defying critics who say a talent crunch and geopolitical tension will hobble its ambition. Alongside the main theme of "navigating through uncertainty", the summit is widely expected to focus on whether Hong Kong can remain a global financial centre after almost three years of border controls and pandemic restrictions. COVID-19 CONTROLSThe two-day summit, organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) - the de-facto central bank - has suffered at least two marquee participants dropping out after contracting COVID-19. Those who make it will look for reassurances of the city returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, making it easier for them to move talent to Hong Kong. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Kane Wu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EXCLUSIVE KKR raises $6 bln for biggest Asia infrastructure fund -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HOTBED FOR DEALSLike the debut infrastructure fund that made more than a dozen investments, KKR's latest one will target renewables, telecom towers, power, utilities and transportation infrastructure, among others, the sources said. This year alone, funds backed by the likes of KKR, Macquarie, infrastructure investors DigitalBridge (DBRG.N) and Stonepeak have struck deals for tens of thousands of telecom towers in the Philippines. Earlier this month, a top executive at Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Malaysia's largest asset manager, told Reuters that it plans to add infrastructure assets into its portfolio from 2023. Last year, 19 Asia Pacific-focused infrastructure funds raised a total of $10.3 billion, Preqin data showed. Last month, Neil Arora, a veteran infrastructure dealmaker from Macquarie, joined KKR as the head of its energy transition team for Asia Pacific.

☆ Citi CEO Fraser will not attend Hong Kong summit due to COVID - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Citigroup (C.N) Chief Executive Jane Fraser will not attend next week's Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in Hong Kong as she has tested positive for COVID-19, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. It did not say if Chan would attend the summit. Citi's Fraser was set to join the heads of some of the world's top banks and asset managers at the summit. A Citi spokesperson confirmed the development and said that Fraser looked forward to visiting Hong Kong in the near future. Goldman Sachs (GS.N) CEO David Solomon, Morgan Stanley (MS.N) boss James Gorman and BlackRock (BLK.N) President Rob Kapito are among the speakers scheduled to attend, according to the summit organiser, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Seeking to restore vigour to a business that's been languishing, Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) says it will reshape its investment bank by resurrecting the First Boston brand. Still, Credit Suisse says it expects CS First Boston to generate 14% of total group revenue by 2025, starting with annual sales of about $2.5 billion. Credit Suisse has been plagued by an exodus of senior bankers over the past 18 months. Yet most trading activities will remain within Credit Suisse, raising questions on CSFB's ability to compete with the likes of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan (JPM.N). Credit Suisse is hoping to eventually pursue an initial public offering of CSFB, Körner told analysts.

☆ China's Xi clinches third term, packs leadership team with loyalists
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - China's Xi Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a new Politburo Standing Committee stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang followed Xi onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People as the new leadership team was introduced, meaning he is likely to succeed Li Keqiang as premier when he retires in March. The other members of the seven-man Standing Committee, China's top governing body, are Zhao Leji and Wang Huning, who return from the previous committee, and newcomers Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. Li Qiang is also new to the Standing Committee. Xi Jinping also has total control over the larger Politburo and Central Committee," he said.

☆ Temasek-backed Vertex set to raise nearly $500 mln for new China-focused fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/HONG KONG, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Venture capital firm Vertex Ventures, backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, is set to raise nearly $500 million for a new fund that will invest in efforts to step up China's domestic tech development, a senior executive said. The new fund's size will exceed an initial target of $400 million, compare with an earlier, similar fund that raised $275 million, said Tay Choon Chong, managing partner at Vertex Ventures China. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"China is pivoting from relying on imported technologies to its own tech know-how," Tay said. The latest Vertex fund comes amid a slowdown this year in U.S. dollar-denominated fundraising by China-focused venture capital and private equity firms. While looking for investment opportunities involving companies developing advanced technologies, Vertex will also look for firms that have potential in reducing Beijing's reliance on foreign suppliers, Tay said.

☆ BNP Paribas gets regulatory nod to set up China asset management joint venture
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Oct 18 (Reuters) - BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) has received Chinese regulatory approval to start building an asset management venture with Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank) (601288.SS), the two companies said, allowing the French firm to tap a $4 trillion market. Reuters reported in September last year that BNP's asset management arm was in talks to form a wealth management venture with a unit of AgBank, taking advantage of China's opening up of its financial markets for foreigners. BNP Paribas Asset Management and ABC Wealth Management, a wealth arm of AgBank, will fund the new platform, according to Monday's filing. Since China deregulated financial markets in 2019, allowing foreign asset managers to set up majority-owned ventures with local banks, a flurry of foreign firms including BlackRock and Amundi have launched majority-controlled units locally. The new platform will add to BNP Paribas' 49%-owned asset management joint venture with brokerage firm Haitong Securities which mainly runs mutual funds.

☆ Credit Suisse names Wang as China securities venture CEO - memo
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) has named veteran banker Jing Wang as chief executive officer of its Chinese securities joint venture effective immediately, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters on Thursday. Wang recently worked as the bank's head of China onshore wealth management. A Credit Suisse spokesperson confirmed the contents of the memo. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Selena Li; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's smaller banks cut deposit rates to ease margin pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Several Chinese city commercial banks and rural commercial lenders have cut their rates on a range of deposits this week, according to statements released on the banks' websites. The smaller lenders followed in the footsteps of some of China's biggest state-owned banks, which implemented rate cuts earlier this month. Peiqian Liu, China economist at Natwest Markets, noted the commercial banks' deposit rate cuts are part of the monetary policy transmission mechanism after the central bank cut key policy rates in August. "This rate cut by commercial banks will help improve the profit margin slightly and is technically opening up more space for further (benchmark lending) rate cuts." Four of the five of China’s largest banks, except for Bank of China, reported falling net interest margins (NIMs) in the second quarter.

read moreAbout 10 officials from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) have arrived in Hong Kong and joined the audit inspection, which started on Monday, three of the people said. State-owned China Southern Airlines and data centre company GDS Holdings are among the U.S.-listed Chinese companies for audit inspection in the Asian financial hub, two separate sources said. Reuters reported last month that U.S. regulators had picked a number of U.S.-listed Chinese companies including e-commerce majors Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) and JD.com Inc (9618.HK) for audit inspection. It was not clear whether the Chinese officials would be present for every step of the inspection process with PCAOB representatives. The onsite inspections by the PCAOB are being conducted in the Hong Kong offices of the selected Chinese companies' audit firms, said two of the sources.

read moreAbout 10 officials from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) have arrived in Hong Kong and joined the audit inspection, which started on Monday, three of the people said. However, in a speech on Thursday, PCAOB chair Erica Williams said agency officials had arrived in Hong Kong to begin the inspections. As with all inspections, they will look at factors, including the audits of the selected companies and the overall quality control systems of the audit companies. State-owned China Southern Airlines and data centre company GDS Holdings are among the U.S.-listed Chinese companies for audit inspection in the Asian financial hub, two separate sources said. The onsite inspections by the PCAOB are being conducted in the Hong Kong offices of the selected Chinese companies' audit firms, said two of the sources.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Kaisa offshore creditors offer $2 bln to take over stalled projects - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A sign of the Kaisa Holdings Group is seen at the Shanghai Kaisa Financial Centre, in Shanghai, China, December 7, 2021. It also comes as authorities are scrambling to contain a mortgage boycott by homebuyers against stalled projects. The offshore bondholder group, which is being represented by financial advisory group Lazard Ltd, made the offer to acquire Kaisa's stalled projects to the developer's advisor CITIC Securities, said the people. As most of Kaisa's projects are in top-tier Chinese cities, where housing prices are relatively resilient, bondholders expect to reap the profits after the completion of the stalled projects, said the two people. It is unclear how many stalled projects would be covered by the bondholder group's offer, and how many of them meet the purchase criteria laid out by the group.

☆ Exclusive: Kaisa offshore creditors offer $2 billion to take over stalled projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Analysis: China's mortgage boycott quietly regroups as construction idles
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Surveillance cameras are seen near residential buildings under construction in Shanghai, China July 20, 2022. "What will we do if construction still doesn't resume after six months? The threat of more mortgage boycott comes as China prepares to hold the Communist Party Congress next month, with efforts to revive an economy plagued by the property crisis in focus. 'APPEASE HOMEOWNERS'The mortgage boycott has added to worries about a prolonged slump in China's property market, which has lurched from crisis to crisis since mid-2020 after regulators stepped in to reduce leverage. Out of Evergrande's 706 projects, 38 have not resumed construction, while 62 were only now restarting.

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