Coronavirus: FTSE firms get an extra two months to publish results March 26, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today said listed companies could have an extra two months to publish their financial results. In a joint statement with audit regulator the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), the FCA said: “Companies and their auditors currently face unprecedented challenges in preparing and [...]
Coronavirus: Moody’s downgrades outlook for Europe’s biggest banking systems March 26, 2020 Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded the outlook for six of Europe’s biggest banking systems to “negative” as coronavirus threatens lenders’ profitability and asset quality. Moody’s said the banking systems of France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium face a very difficult year and can therefore no longer keep their “stable” rating. The ratings agency [...]
ECB ditches rules limiting €750bn coronavirus bond purchases March 26, 2020 The European Central Bank (ECB) has scrapped nearly all limits to its bond-buying programme, significantly widening the scope of the €750bn (£700bn) of asset purchases it announced last week. The Eurozone’s central bank has previously followed self-imposed rules that say it cannot buy more than a third of a country’s sovereign debt. The Bank was [...]
Non-Standard Finance cuts lending amid coronavirus outbreak March 26, 2020 Non-Standard Finance is cutting lending across its divisions in a bid to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on its financial performance. The sub-prime lender said it is reducing lending volumes across all three of its divisions to shift resources to managing collections. The group said it would continue to offer credit, subject to [...]
Cash-poor UK firms lobby for looser rules on stock offerings March 25, 2020 Advisers to cash-strapped British firms are lobbying regulators to loosen rules governing new stock offerings, in the hope it could make it easier for struggling companies to raise funds. An industry body representing investment banks is asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to increase the maximum allowed discount for equity sales on the London Stock [...]
ECB’s Christine Lagarde asked Eurozone to consider joint ‘coronabonds’ March 25, 2020 European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde asked Eurozone finance ministers yesterday to seriously consider launching joint “coronabonds” to help countries in the currency area which have been put under stress by the coronavirus outbreak. However, the idea of issuing joint debt for the whole of the euro area was opposed by Germany, the Netherlands [...]
Milestones for ending Libor will be hit by coronavirus, says City watchdog March 25, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic will make it harder for some firms to meet some of the milestones for transitioning away from Libor, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said. Libor, or the London Interbank Offered Rate, is an interest rate benchmark used in contracts worth around £355 trillion globally. The rate was widely discredited after banks were [...]
Government and Bank of England urge banks to keep lending despite coronavirus uncertainty March 25, 2020 British banks must continue to provide loans during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that previously viable companies do not fail due to the crisis, the government and Bank of England said. In a joint letter to the chief executives of major banks, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and the interim chief [...]
Credit Suisse cuts ex-boss Thiam’s bonus in wake of spying scandal March 25, 2020 The spying scandal that rocked Credit Suisse cost former chief executive Tidjane Thiam part of his bonus in 2019, with his overall compensation falling 15 per cent to 10.7 million Swiss francs (£9.2m). Thiam quit in February after a bitter boardroom battle with chairman Urs Rohner in the wake of the scandal over surveillance of [...]
Lloyds suspends 780 planned job cuts amid coronavirus uncertainty March 24, 2020 Banking giant Lloyds is suspending 780 job cuts across its branches amid surging demand for loans and uncertainty over how many of its staff may need to self-isolate. The cuts were originally announced in February as part of a cost-cutting drive by Lloyds, which is working to shrink its branch network in response to declining [...]