Banknote printer De La Rue set for review of finances February 15, 2020 The Bank of England’s banknote printer, De La Rue, is set for talks with its lenders after calling in advisers to review the business. De La Rue’s banking syndicate, led by HSBC, has appointed FTI Consulting to negotiate the future of its borrowing arrangements with lenders, according to Sky News Last November, the firm said [...]
RBS to rebrand as Natwest as bank posts £4.2bn profit under new boss Alison Rose February 14, 2020 Royal Bank of Scotland reported profit of £4.2bn for 2019 today, beating its financial targets as new boss Alison Rose outlined a rebrand of the bank to its Natwest name. But RBS’s share price sank 6.4 per cent to lead the FTSE 100 fallers today. Traders reacted badly to a cautious outlook on growth amid [...]
European Union increased cartel fines 74 per cent last year to $1.6bn February 13, 2020 The European Union (EU) increased fines for cartels 74 per cent last year to $1.6bn (£1.2bn). Analysis released today showed that the EU was the top of the global table for cartel fines, with the amount levied increasing nearly 40 per cent from the previous year. In May, the EU Commission hit five banks, Barclays, [...]
Barclays boss Jes Staley ‘deeply regrets’ Jeffrey Epstein links February 13, 2020 Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has said he “deeply regrets” his connection with Jeffrey Epstein after it emerged that British regulators are investigating his links with the convicted sex offender. Staley admitted this morning that he maintained contact with with the disgraced financier, who took his own life in a New York jail last year [...]
Expecting a bonus from overseas? February 13, 2020 | City Talk Hedging against risk in currency remuneration If you are currently working overseas, then you may be in receipt of a salary in currency. If you send all or part of that salary back to the UK, you may have found that the amount varies month to month due to fluctuations in the currency market. Over [...]
Commerzbank to continue cost-cutting after quarterly loss February 13, 2020 Commerzbank said today it was looking to make further cuts to costs after reporting a smaller-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter. The German lender, which is in the process of restructuring following a failed attempt to merge with Deutsche Bank, posted a €54m (£45m) quarterly loss. Chief executive Martin Zielke said he was growing optimistic [...]
Bittersweet farewell for Tidjane Thiam as Credit Suisse profits soar February 13, 2020 Credit Suisse has reported its highest annual profits in almost a decade, just days after chief executive Tidjane Thiam was ousted in the wake of a lurid spying scandal that erupted last year. The figures Credit Suisse’s pre-tax profit rose 40 per cent to 4.7bn Swiss francs (£3.7bn) for 2019, the highest figure since 2010. [...]
Cum-ex: The mammoth European financial crime scandal comes to London February 13, 2020 Denmark has a long history of exports across the North Sea. The Vikings, Bacon, Lego, hygge, the Schmeichels, and now, mammoth fraud trials. The Danish taxman is pursuing a $1.9bn (£1.5bn) fraud claim through the UK courts against British businessman Sanjay Shah and more than 70 other individuals and companies. The huge High Court case [...]
Extinction Rebellion to target Barclays, PwC and News Corp in new wave of protests February 12, 2020 Climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion said today it would target the financial industry in a new wave of protests this year. The group’s co-founder said Barclays Bank, Big Four accountancy firm PwC and media group News Corp would be among the targets of direction action. Gail Bradbrook told Reuters that “the economic system is [...]
Brexit: UK ‘optimistic’ on EU green light for derivatives trading February 12, 2020 The UK is “cautiously optimistic” it will get the EU’s permission for the City’s clearing houses to continue to process trillions of pounds of derivatives for EU customers after Brexit, Bank of England deputy governor Sam Woods said today. The London Stock Exchange’s LCH unit holds positions worth £57 trillion on behalf of clients in [...]