World bond market sets quarterly record after boom in first-half activity August 8, 2019 The world’s green bond market hit a record quarterly high in the last three months, as investor appetite in environmental assets picked up pace. Issuers brought $66.6bn (£54.8bn) of green bonds to market globally in the second quarter of 2019, propelling issuance in the first half of the year and shattering records. Read more: Climate [...]
London will retain financial firepower even in ‘worst possible’ Brexit, says Central Bank of Ireland August 8, 2019 London is likely to remain a leading global financial centre even in the most adverse Brexit scenarios, the Central Bank of Ireland has concluded in a new report. The EU-based Central Bank has said that even in the worst possible outcome of Britain’s departure from the EU, the impact on the capital’s financial and related professional [...]
Burford Capital share price surges as it blasts shortseller Muddy Waters August 8, 2019 Burford Capital has strongly retaliated against the accusations made by Muddy Waters, accusing the shortseller of “fallacious insinuations” and “inflammatory rhetoric”. In a strongly-worded statement issued to investors, Burford denounced Muddy Waters’ report into the company as “baseless”, saying it contained “many factual inaccuracies, simple analytical errors and selective use of information”. The company also [...]
New head of global commercial banking at HSBC after top-level reshuffle August 8, 2019 HSBC has promoted Barry O’Byrne to head up the lender’s global commercial banking arm as its previous boss takes the reins as interim chief executive of the company. Read more: Co-op bank narrows losses O’Byrne is taking on the interim role as part of a top-level reshuffle that involved Noel Quinn, HSBC’s former chief executive [...]
Muddy Waters: Shortsellers are targeting Neil Woodford investments after Burford Capital August 8, 2019 The head of Muddy Waters has warned that shortsellers are attacking Neil Woodford investments a day after he shorted Burford Capital, burning almost £1.8bn off the value of the company. “Shortsellers do definitely look for where Neil Woodford is invested, especially when he’s invested outside of large cap value,” said Carson Block. Read more: Burford [...]
Co-op Bank narrows losses but warns over mortgage competition August 8, 2019 The UK’s Co-operative Bank cut its losses in the first half of the year but said “margin headwinds” due to mortgage competition were holding it back. Read more: Metro Bank share price plummets in wake of profit drop The figures Co-op Bank made a statutory pre-tax loss of £38.5m in the first half, its interim [...]
Banks, don’t forget about the human touch August 8, 2019 Technology is transforming how we all live our lives. This is true in every part of the country and in every sector, and banking is no different. But the challenge for banks is to harness the possibilities of rapidly-evolving technology for the benefit of our customers. New banking tech affects how we live our lives, [...]
Burford left reeling as shortseller takes aim at business August 8, 2019 Shares in London-listed litigation funder Burford Capital crashed 45 per cent yesterday following a scathing report from shortseller Muddy Waters. The incendiary document confirmed that Muddy Waters now holds a short position on Burford, which it described as “a poor business masquerading as a great one”. Read more: Shares crash as short seller Muddy Waters savages [...]
London Deutsche Bank trader charged in Germany for ‘VAT fraud’ August 7, 2019 A trader who worked at Deutsche Bank in London has been charged by German prosecutors for his suspected role in VAT fraud. A 48-year-old Austrian is “accused of having participated as a member of a gang in a VAT carousel” connected to €145m of evaded tax, a statement from the Frankfurt Attorney General’s office said. [...]
Unicredit cuts 2019 revenue guidance despite profit jump August 7, 2019 Unicredit slashed its revenue target for the full-year this morning, as interest rate headwinds and a global slowdown takes its toll on Italy’s largest bank. Revenue guidance for the year has been cut to €18.7bn (£17.2bn), falling from a previous estimate of €19.8bn. Read more: Commerzbank now warns its 2019 profit target looks ambitious UniCredit [...]