Prudential split option remains after profit rise November 14, 2012 PRUDENTIAL chief executive Tidjane Thiam yesterday said the firm would keep the option of breaking up the group on the table after its Asian and US divisions posted solid gains for the third quarter. Thiam, who has previously hinted he wanted “optionality” over the four separate divisions of the group, said he would keep the [...]
Santander spearheads drive to rehabilitate securitisations November 14, 2012 SANTANDER is set to be the first bank to add a new industry stamp of approval to a securitisation, as the sector hopes to improve the image of financial instruments tarnished in the financial crisis. Securitisations see portfolios of loans – in Santander’s case, car loans – sliced up and sold to investors. The failure [...]
Russian billionaire snaps up top investment bank November 14, 2012 DEALMAKER Stephen Jennings, who helped lead the privatisation boom of post-Communist Russia, yesterday left the country behind after selling his investment bank Renaissance Capital to billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. New Zealander Jennings, who founded the bank in 1995, yesterday sold his remaining 50 per cent stake to Prokhorov’s Onexim Group, who already owned the other half [...]
Banks told to cut bonuses November 14, 2012 UK banks have been told by regulators to ensure employee bonuses are kept down to reflect the industry’s recent mis-selling and rate-fixing scandals, a source confirmed last night. Letters sent last month by the Financial Services Authority to all bank chief executives also told the institutions they should set an example and “claw back” past [...]
Spotify valued at $3bn November 14, 2012 MUSIC streaming service Spotify has been valued at $3bn (£1.9bn) after completing a new round of funding yesterday. The loss-making Swedish company, led by 29-year-old Daniel Ek (pictured), raised $100m from a group of investors including Goldman Sachs and Coca-Cola. The firm charges £9.99/month for unlimited access to millions of tracks.
Cocos are gogo as buyers flood Barclays’ issue November 14, 2012 BARCLAYS’ groundbreaking new contingent convertible bonds – cocos – received an enthusiastic welcome from investors, in a very positive sign for the market as banks will have to increase issuance of the instruments. The bank is raising $3bn (£1.89bn) in the 10-year instruments, with a face yield of 7.625 per cent. But with the final [...]
Jury retires to consider verdict in trial of ex-UBS trader Adoboli November 14, 2012 THE jury in the London trial of former UBS trader Kweku Adoboli, who is blamed for a loss of $2.3bn, retired yesterday to consider its verdicts. Adoboli, 32, denies two charges of fraud by abuse of position and four charges of false accounting, covering the period from October 2008 to his arrest on 15 September [...]
John Lewis boss urges action on foreign firm tax payments November 14, 2012 THE managing director of retail chain John Lewis last night called on the government to examine the way foreign multinationals pay tax in the UK. Andy Street said the Treasury needs to do more to prevent the likes of online retailer Amazon “destroying the UK tax base” and potentially putting British companies out of business. [...]
Firms hail new watered down approach to EU board quotas November 14, 2012 FIRMS and equality groups yesterday welcomed the European Commission’s decision to water down its quotas plan, saying the voluntary approach was working. The European Commission (EC) decided to scrap its original plan to impose 40 per cent quotas on firms, replacing it with a 40 per cent target. The EC will require member states to [...]
Sainsbury wins shoppers over with coupons November 14, 2012 J SAINSBURY boss Justin King said the supermarket’s Nectar data and coupon-at-till scheme would give it the edge over rivals ahead of another competitive christmas, as it reported a rise in half-year profit. Britain’s third largest supermarket beat forecasts with a five per cent rise in first-half profit to £373m, driven by convenience store growth [...]
