European financial centres lose global standing amid ‘relentless pivot to Asia’ Business European financial centres suffered a decline in global rankings as the continent continued to lose ground to fast-growing Asian cities. Centres across Europe saw their prominence erode, with several key cities tumbling in the latest rankings from Z/Yen’s 40th Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 40). European cities fell out of top 20, after only four [...]
HSBC sells Singapore insurance arm to Allianz in £1.6bn deal Banking FTSE 100 HSBC has agreed to sell its health and life insurance business to German insurance giant Allianz for $2.1bn (£1.6bn) as it refocuses its strategy on Singapore’s wealth management. The banking giant agreed to sell its Singapore business to Allianz in a transaction that is expected to be completed in the first half of [...]
Formula 1’s governing body wants more races in China and Asia Sport Business Formula 1’s governing body has insisted it wants more races in China and Asia as part of a Far East pivot ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) told City AM that Asia had become a key growth market for the not-for-profit motorsport governing body, which this [...]
Oracle slashes 21,000 jobs amid AI embrace as tech sell-off rocks Asia June 23, 2026 Software giant Oracle axed around 21,000 roles in the last year as the US tech giant turbocharged its AI adoption plans – even as markets continue to question the rapid acceleration of the tech boom. The computing firm – which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange – said in its annual report the [...]
Asian stocks reach record highs on tech euphoria and US-Iran peace deal June 15, 2026 Stocks across Asia surged during Monday trading, as market euphoria from SpaceX’s IPO on Friday combined with relief over the US-Iran peace deal sent investors back into the stock market, pushing indexes to record highs. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rocketed over five per cent in the first 90 minutes of trading, surpassing the 69,000 mark to [...]
Geopolitical risks upend gold’s glittering demand dynamics April 29, 2026 Gold’s glittering run has upended demand dynamics, as rising prices amid the Iran war led investors to plough into a diversified range of assets. Total gold demand in the first financial quarter hit 1,231 tonnes, a modest two per cent year on year increase from 2025. But the humble increase coupled with gold’s staggering price [...]
Ashmore share price plummets after Iran War leaves investors sitting on their hands April 16, 2026 Emerging market specialist Ashmore Group suffered a sharp drop in its share price during early morning trading, after the Middle East conflict brought earlier growth to a grounding halt and caused investors to “sit on their hands”. Shares tumbled 5.6 per cent in early trading to 209.4p, after the group reported a three per cent [...]
Trump turmoil in Asia sends chills through Seoul while China keeps its cool April 6, 2026 The war in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through global markets, stoking volatility across exchanges and asset classes everywhere. But one region, Asia, has been particularly exposed, due to its position at the forefront of the daily trading cycle. As the latest on-the-ground headlines line up alongside President Donald Trump’s erratic social media posts [...]
How HSBC and Standard Chartered are riding high on Asia’s wealth February 26, 2026 London’s banking giants are circling the UK’s wealth management pie. But two other top lenders could be carving out a feast 6,000 miles away. HSBC and Standard Chartered posted hefty bumps to their wealth divisions, driven by a strategic focus on Asia and the Middle East. In financial results shared on Wednesday, HSBC revealed bank-wide [...]
Standard Chartered hikes investor returns despite profit miss February 24, 2026 Standard Chartered handed out bumper investor returns following its full-year results despite the London-listed bank missing its profit target pencilled in by analysts. The Asian-focused lender recorded a two per cent uptick in pre-tax profit to $814m, falling below analyst expectations of $1.1bn. The miss came as net interest income performed weaker-than-expected, slumping 12 per [...]