The British banking group Lloyds Banking Group announced that it is withdrawn from the market in Ireland. As a reason for this state financial institution “concluded that the country is minimal growth opportunities,” said Wall Street Journal. The decision of Lloyds, 41% of capital owned by the British government, comes after the closure of the entire network of bank branches to Ireland. It took place in June when 44 branches across the country closed doors. Before the financial crisis, Lloyds has managed to achieve significant gains from the real estate boom in lending, but now the situation in the country is quite different. Because of the crisis leading banks in Ireland are facing huge losses, but three of the largest financial institutions were nationalized. Nationalization because investors fear that the country will need to pour more of taxpayers’ money in the banking sector, which in turn negatively impact on confidence in the stability of Ireland. In recent months, speculation about a collapse of the financial system periodically recruited force, which is reflected in strong growth in the risk premium of Ireland.
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The British banking giant HSBC continued its drive towards expansion in developing countries. This time a financial institution which is among the market leaders in the Asian region has made a step towards the African banking market, reports Financial Times. HSBC’s new acquisition are 52% stake in South African bank Nedbank. However, no official information about the transaction and the price at which it was concluded. According to sources, the newspaper HSBC has managed to acquire a controlling stake in Nedbank after fight with Standard Chartered. Price offered by HSBC, however, was higher and therefore the banking giant was able to conclude the deal. Nedbank is the fourth amount of assets a financial institution in South Africa to share in it have fought and Standard Chartered. The sale is announce for the recovery of the business in Great Britain from the financial crisis and the continue of the high profits and goof financial reports for the business in UK.
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Since most European banks have moved long-awaited stress tests, they now face even more serious challenge in the coming months, namely – the collection of long-term resource for billions of dollars with which to finance lending. Card is placed on the fragile economic recovery across Europe. Unlike the U.S. the majority of European companies rely on bank financing. If banks fail to attract investors to the bond markets, they will be able to grant long term loans, which businesses to fund their investments. According to the European Central Bank (ECB) bank loans accounted for 70% of debt financing to companies in the euro area, while 80% of loans to U.S. companies raised through capital markets, reported Wall Street Journal. European governments are hoping stress tests that only 7 of 91 banks failed to pass, to reduce concerns about the health of the banking sector in Europe, encouraging investors to buy bonds of credit institutions. So far, banks face problems raising funds from markets, and instead resorted to mass services of the ECB to fund their daily operations. “The real test is whether banks will be financed at a reasonable price from the capital markets to perform their usual function in the economy,” said Gary Jenkins, head of analysis of fixed income instruments at Evolution Securities.
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The Germany’s industrial giant Siemens has submitted documents to obtain a banking license, reported by the company. The reason for such desire is the company’s desire to keep safe their huge cash balances. The aim of the Siemens e to “broaden its product portfolio in financial sector and particularly in the field of sales and financing,” says the official release. Currently, it is unclear whether the company will receive a license as documents need to be addressed by Germany’s Financial Supervision Commission. Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper before the Finance Director of Siemens Keser Joe announced that the company draws lessons from the past and why it has taken such a decision. “In this situation, by the legal environment that is not entirely clear, we may be affected if the banks have problems,” he said. “Liquidity in our time is around nine billion euros, which means that really we need opportunities for safe investments, such as Siemens will can make itself through your own bank,” said Keser. If granted a license, a company could, for example, deposited funds with the central bank of Germany, and it’s pretty safe investment, “he added.
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Plans by financial regulators around the world to force banks to set aside billions of dollars in additional capital to cope more easily with future crises will be lifted because of intense lobbying against them by the financial sector. Details for Regulatory Reform, which was published six months ago, became the subject of heated disputes between lawmakers and representatives of the banking sector. Now achieved consensus tends to reduce the severity of the proposed changes, writes Financial Times. Preliminary draft of the latest proposals of the Basel Committee, responsible for regulation in the banking sector worldwide, will be presented at the summit of the G-20, which will be held in Toronto this weekend. The most significant change proposed by the committee’s recommendations affect the financial reforms of the amount of liquid funds that banks must hold to protect themselves in financial crisis. Measures to improve the capital base of banks in the short term are retained. Basel Committee, however, may abandon the idea that banks should maintain a stable long-term lending. This means that more stringent rules for consideration of the maturity of their assets and liabilities may be removed. According to representatives of the banking sector made design changes to the financial reform could prevent an excessive increase in funding costs for banks that will affect them and the fees they pay customers. Six months ago they predicted in its initial form measures could bring the industry to 5 billion additional costs.
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The British bank Standard Chartered Bank has gathered 537 million dollars from offering shares in India, announced the Air Force. The issue was oversubscribed more than twice. Standard Chartered has sold Indian shares through depository receipts. This is the first such sale made by a foreign company in the country. The Bank will issue 240 million Indian depository receipts at a price of 104 rupees (2.24 dollars) each. Interest in the issue was both by institutional investors, and the individual. Receipts will be listed two exchanges – Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India, to 11 June Buyers will receive receipts of bonuses or dividends on them in the same way as if they were direct owners of shares in Standard Chartered. The Bank plans to increase its presence in India, has opened its first branch more than 150 years. Really this revealed in front of many investors the potential of the Asian market and show that the countries like India and China can be the consumer of the financial instruments offered by the European companies and banks.
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The largest commercial bank in the U.S. – Bank of America returned to profit after three consecutive quarters of red territory since it acquired investment bank Merrill Lynch has realized good results and allocation provisions for bad loans fell. The positive financial result for the first quarter amounted to 3.18 billion dollars or 28 cents a share before distribution of dividends. A year ago when it was last quarter in which Bank of America reports profits she had amounted to 4.25 billion dollars. The results were better than analysts’ expectations, notes Bloomberg. Yesterday, shares of the bank closed at a level of 19.48 dollars or more than 6 times the level in March 2009 when it was imminent danger of nationalization of the financial institution. Several days ago the biggest competitor of the U.S. bank JP Morgan Chase announced yet another quarter, which ends with profit.
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Raiffeisen International Bank Holding AG may sell units in Russia and Ukraine in the event that the financial company had to strengthen its capital base and reserves with which to cover possible losses from bad loans to its subsidiaries. This forward Moskow News, quoted the Chairman of Raiffeisen International Christian Conrad, the Austrian group that is ready to give up control over their Russian and Ukrainian banks. Raiffeisen International is one of the largest foreign banks in Russia and owner of Raiffeisen Russia in Russia and Raiffeisen Bank Aval in Ukraine. According to Christian Conrad final decision will depend on whether and how much will have to increase the reserves of the subsidiaries of the Bank’s bad loans. By Raiffeisen International also stated that there are several possible scenarios for the development of the group in the future, one provides its teams in Russia and Ukraine to be sold through initial public offering (IPO). In February, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich, which is one of the largest cooperative banks in Austria and Raiffeisen International announced plans for a possible merger. Raiffeisen International is a public company in which 70% of capital held by Raiffeisen Zentralbank, the rest are traded freely within the Austrian Stock Exchange. The main market is Raiffeisen International Central and Eastern Europe, the bank is represented in 17 countries in the region.
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The German banks make money at the expense of Greece, gave Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos accused. He explained that this occurs when his country is waiting from Berlin and the EU assistance to remedy its financial system. “What can be seen from the German position is that banks in Germany have speculated with the bonds to its counterparts in the euro area, as allowed to play with the fate of unhappy people in my country, while on their back in Germany, make money,” said Pangalos. With almost 43 billion euro loan banks are Germany’s biggest creditor of Greece. Berlin last week to oppose the idea of providing new financial assistance to Athens and said that the Greek government only has to cope with the crisis. Greek deputy is one of the most fierce opponents of Germany. His name was implicated in a month ago, the media war between the German magazine Focus, and two Greek newspapers. Pangalos then Germany criticized the attitude of the Greek financial crisis, stressing that Athens never received adequate reparations for World War II. And came to an official note from the the German Foreign Ministry, which said that discussions about the past do not help to solve today’s problems. Now Pangalos prosecution argued with Germany’s export expansion. “Although the countries of Southern Europe suffer from the fall of the euro, German exports because of rising profits, which made massive Germany”, said Deputy Prime Minister of our southern neighbor.
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Once it was suspected that Greece has helped to mask its government deficit and to adopt the euro in 2001, today it became clear that U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs was involved in the sale of Greek government securities (GS) for at least 15 billion . dollars since 2002. It has delivered the most profitable investment bank on Wall Street profit of around 735 million euro, a survey of Bloomberg. Over the past eight years Goldman Sachs has been among the underwriter for ten issues of Greek government bonds. In six of the prospectuses for these emissions did not mention currency swaps concluded with Greece. From Bloomberg clarify that the prospectus for the other four arranged by Goldman Sachs sales of Greek government bonds since 2002 are not detected, but the bank refused to comment on the veracity of the allegations. Earlier this week in New York Times appeared information that currency swaps between Goldman Sachs and the Greek Government have enabled the country to conceal the size of its budget deficit in 2001 and thereby meet the requirements for euro adoption. This week it became clear that Greece has received funding out of balance by $ 1 billion through currency swaps entered into with Goldman Sachs in 2002, regulatory authorities of the European Union, however, were not informed about this transaction, which according to the Greek finance ministry has been completely lawful at the time of its conclusion.
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