Financial Services

UBS limp new targets invite investor scorn

21 January 2020

The $46 bln bank’s shares fell after CEO Sergio Ermotti announced vague returns goals. He may be cautious about low rates, or pinning his hopes on a wealth management push rather than cost cuts. If that doesn’t pay off, Ermotti – or his successor – will have to wield the axe.

HDFC hiring for India’s best, hardest banking job

20 January 2020

The $99 bln lender is defying an economic slowdown to deliver 20% loan growth. Aditya Puri, who has led the institution to deliver outsize returns for almost three decades, is set to retire this year on a high note. His successor will inherit a richly valued bank with a lot to lose.

Santander CEO fiasco exposes banking’s fault line

16 January 2020

It’s a year since chair Ana Botin reversed her decision to make UBS executive Andrea Orcel the Spanish group’s boss. Misgivings about pay and management style were rooted in the gulf between wholesale and retail lenders. A 112 mln euro lawsuit will lay bare the culture clash.

Lazy days are over for buyout barons in China

16 January 2020

Dealmakers were gloomy at an annual forum in Hong Kong after a disappointing year. Private equity can no longer rely on minority stakes in a booming economy to juice returns. Tech bets are mostly off. The next batch of funds will work hard on traditional, unloved businesses.

Goldman Sachs tests Malaysia reach in Tesco deal

15 January 2020

The bank is advising on the $9 bln sale of the grocer’s Southeast Asia businesses. Goldman could indirectly earn fees from the sale of assets in Malaysia where it is in hot water over its role in the 1MDB scandal. A smooth checkout will signal it’s mostly back in action.

Visa learns sellers have upper hand in fintech M&A

14 January 2020

The $421 bln group is shelling out $5.3 bln for Plaid, which enables payments that bypass the card network. For a rich acquisition multiple, it gets a hedge against a potential threat. The U.S. startup’s owners can cash out and let others worry about challenges such as Big Tech.

Geely’s European car collection is too eccentric

13 January 2020

The Chinese rescuer of Lotus and London black cabs might inject funds into Aston Martin, James Bond’s favoured ride. Founder Li Shufu had some success with Volvo, but with his home market under pressure, becoming a collector of genteel money-losers is an unwelcome distraction.

Euro zone bank rally is built on sand

9 January 2020

The bloc’s 20 largest lenders, such as BNP and ING, are worth $84 bln more than in October. Investors believe the ECB is now done with rate cuts, which squeeze profit. But renewed trade frictions could change such thinking. And rising capital requirements will weigh on returns.

Fire sale further weakens NMC’s defence

8 January 2020

The $3 billion hospital operator fell 15% after big shareholders dumped its stock. The sale, which follows attacks by short seller Muddy Waters, was needed to repay debt. But it highlights the reluctance of the Gulf group’s backers and management to support its depressed shares.

UBS goes for growth with wealth management rejig

7 January 2020

Fresh from hiring rival executive Iqbal Khan, the bank which oversees $2.5 trln is axing unnecessary layers to serve rich clients better and faster. Only 2% of the unit’s jobs will go, though. UBS needs to boost lending to get its cost structure into line with leaner competitors.

South Africa’s Absa opts for safety-first recovery

6 January 2020

The $9 bln group made former central bank deputy Daniel Mminele its new CEO. Like other local lenders, the former Barclays unit needs growth from elsewhere on the continent to offset domestic weakness. Installing a career regulator suggests little appetite for a high-risk charge.

Hong Kong poised to reclaim IPO crown

6 January 2020

It has been a decade since the Asian financial hub beat the Big Apple in new equity issuance. Violent protests are a challenge, but Alibaba provided some reassurance. The U.S. backlash against China and a stable of mainland unicorns will help make Hong Kong No. 1 again in 2020.

HSBC’s Hong Kong headache looks like its worst

3 January 2020

Demonstrators vandalized bank branches after police froze a protest-related account. HSBC earns over half its profit in the former British territory, so boycott threats and the current recession are big risks. With Beijing on his back, interim CEO Noel Quinn has few good options.

Carlos Ghosn helps the 1% end decade on-brand

2 January 2020

Nissan’s ex-boss didn’t like Japan’s justice system, and so arranged an escape to his former home Lebanon. The grotesque use of wealth ties a bow on a lucrative 10-year run for the ultra-rich. Leave it to a man who once partied at Versailles to rally the anti-plutocracy movement.

Carlos Ghosn jailbreak is all-purpose face saver

31 December 2019

The former car CEO has turned up in Lebanon. How he got out of house arrest in Japan is unclear but it could wind down an uncomfortable diplomatic affair. Nissan and Renault can move on. Japan’s judicial system avoids scrutiny. Ghosn swaps his cultivated martyr image for freedom.

Best of Breakingviews: What you read most in 2019

31 December 2019

Deals dominated the most-clicked stories for the year, while spats over everything from cars to comedy classic “Friends” made it into the top ten list. Graphics and a punk politico punched above their weight too. But an Indian tycoon and GE’s surprise whistleblower beat them all.

Wealth managers will inflate superprime bubble

30 December 2019

Over a decade ago loans to subprime homebuyers blew up the financial system. Now UBS and others are cranking up credit to the uber rich. Lending against unlisted stocks or art collections brings risk. It’s still safer than helping the wealthy launder money or dodge taxes.

Beijing will dilute Hong Kong with Shenzhen

27 December 2019

Protests in the former British colony endanger China’s gateway to international markets. Past attempts to turn neighbouring Shenzhen into a rival financial hub have been half-hearted. Now Beijing has reason to press harder, especially with bold reform to capital controls.

Buy now, pay later faces Juul-style backlash

24 December 2019

Companies offering the credit innovation say it can drive online sales and help retailers deal with refunds. One player, Klarna, is valued at $5.5 bln. But making it a lot easier to shop for free could prompt a reaction like that which befell the vaping heavyweight.

China will get sideswiped by American ESG fervour

24 December 2019

There’s talk of delisting People’s Republic stocks from U.S. bourses and a proposal to block public pension funds from buying them. Concerns about human rights, audits and price swings are also being amplified. That feeds into the social-impact hype and will spark capital flight.