latest stories
Who will merge next?
It is not a matter of how, but of when. A major cross-border bank merger in Europe involving core countries is imminent. Investment banks are busy advising their clients on possible deals, bank chief executives are flying back and forth having talks with their counterparts and lawyers are looking at the legal implications.
Caution: hybrid capital ahead
With multi-billion dollar acquisitions to finance, banks need inexpensive ways to replenish their capital. Tax and cost-effective, preferred shares are the answer to their prayers, but convincing the regulators to count them as Tier One can be challenging. Jules Stewart reports on the twists and turns to keep the issuers and the authorities happy.
Asian ambitions survive crisis
Asia’s foremost statesman Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore from third-world backwater to first-world city in three decades. Now senior minister of the island state, he remains forthright in his views, here tackling questions on China’s stability, global banks and capital controls.