The Monetary Authority of Singapore on Friday imposed additional capital requirement on DBS Bank, the banking arm of the country's largest lender DBS Group, following the disruption of its banking services in recent months, Reuters reported. The moves follows the widespread unavailability of the bank's digital banking services on March 29 and a subsequent disruption to its digital banking and ATM services on May 5, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement.
Read more
India and Russia have suspended efforts to settle bilateral trade in rupees, after months of negotiations failed to convince Moscow to keep rupees in its coffers, Reuters reported. This would be a major setback for Indian importers of cheap oil and coal from Russia who were awaiting a permanent rupee payment mechanism to help lower currency conversion costs.
Read more
A company court on Thursday admitted Bank of India Ltd's petition to begin insolvency proceedings against Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd on an alleged loan default of 4.96 billion rupees ($60.69 million), Reuters reported. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), while pronouncing the order, also approved the appointment of Ravi Sethia as an Interim Resolution Professional, Future Lifestyle said in an exchange filing. Future Lifestyle is the flagship fashion business of the debt-laden Future Group.
Read more
China's factory activity unexpectedly contracted in April as orders fell and poor domestic demand dragged on the sprawling manufacturing sector, a private survey showed on Thursday, imperilling the broader economic outlook for the second quarter, Reuters reported. The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.5 in April from 50.0 in March. The 50-point index mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.
Read more
Indian banks such as Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank are among the financial creditors whom Go First, which filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday, owes Rs 6,521 crore, the Economic Times of India reported. According to the bankruptcy filing by Go First, banks such as Central Bank of India and Deutsche Bank are also among Go First's financial creditors. Central Bank of India's shares plunged over 5% in early trade on Wednesday, while Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Axis Bank were down 2.5%, 1.1% and 1.9%, respectively.
Read more
Cash-strapped Indian airline Go First filed for bankruptcy proceedings on Tuesday, blaming "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its fleet, Reuters reported. The move marks the first major airline collapse in India since Jet Airways filed for bankruptcy in 2019, and underscores the fierce competition in a sector dominated by IndiGo and the entry of newer operators such as Akasa Air.
Read more
A Japanese hotel chain, once at the center of a bidding war between US private equity firms Blackstone Inc. and Lone Star Funds, faces a reckoning with its creditors, Bloomberg News reported. Unizo Holdings Co. became the first Japanese company to default on its bonds in six years when it filed for a court-supervised restructuring in April. The firm, which has hotels and office buildings, said it didn’t have the money to pay debt worth 10 billion yen ($72.8 million) maturing in May. Several of the country’s regional banks warned they may not get repaid.
Read more
KWG Group Holdings Ltd. securities tumbled Tuesday after the firm became the latest Chinese developer to default, even as new-home sales gain steam nationally, Bloomberg News reported. The company didn’t pay 212 million yuan ($31 million) of principal due Friday on bank and other borrowings, it said in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing that night. The delinquency triggered 31.2 billion yuan of debt becoming repayable on demand.
Read more
Australia’s central bank signaled further policy tightening ahead after unexpectedly raising interest rates by a quarter-percentage point on Tuesday, sending the currency and bond yields surging, Bloomberg News reported. The Reserve Bank increased its cash rate to 3.85%, the highest level since April 2012, in a decision predicted by only nine of 30 economists. Money markets rapidly revised up expectations for further moves and are now pricing in a rate of just under 4% by October, from around 3.6% before today’s decision.
Read more
Australia's biggest landlords and developers played down concerns about inflated commercial property valuations at a conference on Tuesday, while acknowledging economic uncertainty was making investors and renters more cautious, Reuters reported. Commercial real estate prices are a major concern for investors globally as public markets price the impact of a slowing economy and the growth of remote work, while owners, especially unlisted players, resist major changes.
Read more