Headlines

HSBC is buying a plot of virtual real estate in an online gaming space called The Sandbox for an undisclosed sum, the bank's first major foray into the metaverse as it shrinks its UK branch network, Reuters reported. The digital push will enable HSBC to engage with sports, e-sports and gaming fans via its slice of turf in The Sandbox, a virtual space majority-owned by Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands.

Russians are starting to feel the economic pinch after Western countries imposed an unprecedented set of sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported. Following weeks of mounting tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a land, sea and air invasion on February 24, triggering a wave of financial restrictions that have plunged the value of the rouble, skyrocketed inflation and left many jobless.

Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo will detail the impact of the Ukraine conflict on its 2022 earnings when it reports first-quarter results in May, its CEO told a financial conference, according to a person who attended the event, Reuters reported. Addressing the Morgan Stanley European Financials conference on Thursday, CEO Carlo Messina confirmed the bank's financial targets but said details on the net income impact for this year would be provided when Intesa next reports earnings.

A prominent Ottawa business expert is predicting a wave of bankruptcies in the coming months as surging prices at gas pumps and grocery stores prompt Canada’s central bank to further raise its benchmark interest rate in a bid to put the brakes on inflation, the Ottawa Business Journal reported. Ian Lee, an associate professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, expects the Bank of Canada to impose “multiple” interest rate hikes this year as it tries to rein in an annual inflation rate that climbed to 5.7 percent in February, its highest level since August 1991.

A commodities rally sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine will push Canadian inflation higher for longer, with the headline rate now seen peaking at or above 6%, forcing the central bank to raise interest rates more aggressively, economists told Reuters. Canada's inflation rate has already surged well above the 5.1% that the Bank of Canada forecast for the first quarter in January, highlighting the tough road ahead to get price growth back down to the 2% target.

The long-haul subsidiary of Malaysian tycoons Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun’s Capital A has completed its debt restructuring, paving the way for the airline to reverse 33 billion ringgit ($7.9 billion) in provisions previously set aside for these liabilities, Forbes reported. “This is another significant step in rebuilding AirAsia X, post pandemic,” AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Bank of England raised interest rates on Thursday for a third meeting running, as expected, but softened its language on the need for further increases from here, Reuters reported. Eight out of nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to raise the Bank Rate to 0.75% from 0.5%, following the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision on Wednesday to raise borrowing costs for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe voted to keep rates on hold, warning of a big hit to demand from higher commodity prices.

Intesa Sanpaolo said on Wednesday that its loans to Russian and Ukrainian clients amounted to 5.1 billion euros net of guarantees from credit export agencies, which is around 1% of the total for Italy's biggest bank, Reuters reported. Intesa added in a statement it was analyzing its exposure to Russia and Ukraine to understand how to better handle risks in light of the European Union's decision to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Of the overall loan figure, some 4 billion euros are cross-border, with oil and gas firms accounting for half of the total.

Russian steel and mining company Severstal has received permission from Moscow to make a $12.6 million interest payment due Wednesday on its dollar bonds, but the firm warned that paying and transfer agent Citigroup Inc. may refrain from processing the transaction, Bloomberg reported. “At the moment we certify that there are no obstacles from Russian law side for the company to make the payment,” Severstal said in a Wednesday filing. But, it added, “given the recent developments around the company, we have grounds to believe that” Citigroup won’t process the coupon payment.

A group of five banks led by Royal Bank of Canada is stuck holding $1.7 billion of loans for software company SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc. after falling debt prices forced the postponement of the offering to investors on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. The deal was pulled because of market conditions, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The banks canceled a planned call with lenders — the official start of the marketing process — prior to its scheduled 10 a.m. start in New York.