Switzerland

Swiss prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings against two officials at PetroSaudi International Ltd. related to alleged dealings with Malaysian state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd, an escalation of the Swiss probe that started nearly three years ago, The Wall Street Journal reported. 1MDB is the subject of investigations in the U.S., Switzerland and other countries into allegations that billions of dollars were siphoned out of the fund, which was set up by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009.

Glencore Plc is considering a bid for the Optimum coal operations in South Africa, which it sold in 2015 to a company part-owned by the politically connected Gupta family, according to two people familiar with the matter. Optimum supplies fuel to state power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. and became a lightning rod issue for critics of the Gupta family members and their friendship with former president Jacob Zuma. Glencore placed the mine in bankruptcy protection in 2015 after Eskom refused to renegotiate an unprofitable supply contract and issued penalties, Bloomberg News reported.

Swiss company Schmolz + Bickenbach has been chosen by a Strasbourg court to buy troubled French steelmaker Ascometal, the court said on Monday, with Schmolz + Bickenbach’s bid prevailing over a rival one from Liberty House, Reuters reported. Ascometal, which makes specialty steel and employs around 1,300 workers, filed for court protection last November, and takeover offers for the company had come under the scrutiny of the Strasbourg court. Like Ascometal, Schmolz + Bickenbach is a producer of specialist steel products.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut Swissport’s credit rating on Tuesday as a result of its weakening outlook for HNA Group, the Swiss aviation services company’s Chinese owner. S&P cut the company’s rating one notch to B-, deeply in “junk” territory, the Financial Times reported. HNA Group acquired the Swiss airport services group at the start of 2016, and last week the ratings agency lowered its assessment of the group’s creditworthiness due to the “aggressive financial policy” and the risk of “tightening liquidity at China’s most prolific dealmaker.

Vitol Group’s negotiations to buy Noble Group Ltd.’s oil trading unit are “very complicated” and may not end in a deal, the chief executive officer of Vitol said, adding to pressure on his Hong Kong-based rival, Bloomberg News reported. The sale of the oil business is crucial to the survival of Noble Group, once Asia’s largest commodity trader. It is rushing to sell the unit in order to pay back about $1 billion of debt under its secured credit facilities, of which the largest matures in mid-January.

Swissport has started providing short-term loans to companies linked to the HNA Group, raising concerns among investors about the intermingling of the Swiss airline services company’s funds with its Chinese parent, the Financial Times reported. HNA acquired Swissport at the start of 2016, financing the deal with junk bonds and leverage loans, during the height of the Chinese conglomerate’s international buying spree. In a financial statement to its bondholders published this month, Swissport disclosed that it lent $100m to a “related party” on June 28 that was repaid nine days later.

The Swiss franc’s fall is showing no signs of slowing down, the Financial Times reported. The continued rise of the euro on the back of strong economic data and an upbeat tone to global markets is weighing on the franc, traditionally a haven asset in times of market turmoil. At pixel time, the euro is up by 0.7 per cent on the day at SFr1.1472 – a new post-limit low for the franc. The Swiss currency has fallen 4.2 per cent in the last 10 days as greater domestic demand for foreign assets and positive eurozone figures lured investors towards riskier assets.

Swiss commodities trading group ECOM has received approval from German cartel authorities to purchase German cocoa grinder Euromar Commodities GmbH which declared insolvency in December, Euromar's insolvency administrator said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Production at Euromar's plant at Fehrbellin near Berlin could resume in coming days, the administrator, Rolf Rattunde, said in a statement. A sale contract for Euromar's factory, equipment and site had been signed and approved by Euromar's creditors in March but German cartel authorities had to approve the purchase.

Swiss commodities trading group ECOM has agreed to buy the factory of German cocoa grinder Euromar Commodities GmbH which declared insolvency in December, Euromar's insolvency administrator said on Monday, Reuters reported. ECOM plans to resume production at Euromar's plant at Fehrbellin near Berlin, insolvency administrator Rolf Rattunde said in a statement. No one was available for comment at ECOM's Swiss head office. Rattunde said a sale contract for Euromar's factory, equipment and site has been signed with ECOM and approved by Euromar's interim committee of creditors.

Credit Suisse Group AG’s push to expand in some areas of trading and across its wealth management businesses will make it harder to build up capital buffers at the same pace as last year, Chief Financial Officer David Mathers said. After selling billions in unwanted assets, the bank entered 2017 with a bigger capital ratio than analysts expected -- this in a year that ended up a loss following a $5.3 billion legal settlement, Bloomberg News reported.