Search results for

Although adoption of an exchange-like structure has been predicted for years, foreign exchange has predominantly been traded over the counter. Could a new initiative by the CME and Reuters finally force the transition through? Lee Oliver reports.

Investors have welcomed Thailand’s largest IPO for years with open arms. The problem is that those investors are in Singapore, not Bangkok. The failure to list one of the kingdom’s prize assets at home is symptomatic of much larger problems in the country. Chris Leahy reports.

Dmitry Eropkin, president of Russia’s Impexbank, said as Raiffeisen completed its acquisition of his bank that he expected to see “the consolidation of the top 50 Russian banks within the next two to three years”.

I was lunching at Cecconi’s with my friend Richard. Cecconi’s is an Italian restaurant in Mayfair frequented by hedge fund hotties, Latvian lovelies with pneumatic mammaries and the odd voyeur such as myself. Dame Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of publishing group Pearson – or her doppelganger – was at the next table. Regretfully, under my Cecconi classification system, she falls into the voyeur category. Well she’s hardly a buxom Latvian is she? Richard is the brother I never had. He is funny, clever, irreverent and, in his spare time, a successful investment banker. If he weren’t one of my closest friends, I would hate him for the insouciance of it all.

Merrill Lynch has hired Tim Skeet as a covered bond product specialist reporting to Amir Hoveyda, European head of debt capital markets. He joins Merrill from ABN Amro where he was head of financial institutions origination for Germany and France. He joined the Dutch bank at the start of 2003, before that he held a senior FIG relationship banker role at Barclays Capital. Skeet is a veteran of the debt capital markets and one of the best-known faces in the covered bond sector. He started in the business some 25 years ago at Samuel Montagu.

Who would hand over millions of dollars to a management group of a publicly listed company that does nothing, has no business strategy, has no assets and might never have any assets? But that’s what’s happening as more and more special purpose acquisition companies list. Why won’t the banks leading the deals talk about them?

The expected evolution of opco propco to the pub sector failed to materialize in May when Robert Tchenguiz’s Globe Pub Company opted for a whole business structure to fund the the ex-Spirit pub portfolio.

The UK mortgage originator leaves its competition trailing through its ability to innovate in the ABS market.

The Greek telecommunications firm completed one of the most successful LBO bridge loan refinancings seen to date in the European market.

Despite changes at ministerial level, the country has achieved much in 12 months.

Banks in the Philippines are set for more consolidation as new regulations threaten weaker lenders in a fragmented market. High valuations have dissuaded some from deals, but economic recovery might force them to reconsider. Chris Leahy reports.

Southern Cross Group is making waves in Latin American private equity, standing out because of its aggressive and sometimes contentious strategy – it only invests in companies in which it has unchallenged control of management – which is bringing it high returns.