Finance

Switzerland is the ideal business location in Europe

For overseas companies wishing to settle in Switzerland, the country offers attractive location factors in its German, French and Italian regions. The economic centre is at the heart of successful business for many companies

A 360 degree view of the legal industry in Russia

Andrey Goltsblat, Managing Partner of Goltsblat BLP, Russia’s first international law firm, writes for European CEO about the legal industry’s journey in one of the world’s largest markets

Multicards: Online payments made easy

MultiCards Internet Billing, based in the Netherlands, was one of the first companies to offer worldwide internet payment systems. Established in 1995 as a small enterprise, when the internet was still unknown to the masses, the Dutch pioneers are now providing services to many web stores, all with longstanding relationships

Russia and Germany pledge closer economic ties

Russia and Germany have pledged to strengthen economic ties as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Europe’s largest economy Moscow’s “key partner” for the future. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said relations between the two states had taken a stride forward as she led a delegation of business leaders on a tour of Russia, China and Kazakhstan. […]

Stock exchange of choice

Sitting at the heart of one of the most dynamic, stable and well-respected economies in the world, the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) is home to nearly 700 listed securities and has a combined market capitalisation of over $225bn

Bermuda: Global business gateway to the US

2010 finds the business community in Bermuda at a historic economic crossroads. By Cheryl Packwood, President and CEO, Business Bermuda

Ukraine bows to IMF demands, raises gas prices

Ukraine, bowing to pressure from the IMF ahead of a new loan deal, will take the painful step of raising gas prices for households from August, the government has announced. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said the 50 percent price hike, an unpopular move aimed at cutting the budget deficit, was necessary to secure a new […]

Santander to buy SEB’s German retail banking unit

Spain’s largest bank Santander moved one step closer to its goal to be a full service retail bank in Germany with the acquisition of Sweden’s SEB retail banking division, the bank has announced. The €555m ($699.1m) deal comes as Santander attempts to increase its footprint in both Europe, particularly Germany and Britain, as well as […]

ECB’s Trichet: budget cuts won’t lead to new slump

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet dismissed warnings that drastic and simultaneous spending cuts planned by eurozone governments could send the 16-country bloc back into recession. US policymakers have called for continued stimulus to keep momentum in the global recovery, while many economists and academics have raised fears that austerity measures on the cards in Athens and […]

Man Group bleeds assets in volatile markets

British hedge fund firm Man Group posted a seventh consecutive quarter of net withdrawals as clients pulled out money during a volatile period for markets. Man, in the process of buying smaller rival GLG Partners, said that total assets under management – on which fund firms earn fees – fell 2.2 percent over the three […]

Germany drafts €9bn defence savings plan

German defence ministry experts have drawn up a list of potential savings in weapons and equipment worth €9.3bn in the long-term, according to newspaper reports. German daily Bild reported the number of A400M military transport aircraft would be reduced and 15 Transall transport planes taken out of service immediately. Under the proposal, Germany would buy […]

ECI Telecom gets $800m deal with BT

ECI Telecom has won its largest ever contract, an $800m deal with British telecom BT’s Openreach to help bring a large-scale super-fast broadband network to Britain. Openreach recently announced plans to invest a further £1bn ($1.51bn), or £2.5bn in total, to extend deployment of fibre-to-the-premise and fibre-to-the-cabinet to around two thirds of Britain by 2015. […]

Spyker avoids more debt in final Saab payment

Dutch carmaker Spyker Cars used internal funding rather than external debt to pay General Motors the final $24m purchase price for Sweden’s Saab, ending concern over how it would foot the bill. Niche carmaker Spyker, which has never made a profit, took over the larger Saab from GM earlier this year and is now working […]

Barclays sets up Swiss corp bond syndicate team

Barclays Capital has announced it had set up a new syndicate bond, sales and trading team in Zurich to bolster its presence in the Swiss bond market. “The addition of a Swiss franc bond issuance capability will enable the firm to provide Swiss corporates and other issuers with the full range of bond funding options,” […]

StanChart stumps up $500m for AgBank IPO

Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered Plc said it will invest $500m as a cornerstone investor in Agricultural Bank of China’s IPO in Hong Kong. AgBank is seeking to raise more than $20bn in a Hong Kong and Shanghai IPO, and sources had previously told reporters that Standard Chartered would invest $500m. The listing is expected to […]

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