UBS says Swiss capital rule compromise still costly
UBS welcomed a Swiss parliamentary committee's proposed compromise on tougher capital reserve rules, but warned Tuesday that the plan would still raise costs f…
Finance & Currencies — August 2026
Banque Misr UAE branches face urgent central bank review
The United Arab Emirates central bank will carry out a special and urgent review of Banque Misr's branches in the country after US measures targeting the Egyptian bank's UAE operations. The UAE central bank said the examination would include a forensic or in-…
Japan spent record $96bn to support yen
Japan spent 15.4 trillion yen, or $96 billion, to support the yen between July 30 and August 26, the finance ministry said Friday, calling it the largest monthly intervention on record. The ministry data did not specify the exact dates of the market operation…
Syria sees first Visa and Mastercard payments in years
Visa and Mastercard said they have carried out their first international card payments in Syria in more than a decade, days after the United States removed the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Mastercard said it and Qatar National Bank Gr…
South Korea raises rates again to 3% amid inflation
South Korea's central bank raised its base interest rate on Thursday from 2.75% to 3.0%, its second increase in a row, saying growth remained strong and inflation was likely to stay elevated because of higher energy costs. The Bank of Korea said the economy h…
Bond yields and Bessent moves challenge Fed's Warsh
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's effort to lower long-term Treasury yields has added to the challenge facing Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh before his Jackson Hole speech on Friday. The Treasury Department said last week that it planned to “at least d…
Fed's Warsh faces rate-rise calls at Jackson Hole
US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is due to open the Jackson Hole central banking conference on Friday as investors look for signals on interest rates and some Fed policymakers call for increases. Warsh, appointed by US President Donald Trump and in office…
Bond yields hit long-term highs as debt worries grow
Government bond yields in the United States, Europe and Japan have climbed to levels not seen in years, raising borrowing costs for governments, businesses and consumers. The yield on 30-year US Treasury bonds reached 5.34% in mid-August, its highest level si…
Argentina central bank reform bill clears lower house
Argentina's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill on Wednesday that would limit the central bank's ability to print money, advancing one of President Javier Milei's inflation-focused reforms. The lower house passed the measure by 144 votes to 109, with nine abs…
Chile gets reduced $11.8bn IMF credit line
Chile has received IMF board approval for a two-year flexible credit line of $11.8 billion, a smaller amount than under its previous arrangement. The International Monetary Fund said the reduced access reflected stronger buffers and Chile's lower need for the…
Bitcoin jumps 6.9% on US crypto policy hopes
Bitcoin climbed 6.9% on Friday to $77,675.94, extending a three-day rally driven by optimism over US cryptocurrency legislation and a shift toward riskier asse…
US national debt tops $40 trillion for first time
US gross national debt stood at $40.05 trillion at the close of business Tuesday, Treasury Department data released Wednesday showed, passing $40 trillion for…
Fed minutes show many back hikes if inflation stays high
Federal Reserve minutes from the July meeting showed many US policymakers believed interest rate increases would likely be needed if inflation did not decline,…
US 30-year Treasury yield hits highest since 2007
The 30-year US Treasury yield climbed early Tuesday to 5.34 percent before pulling back, the highest level since 2007, as investors focused on inflation pressu…
Greece to repay €13bn debt early this year
Greece plans to repay about 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in debt ahead of schedule this year, the country's finance ministry said on Monday. The ministry said the repayments would help reduce Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio to 137% this year and bring it below I…
Digital euro talks cleared by EU lawmakers
EU lawmakers backed starting negotiations on a digital euro, clearing the way for talks between the European Parliament and EU member states on the legal framework for the proposed currency. The project has been years in the making, but the European Union nee…
Iraq says US cash shipments have resumed
The United States has resumed cash shipments to Iraq after a delay, Iraqi government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi said Thursday. Aboudi told AFP the shipments “have resumed some time ago” and described the resumption as a positive indicator ahead of Prime Mi…
Fed minutes show some weighed June rate hike
Federal Reserve minutes released Wednesday showed that a few US central bank officials saw a case for raising interest rates at their June policy meeting because of elevated inflation linked to fallout from the Middle East war. “A few participants commented t…
Venezuela asks King Charles to release 30 tons of gold
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on July 8 that she had asked King Charles III to release about 30 tons of Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England and frozen under UK sanctions so it could be used for earthquake reconstruction. “I decide…
Bank of America pledges $250bn for US infrastructure
Bank of America pledged Wednesday to mobilize $250 billion for critical US infrastructure through an 18-month initiative tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States. The bank said the push would use direct lending and investment as well as banking and…
Switzerland moves to tighten bankers' bonuses
Switzerland's government launched consultations Wednesday on new banking rules that could limit bankers' bonuses, drawing on lessons from the collapse of Credit Suisse. The Federal Council said the consultations would cover measures to strengthen corporate go…
Guinea reaches IMF staff deal for $439m loan
The International Monetary Fund has reached a staff-level agreement on a new $439 million loan program for Guinea, with approval by the IMF executive board expected to be considered in September. The IMF said the more than three-year program is aimed at helpi…
Norway wealth fund's $185bn gain lifted by AI chips
Norway's sovereign wealth fund reported a record $185 billion investment return for the first half of 2026, rebounding from a $58 billion loss reported for the first quarter. The fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management, said its 9.4% first-half ret…
Norway wealth fund could disappear, manager says
Norway's $2.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund could disappear, its manager Nicolai Tangen said Tuesday, warning that current global tensions made that possibility less implausible. Tangen, chief executive of Norges Bank Investment Management, said in a speech…
UPI merchant fees possible after India bill passes
India's parliament has passed legislation that could allow merchant fees on some business transactions through the Unified Payments Interface, the digital payments system used by nearly 555 million people. The bill passed the upper house on Monday after clear…
Libya central bank governor resigns, Al-Ahrar says
Libya's central bank governor Naji Issa has resigned, private TV channel Al-Ahrar reported Monday, saying Issa had confirmed the resignation. No reason was given in the report. Libya's eastern-based parliament, which appointed Issa and vice-governor Miree al-…
Revolut gets French banking licence
British digital financial services group Revolut said Monday that it had obtained a full French banking licence, a step it said strengthens its position among retail lenders in Europe. Revolut said the French bank will operate alongside its Lithuanian subsidi…
Destry Damayanti nominated to lead Bank Indonesia
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has nominated acting central bank governor Destry Damayanti as the sole candidate to lead Bank Indonesia, the government said Monday. “There is only one name, it is Destry Damayanti,” presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi…
Monte dei Paschi rebuffs Intesa bid as profit rises 27%
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena defended its value and strategic importance on Friday as it fought a 31-billion-euro hostile bid from rival Intesa Sanpaolo and reported higher second-quarter profit. The Italian bank posted net profit of 610 million euros, up…
World Bank backs $750m Indonesia small-business loans
The World Bank announced on Thursday that it was providing $750 million in financial guarantees for financing to Indonesia's Bank Mandiri, with the money to be channelled into a government low-interest loan programme for small businesses. HSBC will provide th…
Brazil cuts benchmark interest rate to 14%
Brazil's central bank cut its benchmark Selic interest rate from 14.25 percent to 14 percent on Wednesday, its fourth consecutive reduction. The bank's Monetary Policy Committee, known as Copom, announced the decision two months before presidential elections…
Argentina, China extend $19bn currency swap
Argentina and China extended a 130-billion-yuan, roughly $19 billion, currency swap agreement by five years, Argentine financial authorities said Wednesday. The agreement between Beijing and Buenos Aires has been in effect since 2009. Previous renewals had la…
Banco BPM raises 2026 profit outlook after €581m quarter
Italian bank Banco BPM raised its 2026 profit outlook after reporting second-quarter net profit of 581 million euros, or $670 million. The quarterly profit was down 17.5 percent from a year earlier. Banco BPM said it now expected to exceed its previous 2026 n…
India central bank holds rates at 5.25% amid oil shock
India's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 5.25% on Wednesday, choosing to wait for clearer signs of whether volatile oil prices linked to the Iran war will spread into wider inflation pressure. The Reserve Bank of India said its Monetary Policy…
Santander wins Fed approval for $12.2bn Webster deal
The US Federal Reserve approved Santander's acquisition of Connecticut-based Webster Bank, a $12.2 billion deal that would expand the Spanish banking group's US presence. The Fed said Tuesday that, once the proposal is completed, Santander's US holding compan…
UBS US affiliate fined $125m over bank secrecy breaches
US regulators fined an American affiliate of Swiss bank UBS on Monday for anti-money-laundering failures, with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network imposing a $125 million civil penalty for Bank Secrecy Act violations. FinCEN describ…
Yen intervention aimed to prevent Asian instability, US says
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States joined Japan in buying yen because further weakness in the currency risked affecting other Asian markets, giving Washington’s explanation for last week’s first coordinated yen-buying intervention sinc…