The listed but family controlled Catalonian bank Banco Sabadell, a medium sized Spanish retail provider, has acquired the rival Banco Atlantico for Euros 1.5 billion. The bank saw off rival bids from Barclays Bank of the UK owners of Banco
HSBC is to adopt HSBC Private Bank as the worldwide name for its principal private banking businesses from 1 January 2004. This initiative is designed to achieve full recognition for HSBC Private Bank as one of the worlds largest and
Shortly before Christmas, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US published for comment proposals that would amend mutual fund disclosure requirements regarding breakpoint discounts and front end loads. It also published a concept release to solicit public comment
HSBC is buying 50 per cent of Fujian Asia Bank Limited for "not more than" US$20 million in cash, funded from internal resources. China Ping An Trust & Investment Co. Limited, a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of
The Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA) is planning to restructure itself into a NASD NASDAQ style organisation, in which a self regulatory arm is separated from promotional and trading activities. The self regulatory arm will be responsible for formulating market
The Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) has filed an IPO application with the Financial Services Agency (FSA), the Japanese banking regulator. It has also released details of its plan to merge its Hercules market with JASDAQ, the OT market operated by
Oppenheimer Funds CEO Jon Fossel and former Van Kampen Investments CEO Don Powell both former chairmen of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), the Washington based lobbyists for the US mutual fund industry have joined the debate about how to reform
Nasdaq has offered to merge with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to a report in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. The report says that Nasdaq's chief executive, Robert Greifeld, approached the NYSE three weeks ago, but that no
The State Street Associates investor confidence index rose 7.1 points this month to 114.8 from a revised November level of 107.7. The index gain was the year's largest, concluding 2003 at a twelve month high after rising from 98.0 at
Franklin Resources says it has put two executives and a trader on "administrative leave" over frequent trading in the company's mutual funds. The California based company said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it had