Bank of England votes 8-1 to hold rates at 0.5%

UK interest rates have been left unchanged again at 0.5% by the Bank of England’s rate-setters. The nine rate-setters on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 8-1 for no change, predicting that inflation would stay below 1% until the second half of next year. Ian McCafferty, one of four external members of the MPC, was…

ECB Raising the Dose

THE year started with the belated adoption by the European Central Bank of quantitative easing (QE)—creating money to buy bonds—in the euro area. As the year ends, QE, which loosens monetary policy even when there is little scope to cut interest rates further, is being extended by an extra six months, so that the purchases…

Exclusive: Credit Suisse, Julius Baer Eye Bids for BTG Pactual’s Swiss Unit-Sources

LONDON/SAO PAULO — Credit Suisse and Julius Baer are among a handful of banks vying to buy the Swiss private-banking arm of embattled Brazilian investment bank Grupo BTG Pactual SA in a cut-price deal, sources with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters on Wednesday. Zurich-based Credit Suisse is exploring an offer that would value…

QFB unveils new brand, private banking lounge

  Qatar First Bank (QFB), the first independent Shariah-compliant financial institution regulated by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA), has launched its exclusive Private Banking Lounge and unveiled its new brand and future strategic direction. Established in 2009 as a boutique investment bank, QFB has since then evolved and implemented a new business strategy.…