Section
Banking
Commerzbank rejects UniCredit offer on price and risk
Commerzbank rejects UniCredit offer, saying the €31.07-a-share terms lack a premium and leave shareholders carrying more execution risk.
Private credit vs private equity: risk, return and liquidity
Private credit vs private equity comes down to where risk sits, how long money stays locked up and why 2026 stress now crosses both markets.
Citi, BlackRock's HPS launch €15bn private credit plan for Europe
Citi and BlackRock-owned HPS have launched a €15 billion private-capital program to expand direct lending across EMEA, the latest sign that banks are choosing to partner with private credit rather than compete against it.
Why private-credit stress could spread into banks in 2026
Private credit has grown large enough that regulators now worry stress could travel into banks through credit lines, funding ties and hard-to-see exposures.
Lloyds reviews Halifax brand as UK branch network shrinks
Lloyds is weighing whether to retire Halifax as a standalone brand, tying a familiar high-street name to branch cuts, customer migration and post-crisis simplification.
Private credit explained: why marks, liquidity and bank links matter
Private credit has grown into a $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion market. This explainer breaks down why marks, liquidity and bank links matter more in 2026.
Mizuho shares sink 7% after Rakuten Bank report denial
Mizuho fell as much as 7.7 per cent after saying it had not decided on a reported Rakuten Bank investment, underscoring investor caution over strategy shifts.
Israeli bank earnings test wartime capital strength
Israeli bank earnings are holding up better than the economy. FIBI kept credit growing and CET1 above requirements even as Israel's GDP shrank 3.3%.
First Hawaiian shows how deposit costs still squeeze regionals
First Hawaiian Q1 2026 showed deposit costs still squeezing margins even as credit quality held firm and management pointed to modest relief.
Asia-Pacific banks raise Iran war provisions as $180B credit risk looms
Asia-Pacific banks have set aside $3.8 billion in combined war-related provisions as the Iran conflict's oil shock and trade disruption begin flowing into corporate and consumer credit risk. S&P warns a prolonged conflict could drive $180 billion in additional credit losses.
Goldman Sachs BDC outlook cut to negative by Fitch
Goldman Sachs BDC negative outlook now shadows its BBB rating after Fitch cited rising non-accruals, thin asset coverage and payment-in-kind income.
Apple Cash outage disrupts U.S. iPhone payments
Apple Cash outage disrupted some U.S. iPhone payments late Friday, underscoring wallet users' reliance on platform-run money rails.
Pagaya taps public ABS as private-credit buyers grow selective
The lender's $385 million auto ABS and $800 million personal-loan deal suggest public securitisation is becoming the cleaner funding lane as private-credit buyers ask harder questions.
InPost buyout loan draws bank demand as Advent tests credit appetite
Advent's plan to sell up to €1.5 billion of InPost acquisition debt shows banks are still willing to buy leveraged-finance risk when the borrower and sponsors are familiar.
Private credit split widens as institutions buy, retail balks
Private credit demand is splitting in two: institutions kept buying in the first quarter while retail money pulled back over liquidity and valuation risk.
Schwab (SCHW) pitches AI as margin lever after investor day
Charles Schwab used investor day to argue that AI can widen margins, support 14 to 15 per cent revenue growth and justify higher analyst targets.
UK ring-fencing rules: looser regime tests bank safeguards
UK ring-fencing rules are being loosened as ministers target up to £80 billion in extra lending while keeping core retail deposit barriers in place.
EBRD opens funding path for Ukraine bank privatisations
EBRD backing gives Ukraine's privatisation drive a potential funding template for state bank sales, turning recovery policy into a more financeable market process.
Hancock Whitney buys One Florida Bank for $377.6 million
Hancock Whitney's $377.6 million cash deal for One Florida Bank adds $2.1 billion in assets and gives the regional lender a bigger Orlando foothold.
Wall Street chiefs use Beijing trip to test China access
Citigroup and Goldman Sachs executives used Beijing meetings during Donald Trump's China visit to press the market-access case, underscoring how diplomacy and cross-border finance remain tightly linked.
Private credit BDC discounts signal deepest stress since Covid
Private credit BDC discounts have hit their widest levels since Covid, giving retail investors a tougher read on valuation and liquidity risk than loan marks.
Klarna Q1 profit after IPO tests BNPL discipline
Klarna posted its first profitable quarter since going public, but the shares still fell. The Q1 result tests whether public-market discipline is reshaping BNPL economics for good.
Fiserv sets 2029 targets as payments group pursues reset
Fiserv laid out new 2029 revenue, margin and earnings targets, asking investors to look through a soft 2026 and judge whether management can restore steadier growth after a weak stretch.
Affirm Targets Bank Charter With $350M Nevada Capital Pledge
Affirm outlined plans at its 12 May investor forum to inject $350 million into a Nevada-chartered industrial bank, aiming to lower funding costs and recapture fees paid to partner banks. The move puts the buy-now-pay-later firm at the centre of a growing push by fintechs to secure ILC charters.
SoFi's $1.5 billion capital raise was opportunistic
SoFi raised $1.5 billion at $27.50 a share, sparking a 6% slide despite record Q4 revenue. CEO Anthony Noto calls it opportunistic; Bank of America questions the timing.
