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With the world’s largest asset manager saying it backs the inclusion of A-shares in MSCI indices, the result now looks inevitable. However, the result is likely to be high on symbolism and little else and highlights the challenge for firms as they balance the demand for China exposure with the need to keep their integrity intact.

In this round-up of news you may have missed over the weekend, People’s Bank of China (PBoC) plans to roll out more SDR-denominated products, State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) says capital flows stabilised in the first quarter of 2017, and JP Morgan is named top foreign asset manager for 2016.

BlackRock has backed MSCI to include A-shares in its benchmark index, a former State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) official says China should open its onshore renminbi market, and Standard Chartered says capital outflows reach a new low in March.

Turkey’s debt markets always seem resilient to political shocks. But rose tinted views of president Recep Erdogan’s referendum victory this week ignore a worrying truth that its vast growth potential lies more than ever in the hands of one man able to squander it.

ONE Championship, the pan-Asia mixed martial arts promoter and media company co-founded by a former hedge fund manager, is in early discussions with banks about a planned global listing in the US.

I can’t deny that investment banking is a young man’s game. The long hours, late nights and hard partying will knock out anyone not in the prime of their lives. But even the young bucks can struggle when tackling some banking challenges.

UK prime minister Theresa May’s shock general election call on Tuesday may be a calculated attempt to crystallise the Conservative Party’s strong opinion poll lead into actual seats at Westminster — but she could simultaneously weaken her strong stance against a second Scottish independence referendum. That would be bad news for anyone hoping for a favourable outcome for the UK’s economy and financial sector in the Brexit negotiations.

Chinese regulators are keeping a tight control on offshore bond flows this year, as issuers report a lengthy registration process and an inconsistent approach to approvals. With borrowers itching to go offshore before the market backdrop becomes unreceptive, China’s overbearing approach could very well backfire.

China’s economy grows faster than expected in the first quarter of 2017, the head of State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) meets with the deputy governor of the World Bank, and Citic says demand for cross-border financing activity is on the rise.

ONE Championship, the pan-Asia mixed martial arts promoter and media company co-founded by a former hedge fund manager, is in early discussions with banks about a planned global listing in the US.

The GC BondMarker scores for last week's benchmarks have been counted and market participants have deemed the European Financial Stability Facility's return to the long end a success.

Expecting the unexpected has been market philosophy since the Brexit vote last June. Adherents may well have thought that made Marine Le Pen a certainty to win this year’s French presidential election.