UK

A sensible choice of maturity and new issue premium helped Svenska Handelsbanken find strong demand on Monday for its first sterling-denominated senior bond in more than two years.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Monday made public its worries about cryptocurrency crime, advising banks on how they could properly scrutinise clients involved in the nascent sector.

Lloyds Banking Group sold its remaining stake in Standard Life Aberdeen after the market closed on Thursday night in a £344.3m block trade.

The Financial Conduct Authority is going through with its plan to create a new premium listing category for sovereign controlled companies, despite fears among investors and lawmakers that the move will weaken corporate governance standards in the UK.

HSBC has named Sean Henderson and Sean McNelis as co-heads of debt capital markets, Asia Pacific, with immediate effect, according to a memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

Cryptocurrency regulation won't be harmonised across jurisdictions, said two panellists at a Futures Industry Association conference in London this week.

Top officials from global supervisory bodies furiously debated the implications of new European rules that change the oversight of foreign clearing houses, covering the role of central banks, national regulators and arrangements in crisis situations.

Investors in Carpetright, the UK carpet and flooring retail chain, have backed its recovery plan by subscribing in high numbers for a £60m capital raising.

HSBC’s decision to reclassify four discounted perpetual bonds (discos) as fully eligible for tier two capital has led to holders asking for clarification and transparency from the bank. They also asked whether that eligibility status was really justified.

Workspace Group, the UK real estate investment trust, has hit the market with a £189m capital increase following the publication of its annual results on Wednesday morning The deal was covered in an hour and a half.

After the UK Treasury sold £2.5bn of RBS stock this week, observers quickly pointed out that the sale represented a huge loss for taxpayers. Yet the gradual return of the bank to full private ownership is a win for the UK financial sector and for the economy as a whole.

DS Smith, the UK packaging company, has offered to buy Spanish rival Europac, with £1.65bn of financing underwritten by US banks already prepared for the transaction.