Crime

Julius Baer gets off lightly for dirty money sins

20 Feb 2020

The Swiss finance watchdog demanded better controls and barred the bank from embarking on major deals for now. That’s mild punishment given the systematic failings that were uncovered but reflects limits on what the supervisor can do. The regulator could really use sharper teeth.

Viewsroom: Carlos Ghosn’s great escape

16 Jan 2020

The international car boss who fled Japanese authorities is now lambasting Nissan and suing Renault for money due. Breakingviews columnists discuss why the latest twists overshadow the fraying global alliance of three automakers. Also, why China’s Geely wants Aston Martin.

Hadas: Ghosn caught in non-prisoner dilemma

15 Jan 2020

The self-liberated former Nissan boss dodged Japanese justice, but took his conscience with him to Lebanon. His decision to flee would be hard to justify without insistent claims of total innocence. Still, the moral and practical case for showing some contrition is strong.

GM takes FCA to task over past and future slights

21 Nov 2019

Detroit’s top carmaker claims Fiat Chrysler bribed union officials to get a better deal than GM in contract talks. CEO Mary Barra’s crew even called out her almost-merger partner posthumously. The lawsuit smacks of payback, but its goal must be to gum up Fiat’s deal with Peugeot.

U.S. hits Turkey where it hurts with bank charges

16 Oct 2019

The Justice Department accused Halkbank of helping evade sanctions against Iran. A big fine would erode the state-owned lender’s already weak capital position. Ankara can act to contain the damage but a ban on shorting bank shares signals the government sees systemic risk.

Ghosn’s power would get lost in translation

24 Sep 2019

The SEC claims the former Nissan boss hid half his salary to avoid public opprobrium, and was able to do so because of lax controls. It’s a stark contrast to the United States, where governance is strong but social pressure over pay is weak. Both systems fail in different ways.

Nordic banks’ soft regulators invite U.S. wrath

19 Jun 2019

Shares in Danske and Swedbank have fallen sharply due to concerns about American probes into money laundering. A $900 million fine by Dutch regulators helped ING escape U.S. ire for similar breaches. Laws limiting penalties in Scandinavia mean banks there may not be so lucky.

Oligarchs take U.S. sanctions risk in their stride

8 Apr 2019

The Russian owners of Evraz recently cut their stake below 50 pct, which offsets potential heat over their Kremlin links. That doesn’t mean fellow metal groups like Severstal need to follow suit. Still, Oleg Deripaska’s recent travails imply little cause for complacency.

France’s $1.5 bln reason to put Renault over Ghosn

4 Apr 2019

That’s how much more the state’s stake in the carmarker could be worth if the discount at which the company is trading disappears. Mending Nissan relations is a precondition. Paris may only do the minimum to help former CEO Carlos Ghosn, who has called for the government’s help.

Hong Kong fumbles its China extradition fix

21 Mar 2019

The city may exclude white-collar crimes from a mooted deal to exchange suspects with the mainland, to assuage the business community’s concerns. Unfortunately, such an awkward compromise would only confirm the tension between the financial hub’s needs and Beijing’s ambitions.

Arrests give investors new reason to avoid Russia

26 Feb 2019

Sanctions imposed on some well-connected oligarchs have already spooked foreign money managers. The detention of Baring Vostok executives including founder Michael Calvey highlights domestic dangers. Less capital will be willing to navigate the risks.

EU banks keep stepping on old landmines

20 Feb 2019

A French court fined UBS a record $5.1 bln for helping clients evade taxes in the past, while Swedbank faces allegations about old dodgy transactions linked to Danske Bank’s money-laundering scandal. European lenders seem unable to avoid the damage from past compliance bungles.

Wirecard shows fintech stars share banking ills

4 Feb 2019

The payments group denied an FT report alleging false accounting. Yet shares are down 25 pct since last week. Soothing investors will mean bulking up in compliance and boosting transparency. They’re the kind of problems associated with rickety banks, not disruptors.

EU “golden visa” alarm is too little too late

23 Jan 2019

Brussels is right to worry that dodgy tycoons can buy their way into Europe. But national governments are the only ones with the power to close these back doors. Given the benefits that countries such as Cyprus and Malta reap from such schemes, the gates will swing shut slowly.

Oleg Deripaska’s En+ deal is more sour than sweet

23 Jan 2019

The settlement that distanced the Russian oligarch from his power company has favourable aspects, the New York Times says. Certain provisions could even limit the financial hit from U.S. sanctions still in place against him. The overall outcome is, however, still pretty painful.

U.S. Oleg Deripaska deal tougher than it looks

20 Dec 2018

Washington’s decision to lift sanctions on En+ and allow the Russian oligarch to keep a 45 pct stake sounds lenient. Yet it looks difficult for Deripaska to sell his stake for cash or exercise decisive influence. After a messy beginning, the U.S. raid seems a qualified success.

Renault-Nissan: Only merging makes financial sense

19 Dec 2018

The French and Japanese carmakers' lopsided stakes in each other are a poor use of capital. A full-blown marriage could boost their value by about 30 percent. That’s less likely after Carlos Ghosn’s ouster as Nissan chairman; the auto alliance is driving in the wrong direction.

Wall Street could use remedial lectures on culture

17 Dec 2018

The New York Fed’s push to improve industry behavior deserves top watchdog billing. Goldman’s 1MDB mess is only one reminder the message hasn’t totally sunk in. Slower economic growth in 2019 could expose more lapses. It’s a good time for boss John Williams to badger his charges.

Ericsson debacle exposes costs of anti-Huawei push

7 Dec 2018

The Swedish group’s glitchy software crashed some telecom networks. Yet it may grab market share, with its rival’s CFO under arrest and governments backing away from the Chinese company’s kit. A more concentrated market would mean higher prices and a risk of further big outages.

China trade-secrets case brings sanctions closer

1 Nov 2018

State-backed chipmaker Fujian Jinhua was indicted for allegedly stealing designs from U.S. rival Micron. It was already barred from buying U.S. parts, so this raises the stakes. Former President Obama mulled sanctions for industrial espionage. That idea could be in play again.