The Global Banker — Banking Industry News & Intelligence
Central Banks
Bank of England’s Pill questioned pricing for four rate rises
Regulations
Qivalis won Dutch electronic-money authorisation for planned euro stablecoin launch
Latest News
Absa appointed Eric Muriuki to lead pan-African digital growth ventures
Ghana's CalBank lifted nine-month profit 51% as net interest income strengthened
Bank of England’s Pill questioned pricing for four rate rises
Qivalis won Dutch electronic-money authorisation for planned euro stablecoin launch
ISS urged Monte dei Paschi investors to reject twin bids
Boston Fed's Collins said another rate rise remained likely before year-end
Goldman Sachs' Solomon said no active succession timetable was underway
IMF flagged AI, bond-yield and cyber risks to global finance
Standard Bank agreed OPay investment tied to New York listing
South Korea found hacks at 16 financial firms after data leaks
Bank of Baroda vowed defence against Shetty’s $15 billion lawsuit
FSB proposed eight principles to modernise global financial supervision frameworks
Absa index found African financial markets improved as liquidity remained thin
Uganda's central bank lifted reserves 56% and planned more gold purchases
Egypt’s central bank barred credit for consumer-finance precious-metals purchases nationwide
Commonwealth Bank rolled out AI assistant and urged Australian safeguards
Singapore's MAS held exchange-rate policy unchanged after two consecutive tightenings
Swiss committee backed UBS fee for permanent public liquidity backstop
BBVA began €1 billion second tranche of Spanish share buyback programme
Bank of America received $1.21 billion penalties over compliance failures
Banking News
View All →Ghana's CalBank lifted nine-month profit 51% as net interest income strengthened
CalBank’s group profit after tax rose 50.6% to GH¢337.2 million over nine months, while net interest income increased 66.3% and impairment support fell sharply year-on-year.
IMF flagged AI, bond-yield and cyber risks to global finance
IMF said global finance remained resilient but vulnerable to an AI correction, higher sovereign yields and cyberattacks, while banks holding 22% of global assets had weak capital cushions.
Bank of Baroda vowed defence against Shetty’s $15 billion lawsuit
Bank of Baroda said it would defend a $15 billion damages suit filed by NMC founder B.R. Shetty, while saying it had not been served and the allegations remained untested.
Absa index found African financial markets improved as liquidity remained thin
Absa and OMFIF found that 21 of 29 African markets improved in 2026, lifting the average index score to a decade-high 56 even as trading liquidity remained constrained.
Executive Moves
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Absa appointed Eric Muriuki to lead pan-African digital growth ventures
Absa appointed former NCBA executive Eric Muriuki to a newly created pan-African growth and ventures role, with a spokesman confirming his mandate on 14 October.
Goldman Sachs' Solomon said no active succession timetable was underway
Goldman Sachs chief David Solomon said no succession transition or timetable was under way, clarifying speculation about president John Waldron while leaving routine board planning unaddressed.
Absa director Alpheus Mangale resigned from board and three committees
Absa said independent non-executive director Alpheus Mangale resigned on 8 October, leaving its board and three committees after serving as a director since July 2023.
JPMorgan appointed Rob Sweeney global investment banking chair amid expansion
JPMorgan appointed Rob Sweeney as a global investment banking chair, giving the former Goldman Sachs and Sycamore executive senior coverage responsibilities across industries including consumer and retail.
TGB Magazine
Latest issueIssue 08
Q4 2026: Record profits, on a tightrope
The first half paid banks well for volatility, wealth and lending. The rate cycle has now turned, and the second half will test which of those engines keeps running.
In this issue
M&A
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ISS urged Monte dei Paschi investors to reject twin bids
Proxy adviser ISS recommended that Monte dei Paschi shareholders reject proposed bids for Banco BPM and Banca Generali, alongside a related €4 billion special dividend.
Standard Bank agreed OPay investment tied to New York listing
Standard Bank Group signed a subscription agreement to invest in OPay, with closing tied to the fintech’s proposed New York listing and future African digital-banking cooperation subject to approvals.
Kenya’s Court Rejected Stay Bid in Safaricom Stake Sale Dispute
Kenya’s Court of Appeal rejected government and Vodacom applications to stay the judgment voiding a KSh204.3 billion Safaricom stake sale, leaving restoration orders in force during the substantive appeal.
HSBC completed sale of Germany’s INKA fund administrator to BlackFin
HSBC Continental Europe completed its sale of German fund administrator INKA to BlackFin on 9 October, transferring a platform that administered more than €470 billion at the end of June.
Fintech
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Commonwealth Bank rolled out AI assistant and urged Australian safeguards
Commonwealth Bank began rolling out an AI assistant inside its banking app while CEO Matt Comyn said Australia needed safeguards to retain more of the technology’s domestic economic value.
Ecobank signed CIPS memorandum to strengthen Africa-China renminbi payments connectivity
Ecobank signed a memorandum with China's CIPS on 10 October to develop cross-border renminbi payment connectivity across the continent through its network spanning 34 African countries.
Côte d’Ivoire Treasury began regular bulk payments through BCEAO’s PI-SPI platform
Côte d’Ivoire’s Treasury began regular bulk payments through BCEAO’s PI-SPI platform, while the central bank said the seven other WAEMU treasuries would be integrated progressively.
Singapore’s UOB and AWS signed exploratory ASEAN cloud technology agreement
UOB and Amazon Web Services signed an exploratory agreement to assess a dedicated Singapore cloud environment supporting the bank’s hybrid infrastructure across five ASEAN markets.
Regulations
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Qivalis won Dutch electronic-money authorisation for planned euro stablecoin launch
De Nederlandsche Bank authorised Qivalis as an electronic-money institution, giving the 37-bank consortium a regulatory base for its planned euro stablecoin launch across Europe this November.
South Korea found hacks at 16 financial firms after data leaks
South Korea identified hacking incidents at 16 financial firms and about 100,000 data leaks, prompting plans for wider inspections, stronger monitoring and tougher management accountability across the sector.
FSB proposed eight principles to modernise global financial supervision frameworks
The Financial Stability Board proposed eight high-level principles for modernising regulation and supervision, while a parallel review urged sharper focus on genuinely systemic cross-border risks.
Egypt’s central bank barred credit for consumer-finance precious-metals purchases nationwide
The Central Bank of Egypt told banks not to grant, renew or use credit facilities for consumer-finance transactions involving gold and other precious metals, extending a September regulatory ban.