KKR Asia credit fund draws 75% new investors as decoupling rises

KKR Asia credit fund draws 75% new investors as decoupling rises

The optimism around Asian private credit runs counter to a broader global pullback [HONG KONG] KKR raised three-quarters of its US$2.5 billion Asia private credit fund from new investors, as deepening economic decoupling pushes firms to broaden exposure and hedge geopolitical risk, according to top executives. Diversification has been a central theme in conversations with…

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Hochul wants to open medical marijuana center — but critics say plan is half-baked

Hochul wants to open medical marijuana center — but critics say plan is half-baked

New York’s health system may soon go up in smoke. Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to open the nation’s first medical center for “cannabis care” that will offer residencies for medics-in-training wanting to pair their Hippocratic Oaths with hydroponic tokes. Hochul claims her proposed “Center for Excellence for Cannabis Care and Health Equity” will boost access…

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China brokers rebuild ranks, raise pay on dealmaking return

China brokers rebuild ranks, raise pay on dealmaking return

CHINA’S biggest securities firms are back on the offensive after taking a battering over the past few years. Investment banking divisions of major brokerages, including Citic Securities, Huatai Securities and CSC Financial, have in recent months recruited dozens of junior and mid-level bankers, according to sources familiar with the moves, who asked not to be…

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UOB prices S$850 million perpetual securities at 3%

UOB prices S0 million perpetual securities at 3%

[SINGAPORE] UOB has priced S$850 million in perpetual capital securities at 3 per cent under its US$30 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme, the bank announced on Wednesday (Jan 14). The issue date of the securities is expected to be Jan 21, and the securities are first callable in 2033. The rate is subject to…

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Trump’s Greenland gambit is a sideshow the forces of freedom don’t need

Trump’s Greenland gambit is a sideshow the forces of freedom don’t need

We’re not loving President Donald Trump’s Greenland sideshow, and Wednesday’s White House talks don’t improve the plot. After meeting with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Lars Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, ruefully remarked that his nation and the United States have a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland;…

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Germany cautions flights over Iran as Lufthansa rejigs Middle East operations

Germany cautions flights over Iran as Lufthansa rejigs Middle East operations

GERMANY issued a new directive cautioning the country’s airlines from entering Iranian airspace, Flightradar24 said on Wednesday, shortly after Lufthansa rejigged its flight operations across the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region. Lufthansa said on Wednesday that it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice while it would only operate day…

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Meta begins job cuts as it shifts from metaverse to AI devices

Meta begins job cuts as it shifts from metaverse to AI devices

Reality Labs houses the company’s hardware and other futuristic product efforts [SAN FRANCISCO] Meta Platforms is beginning to cut more than 1,000 jobs from the company’s Reality Labs division, part of a plan to redirect resources from virtual reality (VR) and metaverse products towards artificial intelligence (AI) wearables and phone features. Affected employees will be…

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