JPMorgan, Brookfield see deals revival for clean energy assets

JPMorgan, Brookfield see deals revival for clean energy assets

The IEA forecasts renewable energy, particularly solar, to grow faster than any other major source of electricity generation to 2035 [SINGAPORE] Clean energy projects are poised for a revival in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity on the strengthening outlook for electricity demand and as expectations on asset valuations converge, according to some of the sector’s…

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HSBC, Prudential in US$220 million funding for Hong Kong’s WeLab

HSBC, Prudential in US0 million funding for Hong Kong’s WeLab

The fintech has over 70 million individual users and more than 700 enterprise customers [HONG KONG] Hong Kong-based fintech firm WeLab has secured US$220 million from investors including HSBC Holdings and Prudential Hong Kong in its largest round of funding. The financing comprised both debt and equity. Other investors include Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), Hong…

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BHP, Rio Tinto are joining forces to boost iron ore pipeline

BHP, Rio Tinto are joining forces to boost iron ore pipeline

Miners are trying to balance growth against capital discipline, and are increasingly looking at ways to squeeze efficiencies out of existing infrastructure [MELBOURNE] BHP Group and Rio Tinto Group, the world’s two biggest mining companies, are poised to join forces in Australia’s Pilbara iron ore hub to produce up to 200 million tonnes of the…

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Trump backs Venezuela staying in Opec

Trump backs Venezuela staying in Opec

[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he believes it would be better for Venezuela to remain in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or Opec, but added he was unsure if that would be a better situation for the United States. “Well, I think it’s better for them if they do it,” Trump said in a…

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Wells Fargo misses profit estimates on severance costs, shares fall

Wells Fargo misses profit estimates on severance costs, shares fall

WELLS Fargo missed analysts’ profit estimates in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, after it booked US$612 million in severance expenses as part of CEO Charlie Scharf’s effort to streamline operations, sending the bank’s shares lower. Its shares closed down 4.6 per cent at US$89.25, recording its biggest one-day percentage loss in six months. The bank…

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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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