Business confidence among Chinese entrepreneurs continued to improve in the second quarter of the year, a central bank survey showed recently.

The entrepreneur confidence index climbed for the ninth straight quarter, rising to 75.8 in the second quarter from 74.2 in the first quarter, according to the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).

Another PBOC survey showed bankers’ confidence in the economy dipping slightly after rising for nine quarters, edging down from 81.9 in the first quarter to"...

There is growing discontent among India's public sector bank employees, who are questioning why they have to bear the brunt of the actions of defaulters such as Kingfisher tycoon Vijay Mallya and those who are alleged to have scammed the system, such as billionaire Nirav Modi.

“Since banks have booked losses, they are unable to consider higher wages for employees, but we've made it very clear that we are not responsible for those losses,”"...

The National Bank of Fujairah, which counts the emirate's government and Investment Corporation of Dubai among its shareholders, plans to set up a debt programme and regularly tap international capital markets from next year to fund future growth.

NBF has yet to determine the size of the overall debt programme but the initial issuance is more likely to be in the $350 million range, which may reach as high as $500m, chief executive Vince Cook"...

Bahrain-based Bank ABC, a leading international financial group in the region, has announced the appointment of Ammar Khalil as the senior executive officer of the bank’s branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

In his new role, Khalil will have the overall responsibility of leading the bank’s UAE strategy across all wholesale banking, treasury and financial markets products, working closely with the other product lines and geography teams in the Bank ABC Group.

Bank ABC has"...

Vnesheconombank (VEB), a Russian development bank, has opened its representative office in Abu Dhabi, UAE as part of its Middle East strategy.

VEB's representative office has obtained all necessary permits, a commercial license and a registration certificate, and now is ready to operate, said a senior official.

'Vnesheconombank has been actively cooperating with the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, and the Islamic world as a whole. We are working to engage investors, raise finance,"...

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) agreed to pay a record penalty of A$700 million ($529.3 million) to settle explosive money laundering charges brought by Australia's financial intelligence agency.

The biggest financial penalty in Australian corporate history was almost double the amount CBA had set aside, signalling the tougher regulatory framework Australian banks face following revelations of widespread misconduct.

Even so, CBA shares were up 1.5 per cent in afternoon trade as investors"...

A UK law firm, which is involved in a Cayman Islands court ruling that found a Saudi Arabian family and a Kuwaiti-born businessman both defrauded scores of banks out of $126 billion, said the decision means creditors will finally be reimbursed.

Stewart Hey, partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, represented the Joint Official Liquidators of six Cayman Islands registered companies, known collectively as the AwalCos, who were among the 15 resulting"...

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has appointed Paul Hartwell as the new chief executive of the bank’s operations in the United Kingdom, subject to regulatory approvals.

Hartwell joins FAB with over 30 years of experience in corporate banking, operations and risk. Most recently, he was the CEO of British Arab Commercial Bank, said a statement from the bank.

Welcoming Hartwell into the fold, Group CEO Abdulhamid Saeed, said: 'With his vast experience in the banking sector, and in the areas which"...