Lloyds Banking Hit by Spike in Missold Insurance Claims

Lloyds Banking Hit by Spike in Missold Insurance Claims

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Lloyds Banking Group Plc shares sank as the lender took an extra charge for a last-minute rush of calls from British customers over missold insurance. The country’s biggest mortgage lender posted a 550 million-pound provision in the second quarter for customers who were missold payment protection insurance, as a long-running compensation program draws to a close in August. It’s the biggest provision the bank has taken since the fourth quarter…

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U.K.’s Johnson Won’t Back Down on Brexit Despite Plunging Pound

U.K.’s Johnson Won’t Back Down on Brexit Despite Plunging Pound

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to back down over his threat to take the U.K. out of the European Union without a deal, despite a growing backlash over the impact his strategy is having on the pound. Johnson’s office hinted on Tuesday that another round of Brexit talks might not happen at all, and has warned he won’t meet EU leaders for negotiations unless they agree to tear open the current…

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Quant Funds Lift Man Group Despite $1.1 Billion of Withdrawals

Quant Funds Lift Man Group Despite $1.1 Billion of Withdrawals

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Man Group Plc’s computer-driven funds are boosting earnings prospects for the world’s biggest publicly traded hedge fund even as the firm reported its first outflows for a six-month period since 2015. About 90% of Man AHL strategies, which use complex algorithms to trade, were at the “high water mark,” a level that allows funds to charge performance fee, according to a company statement on Wednesday. Man Group shares rose as much as…

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MTN Nigeria Interim Profit Jumps 35% on Broadband, 4G Rollout

MTN Nigeria Interim Profit Jumps 35% on Broadband, 4G Rollout

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, the largest unit within MTN Group Ltd., grew interim profit by 35% as its newly acquired spectrum enabled it to increase broadband and 4G offerings in the West African country. Chief Financial Officer Adekunle Awobodu will be leaving the business later this year “for family reasons,” and the process to find his replacement is well underway, the company said. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for…

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Naspers Backs U.S. Education Platform Brainly in Investment Push

Naspers Backs U.S. Education Platform Brainly in Investment Push

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Naspers Ltd., Africa’s biggest company by market value and soon to be one of Europe’s largest listed technology companies, is investing more of its $10-billion cash-pile in educational platforms. The Cape Town-based company has led the latest $30 million investment round in Brainly, a U.S. startup that allows learners to help each other with homework problems in different parts of the world. The students earn points for the quality…

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U.S. Firms Want Nigeria Reforms Before Investing, Official Says

U.S. Firms Want Nigeria Reforms Before Investing, Official Says

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, could attract more U.S. investment if the oil and gas sector becomes less opaque and a fuel-price peg is removed, according to a U.S. official. “Nigeria needs to think strategically about what is going to make it a more attractive destination,” Brent Omdahl, commercial counselor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, said in an interview in Lagos. “Our investors are willing to compete on…

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Kganyago Says South Africa Central Bank Owners Debate a Distraction

Kganyago Says South Africa Central Bank Owners Debate a Distraction

JOHANNESBURG (Capiatla Markets in Africa) – As the South African Reserve Bank’s shareholders prepared for its annual general meeting on Friday, Governor Lesetja Kganyago derided the debate over who owns the institution as a distraction from the real problems that the economy faces. This AGM was the second since the ruling African National Congress decided in December 2017 that the central bank, which is one of a handful worldwide owned by private investors, should be…

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