HSBC

Greece has announced plans to issue a five-year bond, in what be the country's first market test since the end of its international bailout last August.

The country's Public Debt Management Agency on Monday named BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs International Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and SG CIB as joint lead managers for the issue.

Greece's debt agency is to announce the country's return to the bond markets, with a five-year syndicated issue that may be announced within the day, sources indicated on Monday.

The state aims to raise 2 billion euros from the issue.

Turmoil in emerging markets caused by economic woes in Turkey and Argentina, and a strain on Greek bonds after Italian government paper came under selling pressure, pushed the Athens Exchange lower on Thursday.

The banking index was in negative territory throughout the session, despite HSBC's upgrade of the Greek sector to "buy."

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Thursday put a definitive end to any hopes of Greece's inclusion in the bond-buying program (QE) and the extension of the waiver that allows Greek debt to be accepted as collateral for regular auctions of ECB cash, despite the junk rating of Greek bonds.

Former senior Goldman Sachs and HSBC banker Matthew Westerman is launching a private investment firm alongside a former colleague and a Greek shipping tycoon, he said on Friday.

Westerman will partner his former Goldman Sachs colleague Julian Metherell and Peter Livanos, who owns Greek shipping company Ceres Hellenic, in a new firm called MW&L Capital Partners.

Banking giants HSBC and ING on May 14 said they had carried out a landmark blockchain transaction aimed at speeding up payment processes and making them more secure.

Turkey has mandated the Bank of China, HSBC and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) to explore bond issuance opportunities in China’s Panda bond market, the Turkish Treasury stated on Feb. 21.

Banking giant HSBC more than doubled pre-tax profit to $17.2 billion in 2017, it announced on Feb. 20, after a recovery drive to streamline its business and slash costs.

A former HSBC banker has been appointed to the board of Hellenic Bank, one of Cyprus's biggest lenders, with a view to becoming chairman of the bank.

In a statement filed to the Cyprus Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Hellenic Bank said that Youssef Nasr, a Lebanese American, was nominated as a board member at its meeting on Monday.

HSBC said profits were up in the first half of the year after a turbulent 2016 which saw huge writedowns and restructuring costs as it laid off thousands of staff.

The Asia-focused giant has been on a recovery drive over the past two years, streamlining its operations and exiting unprofitable businesses.