logo
Sabadell CEO expects BBVA to get off lightly in Spanish anti-trust review

Sabadell CEO expects BBVA to get off lightly in Spanish anti-trust review

Reuters19-03-2025
LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) - Sabadell's (SABE.MC), opens new tab CEO said on Wednesday he did not expect Spain's competition regulator to come down too hard on BBVA's (BBVA.MC), opens new tab hostile takeover bid when it announces the outcome of its review into the proposed deal.
Cesar Gonzalez-Bueno said that the regulator, which is expected to give its view in the next month, won't be "very harsh" on BBVA and will likely impose behavioural remedies rather than structural demands such as asset sales.
here.
However, the CEO told the Morgan Stanley European Financials Conference in London that the offer from its bigger rival was in a "very shaky" situation because of political opposition to a deal in Spain, and because the economics did not stack up.
"I think the deal is at a very complex stage and it doesn't have a very bright future," he said, repeating his view that the deal would consume more capital than BBVA first envisaged and that the predicted synergies from a merger were unachievable.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oil steady as markets focus on US-Russia talks
Oil steady as markets focus on US-Russia talks

Reuters

time27 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Oil steady as markets focus on US-Russia talks

LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Monday, after falling more than 4% last week, as investors looked ahead to talks between the U.S. and Russia later this week on the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures were up 5 cents to $66.64 a barrel at 1003 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 1 cent to $63.87. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The talks follow increased U.S. pressure on Russia, raising the prospect that penalties on Moscow could be tightened if a peace deal is not reached. Trump set a deadline of last Friday for Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, to agree to peace or have its oil buyers face secondary sanctions. At the same time, Washington is pressing India to reduce purchases of Russian oil. Prices fell in recent days as market participants reduced supply disruption estimates, likely because the U.S. only imposed an extra tariff on India rather than all buyers of Russian oil, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. UBS has lowered its year-end Brent crude forecast to $62 a barrel from $68, citing higher supply from South America and resilient output from sanctioned countries. The bank added that Indian demand had fallen short of its expectations of late, and that it expected OPEC+ to pause its production hikes unless larger unexpected supply disruptions emerge. An Exxon Mobil-led consortium began crude production four months earlier than expected at a fourth floating production, storage and offloading vessel in Guyana, Exxon said on Friday. Consultancy Energy Aspects estimated Indian refiners have already purchased WTI totalling 5 million barrels for August loadings.

Indonesia eyes 'sovereign AI fund' to drive development, document shows
Indonesia eyes 'sovereign AI fund' to drive development, document shows

Reuters

time27 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Indonesia eyes 'sovereign AI fund' to drive development, document shows

JAKARTA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Authorities overseeing the development of artificial intelligence in Indonesia have proposed a "sovereign AI fund" to finance the archipelago's ambitions to become a regional hub for the fast-growing technology, a government document showed. Last month, Reuters reported that Southeast Asia's largest economy would release its first national roadmap on AI in a bid to attract foreign investment as it looks to join the global AI and chip-making race. The race has seen neighbouring Malaysia secure billions of dollars from global tech firms seeking to build critical infrastructure to meet growing demand for cloud and AI services. The Indonesia strategy, released in the form of a 179-page white paper seen by Reuters, recommends, among other things, a sovereign AI fund mainly handled by the country's new sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia, which controls over $900 billion in assets. Danantara Indonesia did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The paper did not specify the amount that would be needed, but estimated a 2027 to 2029 timeline to set up the fund, and a public-private model to finance Indonesia's AI push. It also suggests increasing fiscal incentives for domestic investors in AI, without providing details. The strategy paper, which the communications and digital ministry said still awaits public feedback before the final draft, maps Indonesia's computational readiness for AI and makes recommendations for AI-related policy strategies until 2030. "Indonesia right now is in the early stages of AI adoption," the document reads. Industry players including Chinese giant Huawei and Indonesia's biggest technology company GoTo ( opens new tab contributed to the report. An April report by the Boston Consulting Group said ASEAN nations were positioned for substantial AI-driven gains, with GDP contributions ranging from 2.3% to 3.1% by 2027, and Indonesia could see the highest impact in terms of absolute gross domestic output growth. The roadmap also details challenges for Indonesia including a lack of talent, low research funding, uneven connectivity outside big cities, risks of misinformation and data leaks. Global tech companies have courted the AI drive in Indonesia, including Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab and Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab.

Law firms stayed busy in second quarter but uncertainty looms
Law firms stayed busy in second quarter but uncertainty looms

Reuters

time33 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Law firms stayed busy in second quarter but uncertainty looms

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Geopolitical and economic instability were good business for U.S. law firms in the second quarter of 2025 as clients sought outside counsel to help them navigate a tumultuous landscape, a new analysis of firm financials by the Thomson Reuters Institute has found. Demand for law firm services rose 1.6% over the second quarter of 2024 and billing rates were up 7.4% over that period, making it an 'unexpectedly prosperous' quarter, according to Thomson Reuters Institute's Law Firm Financial Index, opens new tab, released on Monday. The Thomson Reuters Institute and Reuters share the same parent company. President Donald Trump's global trade policies have helped fuel demand for law firm services as clients navigate ever-changing tariffs, the institute found earlier this year. Clients are also looking to law firms to help them manage shifting regulations and a cooling economy. But the firms have reason to be cautious, Monday's report warned. Demand growth was not uniform across law firm segments, for one thing, while direct and overhead expenses continued their upward trend. 'We had a strangely good quarter, but we're also starting to see some red flags coming up,' said Isaac Brooks, the institute's manager of industry data analytics. 'There's a lot of downward risk, not just in the legal industry but in the broader economy.' Demand declined 0.6% year-over-year among the 100 top-grossing U.S. law firms as ranked by the American Lawyer, the report found, but it rose 2.6% among the next-largest 100 firms and increased 3.5% among midsized law firms. Those shifts suggest that clients may be looking to cut costs or want more specialized legal help, the report's authors said. Declining demand among international clients also hit the largest firms harder, they said. Demand growth also varied significantly by practice, the report found, as 'economic fear and anxiety' drove demand in some areas but not others. Litigation demand was up 2% in the second quarter compared to the previous year, but corporate work saw more modest demand growth of 1.3%. Demand for mergers and acquisitions work was up 0.3%, while intellectual property demand fell 1.4%, deflating earlier hopes that 2025 would be a particularly strong year for transactional practices. The index compiles financial quarterly metrics from 195 large and midsized U.S. law firms and assigns an overall score based upon key factors such as demand, productivity, billing rates and expenses. The score for the second quarter of 2025 was 55, up four points from the first quarter. Lawyer productivity was down 1.3% from the previous year, though it increased slightly from the first quarter of the year. Collections were also down slightly in the second quarter, reflecting an increase in unpaid bills and write-downs on legal work. That could become a problem for firms if the trend continues, the report warned. Read more: Trade war boosted law firm demand in early 2025 but challenges lie ahead, report says Law firms saw strong profits in 2024, study finds, but demand expected to ebb in 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store