Latest news with #MichaelRoberts
Business Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
HSBC revamps financing, advisory to help private credit push
[LONDON] HSBC Holdings is reorganising its capital markets and corporate advisory units into a new business as part of a plan aimed at helping Europe's biggest bank grab a larger share of the booming private credit industry. The London-based lender said in a statement on Friday (May 16) that it was creating a new Capital Markets and Advisory group to house all of its disparate worldwide financing and investment banking activities under a single management structure, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. 'This is a model for the future, where we can best serve our clients and capitalise on the growth opportunities ahead,' said Michael Roberts, chief executive of corporate and institutional banking at HSBC. HSBC is among lenders seeking to step up offerings in private credit, a US$1.6 trillion global asset class that is luring more and more players as demand rises from borrowers seeking safer options amid the chaos set off by the Trump administration's trade policies. Among attractions is higher management fees. Rival Standard Chartered said on Thursday that it would be hiring about 25 bankers for a new private markets-focused team, estimating that the sector's assets under management will reach nearly US$20 trillion by 2029. Under HSBC's new set-up, the bank's financing solutions units, which includes its debt capital markets, leveraged and acquisition finance, and private credit operations, will sit alongside its corporate finance and strategic advisory businesses. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Adam Bagshaw, global head of investment banking, will take charge of CMA with a mandate to grow the lender's private credit business, as well as consolidating its position as one of the leading finance businesses in Asia and the Middle East. The latest round of restructuring comes on the back of a sweeping overhaul announced late last year by chief executive officer Georges Elhedery shortly after he took the top role. The previous move, involving commercial and investment banking units, saw the shuttering of the lender's mergers and acquisition and equity underwriting operations in the US, UK and continental Europe and the exit of several senior executives. HSBC is looking to save about US$1.5 billion in efficiency costs from those changes. The reorganisation of the capital markets and advisory businesses marks one of the final steps in the restructuring Elhedery kicked off and sets the stage for potential hiring once things have settled down, according to a person familiar with the matter. Any hiring would likely focus on private credit, as well as the Middle East and Asia, which are set to benefit from the redeployment of people and resources in the wake of the closure of some of HSBC's operations. Ian Dorrington, global head of leveraged and acquisition finance at HSBC, will spearhead the private credit push, another person familiar with the situation said. New York-based Dorrington joined HSBC in 2023 from Deutsche Bank where he had been co-head of its US leveraged finance business. BLOOMBERG
Leader Live
02-05-2025
- Leader Live
Acrefair man locked up after knifepoint robbery at shop
Michael Roberts, of Glaslyn in Acrefair, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday morning via video link from prison. The 38-year-old had previously admitted offences of robbery, possession of a knife and failing to comply with notification requirements. David Mainstone, prosecuting, told the court that on February 8 this year, the defendant contacted North Wales Police and informed officers he believed he was in breach of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) as he'd set up and used Facebook and Tik Tok accounts under false names. His SHPO was imposed in 2021 for offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempted child grooming - in which he'd contacted a person he believed to be a young female, but was in reality a member of an online vigilant group. In any event, it was found Roberts had failed to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender, as opposed to breaching his SHPO, and he was arrested. Two days after being released, he walked into the Deniz Continental Store in Ruabon Road, Wrexham. Store assistant Beata Wisniewska was working when he entered at around lunchtime. He came around the side of the counter - within touching distance of the victim - and produced a 10cm knife with a blunt tip from inside his jacket. "Give me the money," he told her. The court heard Ms Wisniewska was very scared, and handed over around £250 in cash. Roberts left the shop and the victim contacted her boss, who called the police. Later that day, Roberts was caught and still had around £180 in cash. The knife was also recovered. Mr Mainstone told the court that a "striking" feature in the knifepoint robbery was the fact that in 2021, Roberts was convicted of another robbery and possession of a blade at that very store - remarkably, against the same victim. Following that offence, he'd gone to the police station and confessed the whole thing as he "couldn't live with the guilt of what he'd done to the staff," the court heard. Mr Mainstone added: "Had he not done so, in 2021, he probably wouldn't have been apprehended for that offence." Deniz Continental store (Google) (Image: Google) Duncan Bould, defending, told the court: "Mr Roberts agrees the mitigation on his behalf is somewhat limited. "He gives no explanation for the commission of the offence other than at the time he was undoubtedly addicted to alcohol and class A drugs, neither of which provide mitigation for him. "Regarding the breach, despite the fact it appears he went to the police to admit something was wrong with his behaviour, he can't remember that now. "I invite the court to give him credit for the fact he admitted it at an early stage and indeed drew to the attention of the authorities the fact he'd broken the law." Michael Roberts (NWP) (Image: North Wales Police) MORE COURT NEWS Judge Rhys Rowlands told the defendant: "In 2021, you were sentenced to 32 months imprisonment in respect of a knifepoint robbery at a general store on Ruabon Road in Wrexham. "Having served that sentence and been released back into the community, you're now back before this court some three-and-a-half years later having committed what is seemingly an identical knifepoint robbery at the same premises and against the same victim. "Undoubtedly, she would have been very frightened. "This is far too serious for anything other than a custodial sentence." Overall, Roberts was jailed for four years and received a ten year restraining order prohibiting him from entering the shop in question, or contacting staff.
National Geographic
01-05-2025
- National Geographic
Where to travel in June
Don a floral crown for springtime festivities in Sweden or look out for the flame-red fur of orangutans collecting fruit on Borneo's forest floor — there's all this and more to explore in the month of June. Wildlife lovers should make for Pembrokeshire in June for ample birdwatching opportunities. Photograph by Michael Roberts, Getty Images • 8 min read This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). June is the month of plenty. While some parts of the world are braced against hurricanes, monsoons and heat waves, the Northern Hemisphere is in its prime. The southern Med is ripe for striking out on a Croatian sailing tour or crisscrossing the Cyclades, while the Baltic and Nordic countries welcome bright nights and midsummer celebrations. The dry season starts in safari spots across the globe like Uganda, Tanzania, Borneo and the Peruvian Amazon, making June an ideal time to view the Serengeti's Great Migration or orangutans swinging through Sabah rainforests. The comfortable temperatures also afford opportunities for lovers of the great outdoors, including hiking the mountainous Inca Trail or trekking through North America's national parks for big-sky adventures. In Yosemite, waterfalls are booming and paths push through carpets of wildflowers. 1. Nashville, Tennessee Music City hits a high note this month. Its chock-a-block calendar of music festivals includes the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. 'Bonnaroo' is Creole slang for 'good stuff' and there's heaps of it: over 150 performances, as well as comedy, cinema, interactive art installations, food trucks, yoga and even sustainability workshops. It sprawls across a 700-acre farm on the city's outskirts, a short shuttle ride from the centre. While in the South, take a deep dive into country music at the annual four-day CMA Fest in downtown Nashville. Musicians like Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood perform free to help raise funds for the Country Music Association Foundation's music education programmes. There's plenty more to sing about, too, with tons of free music in June. Make Music Nashville takes tunes to the streets, sidewalks, breweries, parks and even the airport with local artists each solstice (21 June), while concert series Musicians Corner hits the stage at Centennial Park each weekend in May and the first two weekends in June. Inspired by London's Speakers' Corner, this Nashville version was created as both a musical landmark and community gathering space, drawing artists such as Emmylou Harris, Chris Stapleton and Vince Gill. Nashville hits a high note this month, with a chock-a-block calendar of music festivals. Photograph by Nina Dietzel, Getty Images 2. Sweden Daylight stretches into night north of the Arctic Circle this month due to the Earth's axial tilt. In Swedish Lapland, the sun lingers low on the horizon from June until mid-July, painting the evening sky an ethereal gold. Night owls can try the Swedish Tourist Association's midnight sun hike in Abisko National Park, which takes trekkers up Nuolja mountain in a chairlift before a climb to the summit, where forests, mountains and an alpine lake glow beyond. While you're wide-eyed, experience the merriment of Sweden's midsummer parties. As the fields burst with wildflowers, revellers rush to their sommarstuga (summer cottage) for the national holiday at the end of June. There's maypole dancing, flower garland stringing, garden games and a feast of new potatoes, pickled herring and plump strawberries. Dalarna, peppered with green forests and red cottages, is a great spot for traditional celebrations. If you can't bag an invite, don your floral crown for a three-day festival at Stockholm's open-air Skansen museum. Head to Sweden in June for midsummer festivities. Photograph by Johner Images, Getty Images 3. Cusco, Peru This ancient city in the lofty Peruvian Andes becomes a stage for Inti Raymi, a 500-year-old tradition dating back to the days of the Inca Empire. The Festival of the Sun culminates in a celebration of the benevolent Inca sun god on the winter solstice, marking the beginning of longer days ahead. It involves a procession from Qoricancha that passes through the main square and ends at the ruined Inca citadel of Sacsayhuamán. Salute the sun with a faux llama sacrifice, folk dancing and traditional Peruvian bands. Investigate more Inca heritage on a four-day trek to the 15th-century citadel Machu Picchu, whose legendary ruins dot a rugged mountain slope. June is in the dry season in the Peruvian Highlands, meaning ideal conditions to strike out on the sun-soaked Inca Trail. Cusco becomes a stage for Inti Raymi in June: a 500-year-old tradition dating back to the days of the Inca Empire. Photograph by Christian Declercq, Getty Images 4. Malaysian Borneo Swing into the Sabah rainforests for sightings of the increasingly rare orangutan. These rust-red primates are found only in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo — the latter shared by Indonesia and is one of the few dry spots in Southeast Asia this month, basking amid warm and humid days. It's also fruiting season, which coaxes the arboreal apes down from the canopy to feast on the forest floor. Keep your eyes peeled as you head along Sabah's Kinabatangan River and through the lush Danum Valley. Slow things down on remote Selingan Island, where turtle-hatching season is starting. A pinprick off the northeast Bornean coast, it's one of three islands that form Turtle Islands National Park, a conservation sanctuary for green and hawksbill turtles since 1977. Only 50 visitor permits per day are issued for Selingan Island, where visitors are highly suggested to stay the night — no bad thing, because as darkness falls, turtles slink ashore to lay eggs in the velvety sand. Guests can also help release turtle hatchlings into the sea. 5. Pembrokeshire, Wales The island off the Pembrokeshire coast is a wildlife haven, hosting around half the world's population of manx shearwaters, plus guillemots, razorbills and great cormorants. From April to September, boats slip between Martin's Haven, on the mainland, and Skomer, but this month is when Atlantic puffin numbers are at their peak. They migrate en masse, waddling along cliff tops pocketed with pink thrift and red sea campion or soaring towards burrows with broad, multicoloured bills bursting with sand eels. Skomer's offshore rocks and sheltered bays are also visited by dolphins, harbour porpoises and curious grey seals. For more of the wild west, lace up your hiking boots for the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a trail tracing 186 miles of coastline, passing soaring, heather-dotted cliffs, sandy coves and salt-licked towns. Flora and fauna are on display this month, with some stretches of the path plied by wild ponies. Adrenaline junkies can try coasteering, a sport invented by surfers in the county in which the foreshore is a playground: ride swells, hop across rocks, explore caves and jump off craggy cliffs. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only). SEASONS FESTIVALS HOLIDAYS WILDLIFE HIKING ATLANTIC PUFFINS
Bloomberg
26-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
HSBC Corporation & Institutional Banking CEO on Supply Chains
Michael Roberts CEO of HSBC Bank plc and CEO of Corporate and Institutional Banking discusses the opportunities in shifting supply chains. Michael speaks exclusively to Bloomberg's David Ingles on the sidelines of the 'HSBC Global Investment Summit' in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 cheap shares to consider buying in a £20k ISA for income of £1,000 a year
Buying cheap shares rather than expensive ones isn't a foolproof strategy. Sometimes stocks are cheap for a jolly good reason. And they may remain cheap, for years. Or even get cheaper, as performance flounders and investors give up. Yet I don't think that applies to the following two FTSE 100 companies. Both look good value to me. They also offer reliable-looking dividend yields of more than 5%. An investor who divided this year's £20,000 Stocks and Shares ISA contribution limit equally between these two could secure income of more than £1,000 a year. And there's a fair chance that will rise over time. Asia-focused bank HSBC (LSE: HSBA) has a trailing dividend yield of around 5.9% a year. It looks attractively valued too, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just under nine. I'm surprised by that low P/E, given how well the shares have done. HSBC's share price has climbed by 33% over the last year. Over five, it's up 45%. The board's also been proactive in returning capital to shareholders through share buybacks, spending a thumping $3bn a quarter. In its Q3 results for 2024, HSBC reported a profit before tax of $8.5bn, up from $7.7bn the previous year. Revenue also increased from $16.2bn to $17bn. Yet the board isn't resting on its laurels. It's now winding down its investment banking arm as CEO Michael Roberts shifts to a 'more competitive, scalable, financing-led model'. It will also have a tight Asia focus. HSBC faces being the meat in a superpower sandwich, as the US and China face off. It's clearly chosen its side. That's not the only risk. If interest rates fall, that could squeeze net interest margins. The transitional process brings execution risks. Greater exposure to China isn't a one-way bet either, given the country's property crisis. Donald Trump's trade war won't help. Yet I still think HSBC is well worth considering both for income and growth, with a long-term view. Investing £10k in HSBC shares at the current yield would provide an annual income of £590. My second income growth pick, cigarette maker Imperial Brands (LSE: IMB), boasts a trailing yield of about 5.5%. So £10k in that would deliver income of £550. That's total income of £1,140, which I'd expect to rise over time as profits grow (no guarantees though). Imperial Brands also looks good value, with a P/E ratio of around 9.3. That's despite the company's share price surging 47% over 12 months, although it was volatile before that. Investors can't expect the share price to simply plough on. In its full-year results for 2024, Imperial Brands reported a 4.5% increase in operating profit to £3.55bn. That was despite a slight decline in total revenue. Net revenue from next-generation products, including tobacco alternatives like vapes, grew by 26%. They now account for 8% of total revenue. Cigarette stocks are inherently risky. Basically, companies are pushing a product that kills. They face constant regulatory pushback. Rising revenues from smokeless alternatives could trigger stiffer rules. No investment is without risks. These two certainly aren't. But their high income and growth prospects make both well worth considering. But only with a minimum five-year view. And ideally a lot longer than that. The post 2 cheap shares to consider buying in a £20k ISA for income of £1,000 a year appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Harvey Jones has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended HSBC Holdings and Imperial Brands Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
