* ECB policymaker and Banque de France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said he was against a decision to resume quantitative easing under a stimulus package unveiled earlier this month to spur growth in the eurozone economy, joining his Dutch, German and Austrian peers in publicly dissenting against the move. Villeroy added that lowering interest rates and changing forward guidance were a "powerful combination" by themselves to accelerate growth.
* About half a dozen companies including Allianz Group are looking to acquire the Singapore and Vietnam businesses of Aviva PLC
* The European Court of Justice has ruled against Banco Santander SA unit Santander Consumer Finance and Polish banks SKOK and mBank SA for not reducing the total cost of a loan in the case of early repayments, Europa Press reported.
UK AND IRELAND
* The British pound rose after the U.K. Supreme Court declared Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament as unlawful, dimming chances of a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31. U.K.'s opposition Labour Party will not back a general election until Johnson complies with a law requiring him to seek another delay in the U.K.'s exit from the EU, Reuters reported. Johnson, meanwhile, vowed to take the country out of the EU next month even after the Supreme Court decision, Bloomberg News reported.
* The EU's General Court annulled a €33.6 million fine imposed on HSBC Holdings PLC
* U.K.-based CYBG PLC
* Preben Prebensen is stepping down as CEO of Close Brothers Group PLC, which reported profit attributable to shareholders of £201.6 million for the year ended July 31, down from £202.3 million a year earlier.
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA
* German financial market supervisory authority Bafin, the Federal Criminal Police Office, the national Financial Intelligence Unit and 15 banks launched a public-private partnership called Anti Financial Crime Alliance to cooperate in the field of combating money laundering and terrorist financing in Germany, Börsen-Zeitung wrote.
* Credit Suisse Group AG commissioned Swiss private investigation firm Investigo GmbH with surveillance of its former head of wealth management, Iqbal Khan, because the bank suspected that he would try to persuade colleagues and clients to join him at his new post at UBS Group AG, Financial Times wrote, citing insiders. Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Tages-Anzeiger covered.
* Following the bankruptcy of British travel company Thomas Cook Group PLC, insurers of German subsidiary Thomas Cook GmbH said they are currently not obliged to compensate some 300,000 stranded vacationers because the German branch of Thomas Cook has not yet filed for bankruptcy, Handelsblatt cited a spokesperson of the German Insurance Association. Payouts in such a case were also capped at €110 million per insurer and fiscal year, the association noted.
* Moody's sees increasing pressure on German life insurers as it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet their interest rate promises, WirtschaftsWoche wrote. The rating agency left its outlook for the German life insurance industry at negative, worse than in all other European countries.
FRANCE AND BENELUX
* On the back of negative interest rates, Generalis French unit wants to launch a new savings model and move away from euro funds, according to Les Echos.
* Eric Lalo will join Rothschild & Co. as a managing director and head of sovereign advisory, Les Echos reported. Prior to joining Rothschild & Co., Lalo spent 10 years as co-head of Lazard's sovereign advisory group.
SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
* Spain-based Banco Santander SA
* Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA has fired an executive allegedly involved in wiretapping allegations against the bank, El País reported. Antonio Béjar, who was head of a Madrid real estate development controlled by BBVA, has been fired after being suspended in July. Expansión reported that Béjar had admitted to the judge that BBVA had hired security firm, Grupo Cenyt to do various jobs for it.
* BBVA launched a five-year senior nonpreferred debt issue for a total of €1 billion with an annual coupon of 0.375%, Expansión wrote.
* CaixaBank SA is counting on guarantees to recover a €51 million loan granted to failed U.K. tour operator Thomas Cook Group PLC, Europa Press reported. Thomas Cook was forced into liquidation after it failed to secure funding.
ITALY AND GREECE
* The administrative court of Italy's Lazio region said it did not have jurisdiction to rule on an appeal by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his Fininvest holding company against a Bank of Italy decision requiring Fininvest to sell its stake in Banca Mediolanum SpA, noting that previous court cases had established the appeal must be heard at the European level, Reuters reported.
* Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA recapitalized its Monte dei Paschi di Siena Leasing & Factoring SpA business by €250 million, MF said.
* Generali and Società Cattolica di Assicurazione SC pulled out of the competitive process to become bancassurance partners of Unione di Banche Italiane SpA, failing to present offers by yesterday's deadline, Il Sole 24 Ore said. UBI's board reportedly discussed the possibility of extending the deadline for partnership offers but it is not yet clear whether there will be an extension.
NORDIC COUNTRIES
* Norway-based DNB ASA
* Aivar Rehe, the former head of Danske Bank A/S in Estonia, has been missing for several days, Børsen and Dagens Industri reported. Rehe is said to be one of the key figures in ongoing investigations by Estonian authorities into potential money laundering activities at Danske Bank Estonia.
* HSB, Sweden's largest member-owned housing cooperative, will terminate its funds investing relationship with Swedbank AB (publ) and agreed a new partnership with Danske Bank, Dagens Industri reported. Among its functions, HSB invests over 3.9 billion kronor in savings belonging to 140,000 residential tenants.
EASTERN EUROPE
* UniCredit SpA agreed to sell through Russian unit AO UniCredit Bank a €45.2 million nonperforming loan portfolio to EOS. The sale is part of UniCredit's ongoing activities to reduce its nonperforming exposures, and the impact of the transaction will be reflected in its third quarter financial statements.
* JSC Financial Corporation Uralsib agreed to sell unit Uralsib Asset Management to BCS Financial Group, Kommersant said. The transaction price was not disclosed, the newspaper noted, estimating the value of Uralsib Asset Management at around 1.5 billion rubles.
* Russian lenders asked the country's central bank for permission to set negative interest rates on foreign currency deposits, news agency Prime reported. Elizaveta Danilova, who heads the central bank's financial stability department, said the regulator was studying the lenders' proposal but noted it would require significant changes in existing legislation.
* Polish bank Getin Noble Bank SA plans to lay off up to 320 people as part of plans to increase efficiency and optimize costs, news agency PAP reported. The lender currently employs around 4,800 people.
* The Polish Financial Supervision Authority revoked the license of brokerage firm Vestor Dom Maklerski SA and imposed a 1.7 million Polish zloty fine on the company over violations related to the provision of financial instruments by Vestor in 2016 and 2017, news agency PAP said.
* OTP Bank Nyrt. plans to boost its market share in Albania through organic growth and acquisitions, SEENews reported, citing Bledar Shella, head of unit Banka OTP Albania.
* Hungary's central bank kept interest rates unchanged and said monetary policy will remain accommodative as weakening external activity is further restraining the pace of inflation.
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Asia-Pacific: Alibaba closes Ant Financial stake purchase; Australia hints at further rate cut
Middle East & Africa: Bank of Israel to grant license to 1st new bank in 40 years; Morocco holds rate
Latin America: Banco do Brasil, UBS ink investment banking MOU; Paraguay cuts key rate
North America: Md. banks in deal; Goldman eyes Europe M&A; SEC chiefs to attend House hearing
Global Insurance: Lloyd's culture survey; BRP Group IPO; insurers' climate pledge
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Sheryl Obejera, Arno Maierbrugger, Meike Wijers, Gerard O'Dwyer, Beata Fojcik, Yael Schrage, Stephanie Salti, Sophie Davies, and Mariana Aldano contributed to this report.
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