It’s hard to fathom how the Bank of England has squared its own public concerns about shadow banking with its reduction in traditional banking safeguards, writes @PaulJDavies (via @opinion) https://t.co/UvNAhoVAed ...

Core Insights - The Muthoot clan's gold loan business is thriving as consumers leverage rising gold prices for short-term cash, with the market for gold loans surging 35% to 13.4 trillion rupees ($151 billion) in the past year [21][3] - Muthoot Finance's outstanding gold loans reached 1.25 trillion rupees, surpassing the State Bank of India's 725.5 billion rupees, although SBI's growth rate was higher at 87% [22][14] - The company faces increasing competition from both local banks and foreign investors, with Bain Capital acquiring an 18% stake in Manappuram Finance for $500 million and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in talks to buy 20% of Shriram Finance for $2.6 billion [3][21] Company Overview - Muthoot Finance has been in the gold loan business for nearly nine decades, with a simple model where clients can borrow up to 75% of their jewelry's value, charging interest rates between 1% to 1.5% per month [8][21] - The company holds 209 metric tons of gold for clients, valued at nearly $28 billion, which is more than Singapore's official foreign reserves [22][13] - The non-performing loan rate for Muthoot Finance stands at 2.3%, comparable to commercial banks, indicating a low default risk among its clientele [16][22] Market Dynamics - The gold loan market in India is deeply rooted in cultural practices, with significant purchases occurring during festivals and weddings, contributing to the high demand for gold loans [5][21] - Muthoot Finance's business model primarily focuses on gold loans, which account for about 90% of its revenue, suggesting a need for diversification into other financial products [14][22] - The company's stock has seen a 73% increase this year, reflecting strong market performance and boosting the Muthoot family's wealth to over $13 billion [17][21]

BlackRock’s loss will fuel wider concerns about shadow banking industry - Getty The world’s biggest investment group is facing a $500m (£380m) hit after its shadow banking business fell victim to an alleged fraud. BlackRock’s private credit investment arm, HPS Investment Partners, has started legal action to recover loans it made to a US telecom firm, which has been accused of faking payments from customers. The loss will fuel concerns about the opaque shadow banking industry, which has drawn billions of ...

Core Viewpoint - HSBC is alert to a potential shadow banking crisis due to growing concerns in the private credit industry, despite having relatively small exposure to it [1][3]. Group 1: Concerns and Risks - HSBC's CFO, Pam Kaur, emphasized the importance of monitoring "second and third order risks" from counterparties affected by issues in the private credit sector [2]. - The recent collapses of First Brands and Tricolor, both reliant on private credit, have heightened concerns about the stability of the shadow banking industry [3][4]. - The Bank for International Settlements warned that the life insurance industry may harbor hidden risks due to increasing exposures to private credit [4][5]. Group 2: Market Characteristics - The private credit market is valued at approximately $3 trillion (£2.2 trillion) and is characterized by a lack of transparency and potentially lax lending standards [3]. - Private ratings in this sector are not publicly disclosed, which complicates external validation and may lead to inflated creditworthiness assessments [5][6]. Group 3: Industry Reactions - Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, expressed concerns about the potential for more collapses in the shadow banking sector, likening the situation to seeing "one cockroach" indicating more issues may exist [4]. - Conversely, Goldman Sachs' CEO David Solomon downplayed fears of a systemic crisis within the shadow banking industry [8].

The index of Britain’s top 100 stocks was up 0.25pc as markets closed after Trump said he expects to strike a “fantastic” trade deal with China at talks in South Korea next week.The FTSE -100 index held its gains on Tuesday as stocks were lifted on hopes that Donald Trump’s talks with Xi Jinping next week could lead to improved relations between the US and China.That’s all for today but you can read all the latest business and economics stories here.Thanks for joining us on this live blog.His comments will ...

Shares plunged in the US and Europe this week over shadow banking fears - Spencer Platt/Getty Images The frenzied stock market sell-off that gripped the US and UK this week was fuelled by fear as much as fact. Investors saw what could easily be the tip of an iceberg, and nobody knows quite what lies beneath. Two car parts suppliers with multibillion-dollar debts in the private credit market have gone bust amid allegations of fraud, and two regional US banks have uncovered a clutch of irredeemably bad loan ...