In today’s briefing:
- BBVA/Sabadell: Implications of CNMC Decision, How Much Should BBVA Raise?
- Asia Real Estate Tracker (20-Feb-2025): APAC investors love rate cuts, HK is buyers’ market: Colliers
- S&P Global: How Data, Indexes, and AI Are Shaping Its Future!
- Farcical Saga of Axis Bank’s Chief Audit Executives
- SES AI Corp. – CEO Qichao Hu Talks About Battery Materials Discovery, New Markets Beyond EVs
BBVA/Sabadell: Implications of CNMC Decision, How Much Should BBVA Raise?
- The CNMC’s provisional report requires BBVA to extend commitments to SMEs for three years instead of 18 months, a condition seen as manageable but opposed by Sabadell’s leadership.
- BBVA’s exchange offer for Sabadell values its shares at €2.37, below the market price of €2.504, implying a 5.3% shortfall, increasing pressure for BBVA to improve its bid.
- The Spanish government opposes the takeover, and political intervention, regulatory hurdles, and a history of failed hostile bank takeovers in Europe could significantly impact the deal’s success.
Asia Real Estate Tracker (20-Feb-2025): APAC investors love rate cuts, HK is buyers’ market: Colliers
- APAC investors are welcoming rate cuts, with Hong Kong remaining a buyers’ market, according to Colliers.
- KKR & M&G invest $509M in an Aussie Warehouse Portfolio, while PGIM JV acquires Queensland sheds.
- Vanke partners with government insurers for a $220M housing JV, demonstrating state support in the real estate sector.
S&P Global: How Data, Indexes, and AI Are Shaping Its Future!
- S&P Global reported a robust 2024, evidenced by revenue growth and improved profitability metrics.
- The company reported a 15% increase in revenue, excluding the effect of divested Engineering Solutions in 2023.
- Subscription products grew by 7%.
Farcical Saga of Axis Bank’s Chief Audit Executives
- 2 Heads of Audit in 1 month with another replacement within 6 months
- Audit head in a bank is a highly sensitive post and the banking regulator recommends a minimum tenure of 3 years for the post
- Internal audit in Axis Bank has become a major concern which should worry investors
SES AI Corp. – CEO Qichao Hu Talks About Battery Materials Discovery, New Markets Beyond EVs
- “AI for Science’ is SES AI’s approach to using the latest cutting-edge GNNs and LLMs to augment battery materials discovery.
- “We can actually map all the physical and chemical properties of the small molecules. We did that, and then recently, we expanded to [electrolytes] for any lithium batteries….
- We’re expanding to lithium-ion for robots, drones, and energy storage. We found that this tool itself is actually really powerful.
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