Companies

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Greece sizes up task of restructuring corporate debt

ATHENS | By MacroPolis | The Bank of Greece (BoG) released on Friday the findings of a recent workshop in which representatives from the Finance Ministry, the EU, banks, corporates, international experts and consulting firms participated, generating a clear idea of what kind of debt restructuring would be needed for Greek corporates.


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Telefónica sells its Irish business to local rival for €850M

MADRID | The Corner | Spanish telecom giant Telefónica closed the sale of its subsidiary Telefónica Ireland to Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa Group (HWG) for €850 M ($1.2 billion). HWG is also known for its mobile firm Three, the fourth operator in Ireland. Antitrust authorities, which have been expressing their concerns about how this operation might impact on the country’s competition, have now given green light to one of the country’s largest ever telecoms groups. 

 


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EU’s probe on Apple puts multinationals tax deals under the spotlight

MADRID  | The Corner | The European Union may get tough on its country members having sweetheart tax deals with global corporations. So far Ireland (and possibly Luxembourg and the Netherlands soon) will have to submit information about its fiscal arrangements granted to multinationals like Apple, Amazon or Starbucks. The move came after last year the US Senate accused Ireland of giving a special fiscal treatment to Apple. Where are the loopholes?


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Spanish Repsol is sitting on €10bn

MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Güell | Spanish Repsol’s chairman Antonio Brufau noded the company’s key stakeholders -Caixabank, Pemex, Sacyr and Temasek- by recently approving an extraordinary dividend of €1 per share with a charge to present year results. The Argentinian bonds selling monetization and the sale of YPF provided the company with a juicy cashflow near €10 bn against €27.5 bn of its market capitalization.


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China imposes new brand order

Chinese Internet companies such as Weibo, Baidu and Tencent are sophisticating their business models to offer innovative products and services.  This crucial change brings to the brands made in China greater value at a global level as they go public on the New York Stock Exchange.


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Loyal to its initial spirit, La Caixa becomes a foundation

MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | A Council of 15 members with different sensibilities, experiences, but solid and with personality. The new La Caixa Foundation maintains the character of the old savings bank, and is committed to professional and political independence. A delicate and subtle game of checks and balances.


Sacyr and Panama make peace at last

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | It has been a long process plenty of gives and takes but Spanish company Sacyr and Panama Canal authority have agreed in principle over works’ finalisation at the inland waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The pre-deal is a cocktail mixing proposals of one side and the other: converting the $400 million insurance into a loan to enable the firm obtain external funds, and also an equally divided contribution of $100 million on each part. Furthermore, Panamian administrator will allow GUPC to postpone the repayment of $780 million anticipated in the contract. The international arbitration on $1,600 million in overun costs will continue parallel to project’s termination.


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Haier’s Lesson for China

Iris Mir |Chinese brand Haier went from a disastrous inefficient brand to the world’s biggest household appliances manufacturer thanks to its CEO, Zhang Ruimin, innovative entrepreneurial thinking. The ideal scenario for China would be that many local brands could achieve Haier’s reputation and capacity for innovation. And thus they’d become Ambassadors of a new made in China, most sophisticated and exclusive. A substantial consolidation of domestic demand and the development of a new industrial structure may be paving the way for this dramatic transition to happen.


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Spanish companies exposure to Argentina’s devaluation, near zero

MADRID | By The Corner team | The Argentinian currency’s fall is the biggest in 12 years with a yearly drop of 17%. Although the key for European peripheral countries may be other countries’ contagion like Brazil, Mexico or Venezuela, their exposure to Argentina is moderate. In the case of Portugal it is almost near zero. And what about Spain, specifically?


In-depth: Panama Canal and Sacyr discuss new financing proposal

 

MADRID| By Julia Pastor| Far from resolving the strife over additional costs to finalise Panama Canal’s third set of locks, actors involved are apparently working on different positions.  Spanish company Sacyr, which leads the consortium undertaking the expansion bet on an agreement since the beginning, but the Panama Canal Authority has not smoothed the path, even rejecting EU’ mediation. Last Sacyr’s offer considers to cofinance the project. PCA’s  answer has been a different proposal for using the infrastructure’s insurance as a guarantee to get external financing and terminate the works. The deal remains blocked then.