SHARE
HSBC has no plans to launch a cryptocurrency trading desk or offer the digital coins as an investment to customers, because they are too volatile and lack transparency, its chief executive Noel Quinn said.
Europe s largest bank s stance on cryptocurrencies comes as the world s biggest and best-known digital currency, Bitcoin, has tumbled nearly 50 per cent from the year s high, after China cracked down on mining the currency and prominent advocate Elon Musk tempered his support.
HSBC s move marks it out against rivals such as Goldman Sachs, which Reuters in March said has restarted its cryptocurrency trading desk, and UBS which media reports said was exploring ways to offer the currencies as an investment product.
SHARE
AT&T, owner of HBO and Warner Bros studios, and Discovery, home to lifestyle TV networks such as HGTV and TLC, said on Monday they will combine their content assets to create a standalone global entertainment and media business.
Discovery chief executive David Zaslav will lead the proposed new company, which will comprise one of Hollywood s most powerful studios, including the Harry Potter and Batman franchises, news network CNN, sports programming and Discovery s unscripted home, cooking and nature and science shows.
Shares in Discovery climbed about 16 per cent to $41.3 in premarket trade but fell 2 per cent afterward as investors digested that it would take time for Discovery to scale up in streaming, said Rich Greenfield, partner at LightShed Partners.