Whale-watching the stablecoin trade in ersatz roubles for sort-of dollars

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Over on mainFT there’s a story about a new rouble-backed stablecoin, called A7A5, and a new exchange that uses it, called Grinex: A new cryptocurrency token designed to allow cross-border payments in spite of western … Read more

Deal hunger stirs among US banks at prospect of looser regulation

US banking mergers will accelerate over the next year, executives predict, driven by a more favourable approach from regulators, intensifying competition and the need to spend more on technology. Anticipation about a surge in deals between American banks has been growing since Donald Trump won last year’s presidential election promising to cut regulation and unburden … Read more

Business school teaching case study: what’s in a label?

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Sustainability myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Christopher Marquis is Sinyi professor of Chinese management at Cambridge Judge Business School. When Dr Bronner’s recently announced it would not renew its B Corp certification, it sent ripples through the responsible business community. The decision … Read more

Wealth managers gear up to put UK savings into private assets

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Financial services myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The UK’s largest wealth managers are preparing to sell private markets products to their retail customers, as investment groups battle to maintain their relevance with savers and the importance of public markets dwindles. Wealth managers … Read more

oil traders shrug off Mideast tumult

As Iran started firing missiles at a US air base in Qatar on Monday, oil traders responded with striking speed — not by buying, but by selling.  Within seven minutes of the first launch at about 5.30pm London time, Brent crude, the international benchmark, began to slide. It took only 20 minutes for the losses … Read more

Trump signals sanctions relief for China to buy Iran’s oil

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world President Donald Trump said China could purchase oil from Iran, in an apparent reversal of policy after his administration spent months imposing sanctions on Chinese refineries for buying Iranian crude. “China can now … Read more