Deustche Bank may shift about €300 billion (Dh177.14bn) from the balance sheet of its UK entity to Frankfurt as client trading and assets migrate to the continent following Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The project, dubbed "Bowline", calls for trading in the German city to go live in September 2018 and for the assets to be moved over by March 2019, said the person, who asked for anonymity. Shifting €300bn would be equivalent to almost a fifth of Deutsche Bank’s balance sheet, which listed €1.59 trillion in total assets at the end of last year.
Monika Schaller, a spokeswoman for Deustche Bank declined to comment.
The chief executive John Cryan told employees in a recent videotaped message that he’s girding for a hard Brexit, with the “vast majority” of trades currently booked in London probably moving to Frankfurt, but the bank hasn’t officially detailed its plan. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the lender intends to move chunks of trading and investment-banking assets from London to Frankfurt, with the jobs of several hundred traders and as many as 20,000 client accounts likely to be shifted.
“There’s an awful lot of detail to be ironed out and agreed,” Mr Cryan said in the video. “But inevitably roles will need to be either moved, or at least added in Frankfurt.”
Under Bowline, trade and balance-sheet migration will begin in September 2018, with six months required for the move of the balance sheet, the person said. The bank plans to start informing clients from September 2017 that their contracts will be switched to Frankfurt. It wants to have built front-to-back technology and processes by June 2018, according to the person.
Much of Deutsche Bank’s trading in Europe is traditionally booked in London, which gained a prominent role for the bank under Mr Cryan’s predecessors Anshu Jain and Josef Ackermann.
Mr Cryan has spent the past two years scaling back capital-intensive debt trading and settling misconduct cases that occurred mostly before his arrival. The Brexit-driven relocation dovetails with his reorganisation of the investment bank to emphasize the corporate business in its home market.
Deutsche Bank’s Brexit planning is overseen by the two co-heads of Deutsche Bank’s investment bank, Frankfurt-based Marcus Schenck and London-based Garth Ritchie, as well as the executive board member in charge of compliance, Sylvie Matherat.
Bloomberg
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
