A view of the skyscrapers huddled together in Frankfurt's financial district. German fund association BVI claimed the 'Big Three' credit ratings agencies are "exploiting their dominant market position". Bloomberg
A view of the skyscrapers huddled together in Frankfurt's financial district. German fund association BVI claimed the 'Big Three' credit ratings agencies are "exploiting their dominant market position". Bloomberg
A view of the skyscrapers huddled together in Frankfurt's financial district. German fund association BVI claimed the 'Big Three' credit ratings agencies are "exploiting their dominant market position". Bloomberg
A view of the skyscrapers huddled together in Frankfurt's financial district. German fund association BVI claimed the 'Big Three' credit ratings agencies are "exploiting their dominant market position

German funds call on EU to force ratings agencies to open up on fees


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German investment funds and insurers have called on the European Union to force credit rating agencies to provide more transparency on the fees they charge for data.

US-based agencies Moody's, S&P Global and Fitch Ratings, dubbed the Big Three, dominate credit ratings in Europe.

German funds association BVI and insurance industry body GDV said they were making a joint appeal to the EU's executive European Commission to force raters to provide more transparency on prices.

"The major US rating agencies are exploiting their dominant market position to set their pricing, but the EU securities authority ESMA lacks the regulatory tools to bring such abusive licence and fee demands to an end," Thomas Richter, chief executive of BVI, said in a statement on Monday.

Fund managers and insurers need ratings data for determining risks from investment portfolios, and for complying with accounting and regulatory reporting rules.

All data providers within the same rating group must be subject to the EU's rules for raters, which is currently not the case, BVI and GDV said.

The Fitch Group said it does not believe that a change in the rules in this regard is merited. Moody's and S&P had no immediate comment.

Certain subscribers of ratings have chosen to receive bespoke ratings data from distributor Fitch Solutions, which is independent of the Fitch Ratings arm, on terms it deems commercially reasonable, Fitch Group said.

The price of data was becoming an increasingly important "competitive" factor for European asset managers, the German funds and insurer bodies said.

Investment funds are already pressing Brussels to force stock exchanges to cut the cost of data fees on stock transactions.

European policymakers have long chafed at U.S. rating agencies dominating the region but attempts to create major "home grown" alternatives have made only modest headway.

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Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs

Engine: 5-litre V8

Gearbox: eight-speed automatic

Power: 420hp

Torque: 505Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km

Price: Dh260,500

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Empty Words

By Mario Levrero  

(Coffee House Press)
 

Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

RESULTS

Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.

Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.

Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.

Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.

Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.

Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.

Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0

Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.

Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.

Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.

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Brief scores:

England: 290 & 346

Sri Lanka: 336 & 243

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Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

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Transmission: 8-speed auto

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Price: From Dh650,000

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The figures behind the event

1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew

2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show

3) 1,000 social distancing stickers

4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.