Business News - International Business

From the Gates Foundation, Direct Investment, Not Just Grants

By SARAH MAX

bKash

A bKash agent in rural Bangladesh. The Gates foundation invested $11 million in bKash, which lets users turn a basic mobile phone into a means of storing and transferring money.

The philanthropic giant is deploying funds and influence into for-profit companies with bright ideas, instead of focusing only on grants to nonprofits.

Ahn Young-Joon/Associated Press

A currency exchange in Seoul, South Korea. The country cut its benchmark rate on Thursday.

Asia Rushes to Lower Rates, but Maybe Not Fast Enough

By NEIL GOUGH

A trend toward weakening prices is starting to weigh on economic growth across the region.

For Chinese Economy, Strengths Are Now Weaknesses

By NEIL GOUGH

Traditional drivers of growth — like steel making and real estate — are now among the biggest threats to China’s economy, slowing faster than the market can be transformed.

O.E.C.D. Will Advise Greece on Economic Overhauls

By DAVID JOLLY

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will help Greece create jobs and cut bureaucracy.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece, right, and Yanis Varoufakis, the finance minister, have invoked Germany’s Nazi past.

Language of Greek Crisis Shifts From Financial Jargon to Humiliation

By ALISON SMALE and JIM YARDLEY

With Greece and its European creditors locked in bitter negotiations this week over the terms of the country’s bailout, the politesse of the talks has disintegrated into starkly personal terms.

A branch of Commerzbank in Berlin. Germany’s second-largest lender settled several investigations in the United States.

Commerzbank of Germany to Pay $1.5 Billion in U.S. Case

By BEN PROTESS

Commerzbank, one of Germany’s largest lenders, was accused of sending tainted money through the American financial system.

Document: Commerzbank’s Settlement With Federal and State Authorities 2:55 PMNYT Now

India Approves Changes on Foreign Investment

By REUTERS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India passed his first major economic changes, as Parliament voted to allow more foreign investment in the insurance sector.

Judge Refuses to Lift Injunction on Argentine Bond Payments

By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON

The decision is a defeat for Citigroup and Argentina in a long-running legal dispute with a group of hedge funds.

Spanish Lender Offers to Buy TSB Banking Group of Britain

By CHAD BRAY and RAPHAEL MINDER

Banco Sabadell of Spain has made a preliminary offer to pay about $2.6 billion for TSB, which was spun out of Lloyds Banking Group last year.

Tourists outside the Louvre in Paris, where the euro was trading at $1.0567 on Wednesday, making travel cheaper for Americans.

Delight or Dread as Euro Falls

By DAVID JOLLY

Businesspeople and tourists on both sides of the Atlantic are watching with considerable emotion as Europe’s main currency drops closer to parity with the dollar.

E.C.B. Bond-Buying Program Is ‘Pointing in the Right Direction,’ Draghi Says 10:55 AMNYT Now

A scene from the United States version of

ITV to Pay Up to $1.2 Billion for ‘The Voice’ Producer

By CHAD BRAY

The acquisition of Talpa Media, established by John de Mol, the “Big Brother” creator, is the latest move by the British broadcaster to bolster its content and sell shows globally.

Market Rises, With the Financial Sector Leading the Way

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stock market indexes rose as a rally in the dollar waned and financial companies rose after a number of banks got approval to raise dividends and buy back shares.