Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (
The investment would be completed by the end of this quarter and was expected to improve Shin Kong Bank's (新光銀行) capital adequacy ratio to 11.84 percent, according to the filing.
Shin Kong Financial expects its banking arm to rake in NT$8 million in the fourth quarter and another NT$161 million next year as a result of the fund injection, it said.
The capital came from the funds the company raised through the issuance of US$250 million of European convertible bonds last December, which was earmarked for acquisition purposes, the company said.
The company may use the funds to help refinance high-cost debt incurred in last year's acquisition of Macoto Bank (
However, the financial group was later forced to change the declared purpose of the funds as a result of the staggered consolidation of the nation's financial sector following protests from unions linked to state-run lenders such as Taiwan Business Bank (台灣企銀), the company said in the statement.
Shin Kong Financial said it planned to use the remaining NT$4.57 billion to acquire rivals such as MasterLink Securities Corp (
Shin Kong said it would acquire MasterLink shares on the open market and the two companies reportedly expressed strong interest in a partnership after the chairman of Shin Kong Financial, Eugene Wu (
Shin Kong Financial reported earnings of NT$5.88 billion, or NT$1.36 per share, for the first half of this year. Shares of Shin Kong dropped 1.8 percent to close at NT$18.7 yesterday.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
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RECORD LOW: Global firms’ increased inventories, tariff disputes not yet impacting Taiwan and new graduates not yet entering the market contributed to the decrease Taiwan’s unemployment rate last month dropped to 3.3 percent, the lowest for the month in 25 years, as strong exports and resilient domestic demand boosted hiring across various sectors, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. After seasonal adjustments, the jobless rate eased to 3.34 percent, the best performance in 24 years, suggesting a stable labor market, although a mild increase is expected with the graduation season from this month through August, the statistics agency said. “Potential shocks from tariff disputes between the US and China have yet to affect Taiwan’s job market,” Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling