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■FINANCE

Fubon Life to invest in TMC

Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) said on Friday its life insurance unit would buy 80 million shares, or a 7.27 stake, in Taiwan Memory Co (TMC, 台灣創新記憶體公司) for NT$800 million (US$24.8 million). The company said it planned to raise funds for Fubon Life Insurance Co’s (富邦人壽) long-term investment in TMC in the fourth quarter of this year, but did not say how. In July, TMC registered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ commerce department with an initial capital of NT$500,000. The government-backed memory chipmaker is expected to initially raise NT$11 billion in funds from public and private investors. Besides Fubon Life, TMC has secured investments from chip-testing and packaging firms Siliconware Precision Industries Co (矽品精密) and King Yuan Electronics Co Ltd (京元電子).



■TECHNOLOGY

Ballmer to visit Taipei

Microsoft Corp CEO Steve Ballmer will host a technology forum, dubbed “3 Screens and a Cloud,” in Taipei early next month, the company said on Friday. It will be Ballmer’s first visit to Taiwan after taking over Bill Gates as the company’s chief executive. During the forum, Ballmer is expected to share the company’s view on corporate strategies to remain competitive in the tech arena and how the Cloud platform would facilitate seamless Internet connection via handsets, PCs, TVs and other devices. Ballmer also plans to visit Microsoft’s local partners and to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary.



■FINANCE

PRC to launch ChiNext

China will launch its long-awaited NASDAQ-style ChiNext board in Shenzhen on Friday, state media reported yesterday. Shang Fulin (尚福林), chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, announced the start date of the growth enterprise market at a forum in Beijing, Xinhua news agency reported. The first batch of 28 companies will make their debut on Friday, Xinhua said. Regulators hope the new market will help fuel start-ups and other companies with high-growth potential in the world’s third-largest economy, following the example of Wall Street’s Nasdaq.



■AVIATION

JAL seeking partners

Struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) is seeking a tie-up with low-cost carriers for its Asian operations, the Asahi Shimbun said yesterday. JAL, looking for another public bailout to keep flying, is putting together an emergency turnaround plan under the supervision of a government task force. In its cost-cutting efforts, JAL will expand code-sharing operations with budget carriers in Asia, replacing its less profitable flights for tourist destinations, such as Hawaii, Thailand and Indonesia, Asahi said. The move would enable JAL to focus on more profitable business flights to North America, Europe and China, the daily said without citing sources.



■TELECOMS

CEO not quitting over deaths

The CEO of France Telecom, who is under fire for continued suicides among company employees, said he would not resign. Didier Lombard said in an interview in Le Figaro yesterday that a captain couldn’t abandon the ship in a storm. He said he must ensure that France Telecom becomes a “human and prosperous” enterprise. His term runs until 2011. Le Figaro quoted him as saying he was “aghast” at the latest suicide. The company said on Thursday that an employee at its research and development center in Brittany had committed suicide at his home — the 25th in 18 months.


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