Chinese yuan-denominated deposits in Taiwan are expected to surpass 300 billion yuan (US$49.5 billion) by the end of this year, representing an annual increase of 64 percent, DBS Bank forecast yesterday.
The Singapore-based banking group said the forecast was based on yuan-denominated deposits in Taiwan having increased by about 14 billion yuan per month last year after Taipei lifted a ban on Chinese currency transactions in early February.
Many Taiwanese investors favor the yuan because they anticipate that it will depreciate further against the US dollar, the bank said.
Banks operating in Taiwan tend to offer higher interest rates on yuan deposits than on New Taiwan dollar accounts, which has lured customers to park their money in yuan accounts, DBS Bank said.
According to the central bank, yuan-denominated deposits in the banking system totaled 182.6 billion yuan as of the end of last year.
Yuan deposits in domestic banking units amounted to 138.22 billion yuan last year, and in offshore banking units 44.38 billion yuan, the central bank said.
With China’s economic growth remaining strong and its economy facing inflationary pressure, its central bank is likely to implement a rate-hike cycle sooner than other countries, according to DBS Bank.
It said higher interest rates on the yuan are expected to boost the value of the currency and spur more investors to put their funds into yuan-denominated assets.
Elon Musk’s lieutenants have reached out to chip industry suppliers, including Applied Materials Inc, Tokyo Electron Ltd and Lam Research Corp, for his envisioned Terafab, early steps in an audacious and likely arduous attempt to break into the production of cutting-edge chips. Staff working for the joint venture between Tesla Inc and Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) have sought price quotes and delivery times for an array of chipmaking gear, people familiar with the matter said. In past weeks, they’ve contacted makers of photomasks, substrates, etchers, depositors, cleaning devices, testers and other tools, according to the people, who asked not to
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
Japan approved ¥631.5 billion (US$3.97 billion) in additional subsidies to hasten Rapidus Corp’s entry into the high-stakes artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaking arena, ramping up support for a project widely regarded as a long shot. The capital is intended to bankroll Rapidus’ work for information technology firm Fujitsu Ltd, one of the initial customers that Tokyo hopes would get the signature endeavor off the ground. The new money raises the fees and investments that the government is injecting into the start-up to ¥2.6 trillion by the end of the current fiscal year to March next year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and
The founder of Chinese property giant Evergrande Group (恆大集團) has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and bribery, a court said yesterday, the latest blow for what was once the country’s leading developer. Evergrande’s rise was propelled by decades of rapid urbanization and rising living standards, but in 2020, its access to credit dramatically narrowed when the government introduced curbs on excessive borrowing and speculation. The company defaulted in 2021 after struggling to repay creditors. Founder Xu Jiayin (許家印), 67, known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese, was reportedly held by police in 2023, with Evergrande saying he had been subjected to