Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday announced that Victor Hsu (許澎) would be its new chairman after Eugene Wu (吳東進) was suspended by the Financial Supervisory Commission and barred from the firm’s board until his term ends in June 2023.
It is to be the second time that Hsu has taken over a Wu post as chairman after he assumed the role at Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (新光金控) after Wu retired from that company in June.
“We would review Hsu’s qualifications and then decide whether to interview him in person,” Insurance Bureau Deputy Director-General Wang Li- hui (王麗惠) told a news conference in New Taipei City.
Meanwhile, the commission has rejected Jko Asset Management Co’s (街口投信) appointment of Kevin Hu (胡亦嘉) as chairman, citing insufficient documents, Securities and Futures Bureau Chief Secretary Kuo Chia-chun (郭佳君) told the news conference.
“The firm did not answer our request to submit Hu’s certificates of graduation, which are necessary documents to review Hu’s qualifications,” Kuo said. “This indicates that the firm is non-compliant.”
Hu said that the commission on Friday last week had harassed his employees by interrogating staff and searching its offices.
The commission conducted an on-site inspection that day, as Jko Asset Management failed to clearly explain its Tuofu Bao (託付寶) investment service, Kuo said.
“We intended to check whether the asset management company has good internal controls after its affiliates Jkopay Co Ltd (街口支付) and Jko Fintech Co (街口金融科技) launched a controversial service,” Kuo said, adding that the inspection was normal practice.
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
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
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