Bitcoin here to stay and ready for rules

Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 11-Jul-14

Australian Digital Currency Commerce Association chairman delegate Ronald Tucker says the nation can be at the forefront of regulation for the Bitcoin digital currency. He has held talks on the issue with the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Treasury and Reserve Bank of Australia. New businesses related to the trade in Bitcoins have attracted investment of $US300m-plus ($A310m) globally between early 2013 and mid-2014, and close to $A11m in Australia. They include the backdoor-listed Digital CC

CORPORATES
DIGITAL CC LIMITED – ASX DCC, AUSTRALIAN DIGITAL CURRENCY COMMERCE ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, MTGOX, GREAT BRITAIN. HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, EUROPEAN BANKING AUTHORITY

Bank repossesses bikie clubhouse

Original article by Chris Vedelago
The Age – Page: 12 : 10-Jul-14

A writ has been filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria by Commonwealth Bank of Australia, for the repossession of a property in London Drive, Bayswater. It is the clubhouse of the Immortals outlaw motorcycle gang, which has allegedly defaulted on $A117,000 worth of business loans at an interest rate of 8.3%-plus. The premises, searched by Victoria Police in 2013, house a licensed bar and are the venue of Immortals fund raising activities such as its annual Fancy Dress Schoolgirls Festival

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, IMMORTALS MOTORCYCLE CLUB, BANDIDOS MOTORCYCLE CLUB AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA POLICE

Macquarie, Nine on Resi road

Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 21 : 10-Jul-14

Australian-listed financial services company Yellow Brick Road (YBR) is raising $42 million through a share issue to fund the acquisition of non-bank lender Resi. YBR will pay $A36 million in cash and shares for the target. Macquarie Group and Nine Entertainment will be issued with 17.1 million new shares in YBR, at $A0.70 a share, with other institutional investors taking 25.8 million shares

CORPORATES
YELLOW BRICK ROAD HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX YBR, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, RESI MORTGAGE CORPORATION PTY LTD, VOW FINANCIAL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, TICKETEK, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Banks settle case with liquidators of ABC

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 21 : 8-Jul-14

The liquidators of ABC Learning Centres have reached an in-principle settlement with a syndicate of banks. The compromise was reached just before the case against the lenders was to be heard in the Federal Court of Australia. Bentham IMF was meant to argue that the banks "jumped the creditors’ queue". Child care facilities operator ABC Learning Centres collapsed in November 2008, with debts of $A1.6 billion

CORPORATES
BENTHAM IMF LIMITED – ASX IMF, ABC LEARNING CENTRES LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

CBA exposed to flood of claims

Original article by James Eyers, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Jun : 4-Jul-14

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced a new compensation program. CEO Ian Narev said on 3 July 2014 that the bank is determined to rectify the problem of inappropriate advice being given to clients by the bank’s financial planning subsidiaries. Under the new program, customers who received advice between 1 September 2003 and 1 July 2012 can apply to the bank for an internal assessment

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMONWEALTH FINANCIAL PLANNING LIMITED, FINANCIAL WISDOM LIMITED, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

RBA’s Stevens talks down dollar, again

Original article by Jacob Greber, Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Dec : 4-Jul-14

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens has signalled his willingness to use interest rates to reduce the value of the Australian dollar, which he believes is excessive. His concerns about the negative impact of the high foreign exchange rate on the economy may result in another cut to interest rates. Stevens’s remarks promptly pushed the Australian dollar down to $US0.9362 on 3 July 2014

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

China offers chance to take stake in banks

Original article by Angus Grigg, Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 30-Jun-14

China is offering Australian banks the opportunity to invest in its five largest banks. During a visit to China in late June 2014, Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey was informed that the Chinese Government planned to further sell down its holdings in the five lenders. They are Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Communications, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF CHINA, BANK OF CHINA GROUP, BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS, CHINA CONSTRUCTION BANK, AGRICULTURAL BANK OF CHINA, CHINA. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT REFORM COMMISSION, CHINA. MINISTRY OF FINANCE, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, PEKING UNIVERSITY, CHINA CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH, UBS AG, ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CHINA BANKING REGULATORY COMMISSION

CBA rip-off no setback to lighter rules

Original article by Patrick Durkin, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 30-Jun-14

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia scandal will not deter the Federal Government from its plan to lighten regulation of the financial planning sector. Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said that regulation should be dropped if it increases the cost of financial advice without increasing consumer protection. However, Industry Super Australia CEO David Whiteley argued the matter shows that the Government should abandon its plan to change the Future of Financial Advice laws

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD

CommBank covered up scandal

Original article by James Eyers, Clancy Yeates
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Jan-45 : 27-Jun-14

A Senate report is critical of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). The findings by the Senate economics committee were tabled on 26 June 2014. The report called for a royal commission, saying that the bank tried to avoid investigation of its financial planning subsidiary. The regulator was criticised for its slow action on the issue. The report made 61 recommendations for ASIC and the financial planning industry

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Online star back from the brink

Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 19/22 : 27-Jun-14

Australian entrepreneur Patrick Grove does not like his wealth to be examined by the media. In 2013, he appeared on the "Young Rich List" of "BRW" with a wealth of $A95 million. Grove says he is motivated by the desire to build new businesses rather than to make money. His Catcha Group now controls online assets worth more than $US300 million ($A318.8 milion), including stakes in three Australian-listed companies – iCar, iProperty and iBuy

CORPORATES
CATCHA GROUP, CATCHA MEDIA BERHAD, ICAR ASIA LIMITED – ASX ICQ, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IPP, IBUY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IBY, THORNEY INVESTMENT GROUP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FRONTIER DIGITAL VENTURES, NASDAQ, ANDERSEN, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX