China based conglomerate AUX Group has announced plans to seek health services investments in the US and Britain, according to recent reports. The company has 8.2 billion USD in total assets and was named among China’s top 500 enterprises. The announcement comes after AUX Group’s planned 2.7 billion AUD investment into Healthscope, the second-largest operator…
Tech companies around the world are among the many businesses benefiting from the recent flood of Chinese overseas direct investment. Tsinghua Holdings, a Chinese state-owned company, has recently disclosed an investment in Marvell Technology Group, a chip maker based in Silicon Valley. Although the size of the investment has not been specified, Tsinghua reported the…
By Jan Bart Schober, Partner, Loyens & Loeff It’s 2016; at least, according to the Gregorian calendar. Recently, the Islamic world celebrated Al Hijra, the Islamic New Year. According to the Islamic calendar, it is the year 1437. If you are a CFO of a multinational enterprise (MNE), however, it is the year 1984. 1984…
When oil prices went into freefall in the winter of 2015, bringing a dramatic end to 18 months of gradual depreciation, few could have predicted the full impact it would have on economies around the GCC. Initial optimism saw governments around the region predicting an initial 6-month readjustment period before oil prices returned to higher…
The oil price crash has had long-lasting and in some cases severe effects on GCC economies, with consequences ranging from reduced public spending to shelved development plans. In the private sector, it has all too often manifested in dwindling profit margins, forcing businesses to take the difficult decision to downsize their staff. According to Nuno…
Mood swings have become the norm when it comes to the potential of the African continent. Pre 1990’s was described as the dark days of Africa. Post-1990 into the early decades of this 21st century saw an uproar and cheers all over the world for the continent as the next big thing to happen. After…
Accountants and credit controllers are on the frontline of ensuring an organisation’s financial health. This involves a number of key processes, including cost accounting. It is vital in today’s economy for accountants to be familiar with both cost reduction and cost control – two similar but significantly different ways to monitor and modify organisational costs.…
The meteoric rise of fintech has left many traditional financial institutions lagging behind in terms of technology – and many banks have chosen to see this as a threat. In a 2015 survey by PwC, 83 percent of financial services professionals indicated that they were concerned about losing business to new fintech startups. The fintech…
In May 2016, Chinese investment group Creat Group agreed to acquire UK-based Bio Products Laboratory for 820 million GBP (1.1 billion USD). Headquartered in Hertfordshire, Bio Products Laboratory is a plasma biotherapeutics company that provides therapeutics for conditions related to bleeding disorders, immune deficiencies and critical care. Creat will invest an additional 100 million GBP…
Chinese investors specializing in healthcare are increasingly expanding into the European market with a series of high-profile, strategic investments. This is part of a trend of heightened healthcare deal activity from Chinese investors. Last year, companies based in China announced acquisitions in the medical industry worth 30.4 billion USD – representing twice the investment level…