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Malaysia To Include Islamic Banking In FTA Talks With GCC
26-Apr-2010
Malaysia, which is currently in the midst of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), will look at several sectors including Islamic banking to be included in the FTA.
The changing landscape of export credit agencies in the context of the global financial crisis
14-Apr-2010
New study by Kavaljit Singh on the structure and role of export credit agencies, an integral part of trade finance and investment relations
Rural banks decry ASEAN free trade pact
18-Feb-2010 BusinessWorld
The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines says its sector will suffer greatly as tariffs on farm goods fall in line with the implementation of the ASEAN FTA.
Taiwan won’t let China acquire local financial firms
10-Dec-2009 Bloomberg
Taiwan won’t allow Chinese banks to acquire local financial institutions when it signs an economic cooperation agreement with the mainland, Premier Wu Den-yih said.
Review of trade policies of India’s major trading partners
13-Sep-2009 Centre for WTO Studies
A review of market access barriers faced by Indian exporters in its major trading partners and other select countries, 24 in all.
Opposition lawmakers may stall Canada-Panama free trade accord
15-Aug-2009 Bloomberg
The free trade agreement between Canada and Panama signed Aug. 11 may be stalled or even defeated in Canada’s Parliament unless Prime Minister Stephen Harper can convince at least one opposition party to overcome concerns about Panama’s tax policies.
Panama wrong choice for Obama’s first trade deal
27-May-2009 Seattle Times
This trade deal — largely based on the North American Free Trade Agreement model — was written by and for multinational companies. It enables companies to increase their profits while skipping town on taxes.
China to offer more concessions to Hong Kong companies
11-May-2009 WSJ
Under new supplements to their Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, China will further open banking and securities services to Hong Kong companies
Panama’s president-elect to push US trade deal
5-May-2009 Reuters
Finalizing a free-trade deal with the United States is a major goal for Panamanian President-elect Ricardo Martinelli, but the supermarket tycoon rejects US accusations that the country is a tax haven.
New report: Panama FTA would undermine US efforts to stop offshore tax-haven abuse and regulate risky financial conduct
2-May-2009 Public Citizen
The trade deal would leave tax shelters for AIG and narcotraffickers intact while removing existing US tools to combat tax evasion and other financial crimes
Reciprocal terms missing in the proposed India-EU pact
9-Apr-2009 Economic Times
Unlike other bilateral agreements, the potential implications of India-EU FTA would be far-reaching since nine EU-based banks together controlled 65% of total assets of foreign banks in India in 2008. By asset size, out of the top 10 foreign banks in India, six are European.
Panama-AIG outrage on all fronts
28-Mar-2009 Eyes on Trade
Anger is brimming over in diverse corridors over the Bush hangover agreement with Panama, and the new rights it would give to AIG-linked bodies in Panama to sue US taxpayers.
AIG suing taxpayers for its own Panama tax dodging
21-Mar-2009 Eyes on trade
Under the Panama FTA, AIG-Panama would be able to sue the US taxpayer for cash damages by claiming common regulatory actions were "tantamount" to an ("indirect") "expropriation."
Taking the credit - how financial services liberalisation fails the poor
16-Mar-2009 WDM
The report looks at how financial services liberalisation, and especially the entry and ongoing presence of foreign banks in the global south, as promoted at the World Trade Organisation and through European bilateral trade deals, leads to the prioritisation of richer customers and larger companies resulting in poorer customers losing out.
TWN preliminary report on FTA/WTO and financial crisis
16-Mar-2009
A new TWN report finds that North-South free trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties and World Trade Organization commitments often contain a number of provisions that can increase the likelihood of a financial crisis and make it more difficult to take the necessary measures to deal with one once it occurs.
India-EU free trade agreement: Should India open up banking sector?
14-Mar-2009
This report questions the much-touted benefits of opening up banking sector under the India-EU FTA. Are big European banks going to augment the reach of the banking system to millions of Indians citizens who have no access to basic banking services? What specialization and experience do European banks have when it comes to providing basic banking services to landless rural workers and urban poor dwellers? Will the India-EU FTA reduce the domestic regulatory space?
Brussels pushing finance deregulation in third world
12-Mar-2009 EU Observer
While EU and other global leaders have talked tough about re-regulating the financial sector in the wake of the economic crisis, they remain committed to pushing through banking deregulation in the developing world via trade deals.
In the United States, 350 civil groups oppose FTA
9-Mar-2009 La Estrella
Around 350 US national, state and local groups from religious to environmental sectors, representing a combined total membership of 18 million, sent a letter to the House of Representatives asking lawmakers not to ratify the free trade agreement between Panama and the United States, insisting that Panama’s economy thrives on banking secrecy and money laundering
British finance lobby calls for EU-S.Korea trade deal
13-Feb-2009
International Financial Services London, representing banks, accountants and other financial industries, said it was disappointed that some European manufacturing groups opposed the deal and were calling for negotiations to be suspended.
Amendment to Mexico-Israel accord to ease trade
5-Feb-2009 Jerusalem Post
Recently it was reported that Israel and Mexio signed an amendment to their FTA of 2000 aimed at solving a problem faced by many companies that want to transit products made in either Israel or Mexico through a third country, such as the US or the EU.