Investments

• Tuesday, December 18th 2012 - 05:34 UTC

  Santander keeps growing: absorbs Banesto and Banif and will close 700 branches

  

  Banking giant Santander said on Monday that it will absorb two of its Spanish offshoots, closing 700 branches in the latest stage of Spain's great banking shake-up. The biggest bank in the Euro zone by market value, said it could save 520 million Euros a year by absorbing the offshoots, Banesto and Banif.

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  Argentina announces payments of over 3.5bn dollars in GDP-linked bonds

  

  Economy Minister Hernán Lorenzino announced on Thursday Argentina will be making payments for more than 3.5 billion dollars in GDP-linked bonds, at the Economy Ministry.
  Lorenzino presented the payment as a triumph against the hedge-funds.

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 05:01 UTC

  Brazil plans to build 800 regional airports linking cities with 100.000-population

  

  Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, told reporters in Paris her government intends to build approximately 800 regional airports in Brazil. The project considers that each city with over 100.000 inhabitants should have an airport within a 60-kilometer range.

• Friday, December 14th 2012 - 04:55 UTC

  World’s largest pulp and forestry complex begins operation in south Brazil

  

  Brazilian group JBS-Friboi, a leading global exporter of meat products, has inaugurated an industrial complex for pulp production with an investment of 6.2 billion Reais (approx 3 billion dollars).

• Wednesday, December 12th 2012 - 18:09 UTC

  Oil company begins 3D seismic surveying to the south of the Falkland Islands

  

  Falkland Oil and Gas Limited oil and gas exploration company has commenced an important 3D seismic survey operation in the south of the Falkland Islands, where the company has extensive licence areas.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 20:10 UTC

  YPF CEO Galuccio travels to Norway to discuss partnership with Statoil

  

  Argentina’ nationalized oil and gas corporation YPF is said to be in talks with Norway’s Statoil about a possible partnership as part of its 37 billion dollars drive to develop Argentina’s energy reserves. It is close to signing deals with US oil giant Chevron as well as Bridas Corp, the Chinese-Argentine joint venture, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 20:05 UTC

  Brazil plans to invest 26bn dollars in four years to modernize ports

  

  Brazil's government has unveiled plans to invest 54.2 billion Reais (approx 26 billion dollars) over the next four years to modernize the country's ports, whose high costs and notorious delays are eroding the country’s competitive edge.

• Monday, December 10th 2012 - 05:34 UTC

  YPF confident it has partners to develop shale assets: Chevron and Bridas

  

  Argentine nationalized oil company YPF is in advanced discussions with potential partners on the development of its shale assets, the company's chief executive said. YPF could complete a deal with Bridas Energy Holdings Ltd. before the end of the year, while an agreement with US oil major Chevron Corp. will likely close in the first quarter of 2013, he said, adding that the deals would likely be similar in size.

• Thursday, December 6th 2012 - 21:09 UTC

  FOGL ends drilling program in south Falklands; begins further seismic surveying

  

  Falklands Oil & Gas (FOGL) announced Thursday it had abandoned its Scotia exploration well in the south basin after disappointing results, thus completing its 2012 two-well drilling (Loligo and Scotia) program in the Falkland Islands.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 18:26 UTC

  Chevron dispute with Ecuador discussed by Correa with Cristina Fernandez

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said he discussed with his Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernandez the legal dispute with US oil giant Chevron that has spilled over into her country.