Here are the top reads on deals and financial services over the last 24 hours,
FINANCIAL SERVICES NEWS
Royal Bank to sell eastern Caribbean operations: Royal Bank of Canada is selling its operations in the eastern Caribbean to a consortium of local banks, as Canada’s largest lenders continue to pull back from a region that is increasingly seen as risky. Story (James Bradshaw)
DEALS NEWS: MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS, IPOs and FINANCINGS
Major Canadian tech financings continue as Nuvei raises $358-million in common equity: One of Canada’s largest private digital companies, payments technology provider Nuvei Corp., has raised $358-million in common equity from existing investors Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and private equity firm Novacap. Story (Sean Silcoff)
Saudi Aramco tops Crown Prince’s $2-trillion valuation goal, though skepticism persists: Saudi Aramco hit the $2 trillion target sought by de-facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday as its shares racked up a second day of gains, despite some skepticism about the state-owned oil firm’s value. Story (Reuters)
InBev’s $11-billion asset sale to Asahi questioned by Australia’s competition regulator: Anheuser-Busch InBev’s $11-billion asset sale to Japan’s Asahi could hurt competition in Australia’s cider sector and may also do the same for beer, the country’s competition regulator warned on Thursday. Story (Reuters)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Canadian Securities Administrators reviewing the ‘regulatory framework’ of IIROC, MFDA: Amid calls for a merger of the two self-regulatory organizations that oversee Canada’s investment advisory industry, the country’s provincial securities commissions announced Wednesday that they are reviewing the “regulatory framework” that governs them. Story (Clare O’Hara, Greg McArthur)
Blake Hutcheson set to take over as head of OMERS with current CEO set to retire: Ontario’s $100-billion pension plan for municipal workers has tapped veteran real estate investor Blake Hutcheson as its new chief executive, taking over from a 20-year veteran who pushed the fund deeper into private assets. Story (David Milstead)
Stifel GMP hires Matthew Gaasenbeek as co-head of investment banking: U.S. investment dealer Stifel Financial Corp. showed it is serious about expanding its newly acquired Canadian franchise by hiring veteran financier Matthew Gaasenbeek on Wednesday as co-head of investment banking. Story (Andrew Willis)
The Streetwise newsletter is Monday to Friday. If you’re reading this on the web, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Streetwise and all Globe newsletters on our signup page.