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Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Chairman / President

Kay Matthews

CEO / Managing Director

Tim Mayopoulos

CFO / Finance Director

Daniel Beck

Industry

Banking

Website

svb.com

Headquarters address

3003 Tasman Drive, Santa Clara, California, USA

Stock Code

NASDQ:SIVB

Year founded

1983

Philanthropist Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, the closest thing to royalty in Silicon Valley. Photo: laaf.org

Millionaires and billionaires

Meet Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Kim K’s pal and a Silicon Valley royal

Boasting 5 qualifications from Stanford University (including 1 from nursery school), to which her late father donated US$300 million, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen is a professor and philanthropist

20 Feb 2025 - 4:00AM

Banking & finance

The largest banks would survive severe recession, Fed ‘stress tests’ show

29 Jun 2023 - 10:18AMvideocam

Banking & finance

First Citizens sues HSBC for stealing SVB staff and secrets

23 May 2023 - 11:57AMvideocam

Banking & finance

First Republic Bank auction under way, with deal expected by Sunday

Banks including Citizens Financial Group, PNC Financial Services Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co are among roughly half a dozen bidders vying to buy First Republic Bank, according to sources familiar with the matter.

30 Apr 2023 - 3:04AM

A security guard stands outside a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, US on Friday. Photo: Reuters

India

Opinion | Is India doomed to chair the most impotent G20 in modern times?

In the face of global crises, the G20 has been paralysed by rivalries and distracted by domestic challenges. Can India, whose reputation is at stake, lead it back into action?

29 Apr 2023 - 4:23AMvideocam

Banking & finance

The View | How China can learn from mistakes in US banking oversight

As China looks to reform its banking regulations, it can avoid US pitfalls, such as letting regional banks lend excessively to one sector or allowing skewed boards. Importantly, the siren call of lobbying for looser banking rules and regulations must be ignored.

26 Apr 2023 - 4:17PMvideocam

Banking & finance

First Republic loses over US$100 billion in deposits after SVB collapse

The bank is exploring options as the news overshadowed its market-beating first-quarter profit and sent shares down 21 per cent.

25 Apr 2023 - 5:49AMvideocam

A person walks past a First Republic branch in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP

Banking & finance

The View | Damage from the latest banking crisis is far from done

The effects of a long period of low interest rates being followed by sharp rate increases are likely to be long-lasting and produce more than a mild recession. Rather than repeatedly tightening regulations after a crisis, policymakers should focus on ending quick fixes such as monetary or fiscal easing.

23 Apr 2023 - 1:00AMvideocam

United States

Macroscope | Inevitable US recession means global growth needs urgent care

With the US at risk of recession and world trade growth slowing, major exporters such as China and Germany must compensate with extra domestic reflation. Global growth needs careful nurturing by policymakers, and a return to much easier economic policies should be a priority.

17 Apr 2023 - 9:30PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Opinion | Harder to be a savvy investor as financial, geopolitical risks grow

Financial contagion fears, a toxic geopolitical environment and a proliferation of sanctions have made investors nervous. When risks are rising and returns are falling, investors can only step with great care.

7 Apr 2023 - 4:45PMvideocam

An electronic stock board displays a graph of the Nikkei 225 Stock Average’s movements outside a building in Tokyo, Japan, on March 17. In times of uncertainty, nothing can be taken for granted. Investors must think through all the potential risks and invest accordingly. Photo: Bloomberg

Banking & finance

Opinion | Bigger than Barings: banking crises averted, but how safe is your cash?

Amid systemic failures and fear of contagion, the authorities acted quickly and sought to protect depositors. But the challenge remains to ensure moral hazard, such that the people who make financial mistakes pay the price.

6 Apr 2023 - 9:30PMvideocam

Rogue trader Nick Leeson arrives at Singapore’s Changi airport on November 23, 1995, after being expelled by Germany to stand trial on charges of fraud and forgery over the collapse of Barings Bank, Britain’s oldest merchant bank. Photo: AFP

Banking & finance

Macroscope | US banking woes compound China’s need for US Treasury alternatives

With so much risk flooding the global financial sector, it makes sense for China to look for alternatives to investing in US Treasuries. However, questions remain over how to diversify that risk and maximise returns at the same time, given the ubiquity of the US dollar.

3 Apr 2023 - 3:45PM

Banking & finance

Letters | Silicon Valley Bank collapse shows the need to learn from past mistakes

Readers discuss the loophole that fuelled SVB’s collapse, the ‘mountain’ of MTR fares, and platform gaps at train stations.

3 Apr 2023 - 11:30AM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | As social media fuel bank runs, good communication is never more vital

A poorly written press release led to panicked messages spreading on WhatsApp and Twitter, fuelling the run on Silicon Valley Bank. Yet the wider fallout, which has become a global banking crisis, might have been avoided simply by good communication.

2 Apr 2023 - 8:30PMvideocam

People check their phones at the Silicon Valley Bank’s Hong Kong office at Jardine House in Central on March 12. Photo: Dickson Lee

Banking & finance

Macroscope | We need a better financial system so bankers can’t go on crashing it

Outside China, banking and finance often seem more of a black box than is healthy for the system. We need a better design for the benefit of many, not bonuses for the few.

1 Apr 2023 - 4:30PMvideocam

A masked protester at a protest in Rome on October 15, 2011, against the greed of bankers, in what was the worst violence of worldwide demonstrations against corporate greed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Photo: AFP

Disease

Letters | China can do more to squash antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Readers discuss the need for stronger policy on antimicrobial resistance, and how Hong Kong should respond to the banking crisis.

1 Apr 2023 - 11:30AM

Banking & finance

Asia’s start-ups start to squirm as contagion fears linger, easy money dries up

Turmoil in Western financial markets has spurred a flight to safety among global investors, hurting the region’s start-ups – even if most Asian lenders are unlikely to fall to a Silicon Valley Bank-style collapse.

18 Apr 2023 - 4:14PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Macroscope | As US banking stress rises, here’s what investors should be looking at

The Fed’s mopping up of market liquidity has put stress on banks. While the tightening is set to end, market concerns remain. Investors can gauge temperatures by tracking bank deposit shifts and indicators such as the FRA-OIS spread and US Conference Board’s leading credit index

31 Mar 2023 - 9:30PM

A rate announcement on a screen as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 22. Markets expect rates to drop after a final increase in May but inflation, jobs and economic data may well force the Fed to tighten credit further. Photo: AP

HSBC

HSBC has lured ‘billions’ from tech startups since its £1 deal for SVB UK unit

HSBC paid £1 for a £1.4 billion business when it acquired the UK unit of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month, CEO Noel Quinn says. It has since lured billions of deposits from global tech start-ups.

31 Mar 2023 - 12:28AMvideocam

Banking & finance

Macroscope | World might have to settle for pause in interest rate rises with no cuts

That there is still much uncertainty over where benchmark US rates are heading attests to the unpredictability of the financial and economic landscape. What is clear is that while rate increases set off the recent market turmoil, rate cuts would be an indication of the severity of the damage to confidence.

30 Mar 2023 - 9:30PMvideocam

Boao Forum for Asia 2023

China must ‘reflect’ on the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, top regulator says

Lu Lei, deputy head of China’s foreign exchange regulator, says authorities must become more vigilant of risks in the financial sector following the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

30 Mar 2023 - 6:30PMvideocam

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has set off alarm bells among Chinese regulators. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong

Letters | ChatGPT can be fine-tuned to serve us all better

Readers discuss how to fully realise the potential of ChatGPT, happier times in US-China relations, and short sellers’ role in capital markets.

29 Mar 2023 - 11:44AM

A person chats with ChatGPT in Chinese in Shanghai on February 6. Photo: Getty

Banking & finance

China launches new anti-corruption probe into top banks, SOEs

China’s new leadership team is racing to defuse financial risks, including at top banks and state-owned industrial giants, against a backdrop of slowing economic growth and an overseas banking crisis.

29 Mar 2023 - 9:32AMvideocam

TikTok

Letters | TikTok aside, how safe is social media from CIA?

Readers discuss concerns over social media platforms other than TikTok, and the significance of China’s financial regulatory overhaul.

28 Mar 2023 - 2:30PM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Look back to 2008 global crisis for answers to today’s banking woes

The solutions put in place to stabilise the financial system in the wake of the global meltdown have not protected us from the risks of damaged fiscal finances and weak growth potential. With financial confidence still fragile, the ability to cope with shocks like SVB’s collapse and Credit Suisse’s troubles is limited.

27 Mar 2023 - 9:30PM

The Wall Street entrance to the New York Stock Exchange is seen in New York City on November 15, 2022. With its aggressive interest rate hikes, the Fed has opened a Pandora’s box of contagion risks with viral uncertainty spilling over into several banks, reminiscent of the mood of 2008. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Exclusive | Mark Mobius still positive on China, but wants Beijing to relax capital controls

Investment guru Mark Mobius, who earlier had expressed concerns about China’s capital controls, said that while he continues to be bullish on the country, it would be far more attractive to foreign investors if it eases up on investment flows.

27 Mar 2023 - 2:24PM

Mark Mobius, the former executive chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Inside Out | Businesses built on debt could be about to come crashing down

For years, financial institutions have plied companies – particularly rising tech firms – with cheap money, allowing them to accumulate debt without ever turning a profit. Now, as this system threatens to implode, central banks are running to the rescue – again.

27 Mar 2023 - 3:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

Opinion | China is quietly revelling in the US’ latest self-made crisis

The string of bank collapses in the US due to a lack of Fed supervision feeds directly into Beijing’s narrative that America’s power is declining.

26 Mar 2023 - 4:30PMvideocam

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