Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-02
By: Chen Chun-hwa, Lee Mei-yu, Central News Agency

Bitcoin is illegal in Taiwan, said Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Chairman Tseng

Ming-chung on Monday after kidnappers in Taiwan tried to collect a ransom through the virtual currency late last month.

Asked at a legislative hearing if the virtual currency can be used in Taiwan, Tseng said it was illegal and pledged that the FSC would work with the country’s central bank and police to crack down any illegal act.

The FSC will also publish a statement jointly with the central bank to inform other countries of such regulations, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Chang Chien-chung and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) The average spot price of DDR3 4Gb has dropped to US$2.01 per

unit, the same as the previous lowest level, reported Nov. 29, 2012, according to TrendForce Corp., a Taipei-based provider of market intelligence on technology industries.

The spot price of DDR3 4Gb fell by around US$0.11 per unit in October, a drop of 5.18 percent, due to a glut of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), TrendForce said.

As the supply excess is expected to continue to dominate the market, the major DRAM makers in Taiwan — Nanya Technology Corp. and Inotera Memories, Inc. — have both anticipated a continuing price drop in the fourth quarter of the year, TrendForce said.

It predicted a more drastic drop in DRAM prices next year, saying that competition remains heated in the DRAM industry, even as it is now taken over by three dominant suppliers — Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron.     [FULL  STORY]

NOVEL PROBLEM:Efforts to sell the Xinyi District site were hindered by requirements that Novel Hall be preserved. However, the deal still requires government approval

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 02, 2015
By: Ted Chen  /  Staff reporter

CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) expects to add NT$7.04 billion (US$214.6 million)

to its annual net income this year after wrapping up the sales of its former headquarters site in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義).

That will translate into an addition of NT$0.38 earnings per share to CTBC Financial’s net income this year.

The holding company, which owns the nation’s biggest credit card issuer, CTBC Bank (中信銀行), on Friday said that it has sold 95 percent stake in its former headquarters on Songshou Road to a subsidiary of land developer Continental Holdings Corp (欣陸控股) and Green Heaven Investment Ltd BVI (英屬維京群島商子樂開發股份有限公司) for a combined NT$15.12 billion, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Green Heaven is a subsidiary set up by foreign private equity firm Riant Capital (子樂投資), while Continental Holding operates real-estate developer Continental Engineering Corp (大陸工程).     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/31
By: Rita Cheng and Frances Huang

Washington, Oct. 30 (CNA) Investment from the United States in Taiwan equities totaled US$114 billion as of the end of 2014, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

According to the annual report on U.S. holdings of foreign securities, U.S. investors used all of the funds they moved into Taiwan for securities investment to buy equities instead of short-term and long term debts issued by Taiwanese firms.

Long-term debt refers to instruments with a maturity of more than one year and short term debt refers to financial products with a maturity of one year or less, while equities are more liquid than debt and easier for investors to sell for cash.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/30
CNA file photo

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) An alliance between Taiwan’s Powertech Technology Inc. (力成, PTI) and China’s Tsinghua Unigroup (紫光) will not cause a brain drain to the Taiwanese company due to Taiwan’s strict rules, said PTI’s chairman Tsai Du-kung (蔡篤恭) on Friday.

Tsai made the remarks after the company announced earlier in the day that it will sell a 25 percent stake to the state-backed Chinese firm, if the deal is approved by Powertech shareholders and Taiwan’s relevant regulatory authorities.

As the world’s biggest outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing service provider, PTI has faced challenges in expanding its global market share, but the alliance with Tsinghua Unigroup can help the Taiwanese company reach its goal, said Tsai.

He also added that the Beijing-based company has promised to comply with Taiwan’s regulations and that its investment will help it beef up its capacity of advanced assembly and testing services in Taiwan and develop its advanced process for production, as well as recruit talent.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-30
By: Xinhua

China’s securities companies had a good year in 2014 but this year’s volatility might give them a lesson in risk management, according to a KPMG China survey published Tuesday.

The ninth annual survey by KPMG of 119 securities companies in mainland China found 2014 to have been a bumper year. Total income rose 64% year on year to 255.3 billion yuan (US$40.35 billion) while net profits rose 121% to 94.9 billion yuan (US$15 billion).

Reflecting the intense competition among brokerage firms, the survey showed a drop in the average commission rate. With further developments in internet finance and policy issuance, the average brokerage commission rate has room to decline further, it warned.     [FULL  STORY]