LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Wednesday, July 3rd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Philip Morris International (PMI) (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) welcomed the decision by a World Bank arbitration tribunal to hear a claim that Uruguay violated multiple provisions of its Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with Switzerland. In order to attract foreign investment, Uruguay signed more than twenty BITs under which it made firm commitments to respect intellectual property rights and the rule of law. At issue in this case are extreme and unnecessary restrictions imposed on the sale and packaging of tobacco products that conflict with Uruguay’s obligations under the treaty.

Commenting on the ruling, PMI spokesperson Julie Soderlund said:

"This ruling holds Uruguay accountable to its international obligations, accountability the country sought to avoid in domestic courts and again before this Tribunal.

"The measures unjustifiably restrict legitimate businesses from selling ... Read more »

NEW YORK - Wednesday, July 3rd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) announced today that it has terminated its general guarantee, dated November 24, 2008, of its subsidiary, Goldman Sachs Ireland Finance Limited, formerly known as Goldman Sachs Bank (Europe) PLC. The termination is effective as of July 10, 2013.

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

Contacts

Media:

Jake Siewert, 212-902-5400

 

Investors:

Dane Holmes, 212-902-0300

 

COLUMBUS, Ga. & AUSTIN, Texas - Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TSYS (NYSE: TSS) and NetSpend Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSP) announced today that TSYS has completed its acquisition of NetSpend. NetSpend is now a wholly owned TSYS subsidiary and TSYS’ fourth operating segment focusing on direct to consumer products and services. NetSpend will continue to be led by chief executive officer Dan Henry and president Chuck Harris. The segment will report directly to Troy Woods, president and chief operating officer of TSYS.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NetSpend is a leading provider of general purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit cards, PayCards and related financial services to the estimated 68 million underbanked consumers in the United States who do not have a traditional bank account or who rely on alternative financial services.

"This is a transformational day for everyone at TSYS and NetSpend, as this deal brings together two companies ... Read more »

- To start second phase construction of Fab 5 at Yokkaichi -

TOKYO - Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that it will expand its state-of-art No. 5 semiconductor fabrication facility (Fab 5) at Yokkaichi Operations in Mie, Japan, to secure manufacturing space for NAND flash memories fabricated with next generation process technology and for future 3D memories. Fab 5 second phase construction will start at the end of August this year and be completed in summer next year. Decisions on equipment investment and production will reflect market trends.

Yokkaichi Operations currently has three Fabs mass producing NAND flash memory, including Fab 5 phase 1. Fab 5's construction was planned around two phases, the first of which went into operation in July 2011. After giving careful consideration to the balance of product supply and demand, and noting a recovery driven by growing demand for smartphones, tabl ... Read more »

TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands - Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Luxoft Holding, Inc announced today the closing of its initial public offering of 4,705,880 Class A ordinary shares at $17.00 per Class A ordinary share, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 613,810 additional Class A ordinary shares. 2,046,035 of the Class A ordinary shares were offered by Luxoft, and another 2,659,845 Class A ordinary shares, which includes the over-allotment, were offered by its parent, IBS Group Holding Limited. Luxoft’s ordinary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "LXFT”.

UBS Limited, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, VTB Capital plc and Cowen and Company, LLC are the joint bookrunning managers for the offering. A copy of the final prospectus related to the offering may be obtained when available from UBS Securities LLC, by telephone at 1-888-8 ... Read more »

AMSTERDAM - Tuesday, July 2nd 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces that its UpTeq NFC SIM embedded software and product has been selected by Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to secure its NFC payment program. CHT is Taiwan’s largest mobile network operator with 10 million subscribers. The initiative, using the SIM as the secure element to safeguard mobile NFC transactions, was approved by the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan, and is supported by leading Taiwanese banks Cathay United, Chinatrust Commercial, E.Sun, Taishin, as well as handset makers HTC Corp, Samsung, Sony1.

CHT subscribers will be able to use their mobile phone for contactless payments at over 20,000 MasterCard® PayPass™ point of sale readers across Taiwan including supermarkets, department stores and a fleet of taxis. The pilot also supports additional NFC services such as multiple credit and p ... Read more »