China and the US will start high level trade talks on May 9 in Switzerland.

ASIC is asking for an independent expert to review a remediation plan for the trade reporting functions of Macquarie's futures dealing and OTC derivatives; ASIC commissioner Simone Constant said that the action "underscores" the regulator's concerns with the "recurrent" nature of Macquarie's failures.

The agreement, which will reduce tariffs across billions of dollars of goods, comes after three years of talks.

The joint venture Al-Futtaim Willis has been in operation for five decades and is based in Dubai and Bahrain; after securing a reinsurance broking license in Saudi Arabia, WTW is continuing its expansion in the region.

The Swedish firm has said that it is no longer providing financial guidance for 2025 and 2026, with job losses expected across its global workforce.

US president Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day pause on retaliatory tariffs above the 10% already imposed, except for Chinese goods, with tariffs now at 145% after China retaliated; Trump has now put tariff exemptions on smartphones, electronics and computers.

The tariffs are set to come in on Wednesday, April 9, and could cause huge upheaval for US companies, Chinese companies and Vietnamese companies across their supply chains.

Global investors, with the majority in Asia, participated in the deal which included five year, 10 year and 30 year senior bonds, and is the largest US dollar bond issuance in Hong Kong in the Reg S format; the funds will help drive infrastructure development.

Analysts are betting that US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will strike a deal, which would spur US players to buy Chinese stocks, just as overall sentiment for mainland China and Hong Kong improves.

Sydney-based Ben Connolly will step up from his real estate role, while Philippe Perzi will join from Goldman Sachs where he was managing director and head of FIG.