Foreign companies looking to boost their international credibility with a New Zealand registration were behind Commerce Minister Craig Foss’ plans to tighten up the database. In March, Foss announced plans for stricter monitoring rules and beefed up investigative powers for regulators of the Financial Service Providers Register, three years after its launch as part of government efforts to restore investors’ …

T he New Zealand dollar may rise this week as stronger global equity and commodity markets stoke demand for the currency and an improving local economy boosts employment. The kiwi dollar recently traded at 85.41 US cents, from 85.32 cents on Friday in New York. It has risen 3.1 percent so far this year, or 5.2 percent on a trade-weighted …

Guinness Peat Group, which expects to rebrand itself as UK threadmaker Coats later this year, has sold its 20 percent stake in ASX-listed agri-products maker Ridley Corp. The London-headquartered firm expects to reap A$54 million in cash proceeds from the sale, adding the equivalent of some 34 million British pounds to the 129 million pounds it has generated from asset …