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Outspoken billionaire Jack Ma escapes Beijing's crosshairs by giving up his power

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Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Ant informed regulators that Ma intended to give up control and could transfer some of his voting rights to other top executives. Ma does not hold a management position at Ant and handing over control of the company would cause little disruption to day-to-day operations as he has not been deeply involved in years, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named to discuss personal information. Ma initially ended up with majority vote control because Ant was separated from Alibaba in a complex transaction aimed at minimizing conflicts with Chinese regulations. Ant has reportedly notified regulators that Ma intends to relinquish control and may transfer some of his voting rights to other top executives. Credit: AP Ma’s decision may now be a way of aligning with President Xi Jinping’s vision of achieving “co-prosperity.” His company is trying to meet the demands of China’s watchdog, which has pledged to curb the expansion of “re

Russian oligarchic billionaire banker seems to be breaking with the past

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The nonprofit has pledged about $650 million to fight the disease, while also betting on early-stage cancer research companies. That adds another layer of protection to Knaster’s fortunes and distances him from his past at a time of massive sanctions against those affiliated with Russia’s fortunes. “From a strategic point of view, he made a brilliant move to put his assets into this philanthropic foundation,” said US academic David Lingelbach, who headed Bank of America’s Russia operations in the 1990s and had dealings with Knaster. “I’m sure Mikhail Fridman wished he did something like that.” Knaster was described as the “right arm” of Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman at one point. Credit: AP Knaster declined to comment through a spokesman. Money trail Like others close to Russian money, Knaster was unable to completely erase the origins of his fortune, about half of which was tied up in Pamplona. His rise from mid-level bank executive to private equity power player, Italian foo