COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF

AngloGold Ashanti forecasts earnings South Africa's AngloGold Ashanti said it expected annual earnings to almost triple, boosted by a surge in gold prices during 2020 as investors rushed to buy the precious metal seen as a safe-haven asset in turbulent times.The gold miner expects to report a headline earnings per share between 229 cents and 247 cents for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020, compared with 91 cents reported a year earlier, it said.A surge in prices of precious metals, including gold's climb above US$2000 an ounce early last year, had offered miners a lifeline after production disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.However, the miner, present in many African countries along with Argentina, Australia, and Colombia, expects a 7% fall in its annual gold production, mainly due to the sale of its South African operations and pandemic-induced disruptions. - Nampa/ReutersImpala Platinum sees earnings soar over 300%South Africa's Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd said it expected half-year headline earnings to increase more than fourfold, buoyed by higher metals prices and a weaker rand during the pandemic.The platinum miner also said refined six-element (6E) platinum-group production for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2020, was expected to increase by 29% to 1.694 million ounces, helped by the inclusion of production from its Canadian unit.Headline earnings per share is expected between 1 812 US cents and 1 899 US cents, compared with 436 US cents per share reported a year earlier, the miner said. - Nampa/ReutersNedbank denies complicity in SA corruptionSouth Africa's Nedbank denied any wrongdoing on Monday after three local news sites reported on its links to a scandal that led to large losses at public entities, sending the bank's shares down almost 9%.Investigative outlet amaBhungane, the Daily Maverick and News24 said Nedbank paid billions in rand in fees to a company called Regiments Capital for involving it in deals that lost money for municipalities and state-owned companies.The article published by the three news sites said the commissions were often not disclosed to clients Regiments was supposed to be advising impartially and that Nedbank knew or should have known this, among other allegations.In a statement responding to the article, Nedbank said there was nothing unlawful or unusual about its relationship with Regiments, although with hindsight it might have acted differently."Our internal and external reviews confirmed that Nedbank has at no time acted unlawfully in its dealings with Regiments and the affected counterparties," Nedbank said.An email to the address on Regiments' website seeking comment bounced back, while a call to the number on its website went to the voice mail of another firm. Reuters could not immediately reach any legal representatives for Regiments. - Nampa/ReutersTesla electrifies bitcoin with US$1.5 bln betTesla Inc said on Monday it had invested around US$1.5 billion in bitcoin and expected to begin accepting payment for its cars and other products with it in the near future, prompting a more than 10% jump in the electronic currency.Analysts said the move by one of the world's best-known companies was liable to prove a game changer for bitcoin.A well-known supporter of bitcoin, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has been weighing in regularly over the past week to a frenzy in retail investment, also driving up shares in meme-based digital currency dogecoin and shares of US video game chain GameStopMusk said a week ago that bitcoin was "on the verge" of being more widely accepted among investors and in December asked if it was possible to do large transactions in the currency."I think we will see an acceleration of companies looking to allocate to Bitcoin now that Tesla has made the first move," said Eric Turner, vice president of market intelligence at cryptocurrency research and data firm Messari. - Nampa/ReutersShell, Mitsubishi to supply wind power to AmazonRoyal Dutch Shell and renewables firm Eneco, owned by Japan's Mitsubishi Corp, will provide Amazon.com Inc's European facilities with electricity from an offshore wind farm, they said on Monday.Retail giant Amazon, which faces pressure from environmental activists over its carbon footprint, has vowed to be net carbon neutral by 2040. Starting in 2024, it will off-take 380 megawatts (MW) of capacity from the Hollandske Kust Noord offshore wind farm, which is being built jointly by Shell and Eneco, the two energy firms said without disclosing financial details.Eneco will provide 130 MW and Shell 250 MW under the deal, Shell said in a separate statement. Amazon was not immediately available for comment.Mitsubishi, along with Japanese utility Chubu Electric Power Co Inc, bought Eneco last year in a deal valuing the Dutch energy firm at 4.1 billion euros (US$4.9 billion).Japanese trading houses as well as global oil and gas majors such as Shell, are increasingly focusing on cleaner energy as they join a global shift away from coal and other fossil fuels. - Nampa/Reuters

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