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* The Supreme Court of Brazil upheld the dismissal of a criminal case against Banco Bradesco SA Chairman and former CEO Luiz Carlos Trabuco Cappi for lack of probable cause. Brazil's public prosecutor's office had accused Trabuco Cappi of having knowledge and consent of the so-called Operação Zelotes tax evasion scheme.
* Chilean financial regulator SBIF has approved the merger between Scotiabank Chile and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Chile SA, the last hurdle for the deal, Diario Financiero reported. Scotiabank previously said it plans to legally complete the merger Sept. 1, and is aiming to transfer all BBVA branches to the Scotiabank brand within the year.
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
* Mexican Deputy Finance Minister-designate Arturo Herrera said the government is looking to tie up with fintech firms and banks to boost financial inclusion, Reuters reported. They are also looking to tap telecom firms and convenience stores to help build a system "that enables transactions between people or between people and financial institutions in some of the most rural, most disconnected areas of the country."
* Mexico's Economy Ministry stated the country pulled in foreign direct investment of about $17.84 billion in the first six months of the year, up 14% year over year, Reuters reported. The manufacturing sector accounted for the bulk of investment with about 43.1%, while 19.4% went to financial services.
* Panama's BG Valores SA, the brokerage and private banking arm of Banco General SA, dominated the local market in the first half of 2018, managing 30.9% of the $35.58 billion total investment portfolio of local securities operators, El Capital Financiero reported, citing the latest data from the SMV market regulator. The second-biggest manager was the brokerage of state-owned Banco Nacional de Panamá with 9.9% of the total portfolio.
BRAZIL
* Banco Mercantil do Brasil SA said the central bank authorized it to increase capital by 60.0 million...