Business Digest, December 17, 2012

US prosecutors plan to file charges this week against multiple bankers linked to UBS rigging of Tokyo interbank lending rates. UBS is set to pay as much as US$1.6 billion to settle charges of interest rate manipulation with various authorities. Meanwhile, Royal Bank of Scotland is braced for a penalty of more than £350 million (HK$4.37 billion) for interest rate rigging, Britain's newspaper reported. Bloomberg, Reuters

Cargo tonnage at Hong Kong International Airport jumped 9.3 per cent year on year last month to hit a record 374,000 tonnes amid a rush of Christmas orders. Passenger traffic rose 5.5 per cent to 4.6 million passengers. Charlotte So