VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Consumers in Australia flocked to Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) store in Sydney on Friday to get the world's first up-close look at the tech giant's smartwatch, which the company expects will be its next runaway hit.

Denmark has applied to join the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Bank (AIIB), China's Ministry of Finance said on Sunday, becoming the latest European power to join the institution despite misgivings of the United States.

U.S. energy firm Chevron (CVX.N) is seeking to sell its entire stake in Caltex Australia Ltd (CTX.AX) for about A$4.6 billion ($3.6 billion), exiting Australia's biggest refiner after nearly 40 years as falling oil prices and high costs hurt margins.

Australia has invited Germany, France and Japan to pitch for a contract to build its new submarine fleet, kicking off a contentious A$50 billion ($38.8 billion) project which has become a political football at home.

General Motors Co (GM.N) will build its next-generation Chevrolet Cruze small car in Mexico, the company said on Monday. GM will invest $350 million to produce the Cruze at its plant in Coahuila, as part of the $5 billion investment in Mexican plants announced last year. It is the first time the Cruze will be made in Mexico, according to a GM spokeswoman in Mexico, and production will be mainly for the domestic market. The Cruze is currently imported to Mexico from GM's plant in South Korea, she said.

China is discussing ways in which a new regional lender being pushed by Beijing can cooperate with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on Sunday, as he sought to fend off concerns that the two banks would become rivals.

BHP Billiton has put far less debt than expected into its $13 billion South32 spin-off, positioning the company formed from its unloved assets to weather tough markets and still pay a dividend.

A group comprising KKR & Co, Varde Partners and Deutsche Bank are looking to securitize about A$7 billion ($5.33 billion) of debt they acquired from a unit of GE, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Bankers running the expected A$3 billion ($2.29 billion) initial public offering of Australian software firm MYOB Ltd, owned by Bain Capital, plan to file a prospectus for the sale by end-March, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Two years after U.S. legislators branded it a national security threat, China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is planning a campaign to win over U.S. consumers, rolling out new mobile phones and wearable devices backed by a marketing effort.

Malaysia's AirAsia X Bhd (AIRX.KL) will cut flights on unprofitable routes, reorganize staff and defer some aircraft deliveries to turn around the loss-making long-haul budget carrier, the airline's acting chief executive said on Wednesday.

Mobile messaging apps Line and Kakao Talk are busy trying to conquer overseas markets such as Southeast Asia and India. But they may do well to keep a close eye on their home turf of Japan and South Korea as China's WeChat amasses more users.

Craig Uden, who fattens cattle for beef on his Nebraska feedlot, expects to cut his energy costs by as much as a quarter this year because of falling oil prices - a silver lining in an otherwise tough rural economy.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ.AX) on Monday said Mark Whelan will replace Phillip Chronican as the head of its Australian business.

Sterling scaled a six-week peak early on Monday following recent hawkish-sounding comments from the Bank of England, while the other major currencies were subdued in a holiday-riddled week.