Citi defies coronavirus with Western European corporate lending push

LONDON (Reuters) - Citigroup is looking to ramp up its commercial banking operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa, plugging gaps left by rivals facing fallout from a coronavirus-induced recession.The U.S. bank plans to expand its business lending division catering to companies with annual turnover between $25 million and $2.5 billion with a slew of new hires and office launches in several Western European countries by the end of 2020.Competitors, including HSBC and Standard Chartered..