Fitch Ratings has downgraded Sri Lanka's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating, citing political upheaval that has resulted in the country having no functional government, the International New York Times reported on an Associated Press story. Fitch says it lowered the country's rating to B from B plus with a stable outlook, reflecting heightened external financing risks, uncertain policy outlook and a slowdown in fiscal consolidation.

A representative of a mysterious Chinese oil company was convicted Wednesday on charges that he tried to bribe government leaders in Africa in a case that put foreign officials on the stand to discuss deals, some of which were hatched in the hallways at the United Nations, the International New York Times reported. The federal trial of Patrick Ho put a spotlight on the methods that a once fast-growing oil company, CEFC China, used to expand its reach from Asia to Africa, Europe and the United States. Mr.

China will encourage “zombie” firms that still retain “business value” to restructure and woo strategic investors to cut debt to reasonable levels, the state planner said on Tuesday. As part of its efforts to curb soaring corporate debt and tackle price-sapping capacity gluts in sectors such as steel and coal, China has promised to improve bankruptcy procedures and allow vast numbers of loss-making “zombie” companies to close, Reuters reported.

Etihad Airways is holding talks with Jet Airways Ltd and its bankers on a rescue plan for the debt-laden Indian carrier, two sources aware of the matter told Reuters. Executives from Etihad and Jet have met some of the airline's bankers in Mumbai in recent days to discuss ways to address its cash flow issues and evaluate the carrier's future business plan, the sources said.

Pockets of trouble in credit markets can originate in the most unlikely of spots, and that’s particularly true in China, Bloomberg News reported. From freezing Harbin in the north to tropical Hainan in the south, developers in Asia’s biggest economy have gorged on debt over the past decade and now owe global bond investors $114 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. With demand in some rural regions now cooling and authorities narrowing funding options, the credit shakeout that bears have been predicting for years could be at hand.

China’s bid to ease funding strains faced by private sector firms is proving to be tough going and signs are that things may get gloomier, Bloomberg News reported. Local company bond failures are at their highest levels this year and show no indications of abating. Junk bond sales have slumped to 2014 lows and spreads between lower and top rated borrowers are hovering near the widest in more than two years. What makes all this worse is the slowing economy, according to Nanjing Securities Co.

Fitch has downgraded Sri Lanka’s long-term debt rating in the latest blow to the cash-strapped country as it grapples with ongoing political turmoil, the Financial Times reported.

Corporate treasury departments in India have become so concerned about credit risk they’re increasingly parking their cash in securities maturing overnight. Assets with overnight funds soared to 123 billion rupees ($1.8 billion) last month, from 39 billion rupees in September, as companies chose safety over returns in the wake of a rare debt default, data from Morningstar Investment Adviser India Pvt. show, Bloomberg News reported.

Pakistan’s currency plunged as much as 5 per cent on Friday in what traders suspect was a devaluation of the currency amid rescue talks with the IMF, the Financial Times reported. The currency traded as weak as 141 rupees to the US dollar, from Thursday’s closing level of 133.9, according to Refinitiv data. ”The IMF’s main demands [for a new loan] included a devaluation of the rupee,” a central bank official in Karachi told the Financial Times. The rupee has tumbled about a fifth since the end of last year in a series of devaluations to avoid a balance of payments crisis.

India’s massive pile of bad business debt has kept asset-reconstruction companies busy in recent years. But as signs emerge that the supply of such assets may be leveling off, the nation’s largest buyer of bad loans is considering a rare move to start purchasing soured consumer debt, Bloomberg News reported. Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Co. is setting up a team for that and seeks to start purchases in 2019, Chief Executive Officer Raj Kumar Bansal said in an interview. “Corporate non-performing assets have plateaued,” Bansal said.