India made the biggest dent in its foreign-exchange reserves in seven years as the central bank stepped up action to prop up Asia’s worst-performing currency. Reserves dropped by $5.14 billion in the seven days ended Oct. 12, the biggest weekly decline since November 2011, as the Reserve Bank of India sold dollars to shore up the rupee, helping it end a losing streak that extended for six weeks, Bloomberg News reported. Most of the drop in reserves seems to be because of accelerated central bank intervention, according to Kotak Securities Ltd.

The committee of creditors tasked with the resolution process of Essar Steel Ltd. has picked ArcelorMittal as H1 Resolution Applicant, or preferred bidder, for the insolvent asset, Bloomberg Quint reported. The final bid price will be negotiated over the weeks to come, the Luxembourg-based company said in a statement. This comes two weeks after the Supreme Court directed both Numetal Mauritius and ArcelorMittal to pay up past debts to be eligible to bid for insolvent Essar Steel Ltd. Of the two, only one met the Supreme Court directive—ArcelorMittal.

Beijing is trying to kick its habit of using big-ticket infrastructure spending to fuel the economy, a turning point from a growth model that has left many Chinese cities adorned with empty high-rises and underused highways, The Wall Street Journal reported. China bolstered economic growth for decades by pouring trillions of dollars into roads, factories, railroads and more, and doubled down to protect the economy from the global financial crisis of the last decade. Now the torrent has subsided as debt soared and needless projects blossomed.

A high-level panel is likely to recommend a United Nations model for cross-border insolvency cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, according to a senior official, The Economic Times reported. The Insolvency Law Committee (ILC) is looking into the discussion paper related to having the UN model for cross-border insolvency matters as well as the comments received on the paper. Under the Code, there are provisions to deal with cross-border insolvency matters.

Malaysia charged a former deputy prime minister with breaking money-laundering and corruption laws as Mahathir Mohamad’s government steps up investigations into graft allegations plaguing the former administration, The Wall Street Journal reported. Zahid Hamidi, who waved to supporters as he arrived at court, pleaded not guilty to all 45 charges. The charges involve a total of 114 million ringgit ($27.4 million), and include allegations he used funds from a family-run charity to pay off credit card debts. He was freed on bail. Mr.

China’s gummed-up credit system is threatening economic growth and officials may have little choice but to let unregulated lenders step in, the New York Times DealBook blog reported. The nation’s economy is not in desperate straits yet, but confidence appears shaken. The economy expanded 6.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018, missing expectations.

India stocks fell as concern resurfaced over tight liquidity impacting the financial sector, adding to worries about surging oil prices and global trade conflicts, Bloomberg News reported. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex index fell 1.1 percent to 34,779.58 in Mumbai, snapping three straight sessions of gains. It had climbed as much as 1.3 percent earlier in the session. Seventeen of 19 sector sub-gauges compiled by BSE Ltd. declined, led by realty and auto companies. Yes Bank Ltd. and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone were the worst performers on the gauge. Infosys Ltd.

Jindal Stainless Ltd., part of billionaire Savitri Jindal’s steel and power conglomerate, expects to leave behind its debt troubles by March, allowing it to boost its capacity by half over the following two years, Bloomberg News reported. India’s dominant stainless steel producer had been forced into a central bank-mandated restructuring after its debts piled up.

A group of lenders including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development hired Lazard Ltd. to manage the restructuring of a $500 million loan for an Istanbul ferry company part-owned by Stagecoach Group Plc founder Brian Souter, Bloomberg News reported. The banks, including several local firms, gave the mandate to New York-based Lazard on Tuesday, according to Necmi Riza Bozanti, chairman of the company, Istanbul Deniz Otobusleri AS. He favors turning the debt into a lira-based liability, he said.

ArcelorMittal SA said on Wednesday it would pay 74.69 billion rupees ($1.01 billion) to creditors of two Indian companies in which it previously held stakes, in order to make its acquisition offer valid for Essar Steel, another debt-ridden Indian steel firm, Reuters reported. ArcelorMittal will clear overdue debt of steel firm Uttam Galva Steels and oil and gas pipeline construction services provider KSS Petron, two companies in which the world’s largest steelmaker held stakes until earlier this year.