U.S. authorities designated cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato Ltd. as a primary money-laundering concern and charged its founder for allegedly facilitating money laundering for criminals, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Treasury Department designated Bitzlato under a section of the USA Patriot Act, a law used to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, for allegedly laundering illicit funds for ransomware actors based in Russia. This type of action, a rarely used so-called death-knell sanction that cuts off the entity from the U.S.

The European Central Bank pushed back on Thursday against market bets that it would slow the pace of its interest rate hikes given recent falls in inflation and easing pressure to keep up with policy moves by other central banks, Reuters reported. Traders had recently trimmed their expectations for how much the ECB would raise borrowing costs, comforted by data showing lower inflation in both the euro zone and the United States and related talk of smaller hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Strikes coordinated by French unions brought significant disruption to the country on Thursday as they protest against government plans to revamp the pension system and test president Emmanuel Macron’s ability to resist street pressure, Bloomberg News reported. Workers in sectors including railways, schools and energy are taking part in the 24-hour strike against Macron’s plan to raise France’s minimum retirement age to 64 from 62. Unions are leading marches across France’s largest cities with the backing of left-wing political parties.

The writing was on the wall when Britain finalized its break from the European Union: The UK sorely lacked the battery manufacturing capability that would be absolutely critical to the auto industry’s future, leaving the country’s already declining car sector in a make-or-break bind, Bloomberg News reported. The failure of Britishvolt Ltd. to get past the stage of developing prototypes for an industry still vital to the UK’s economy casts further doubt on its prospects in the global race by nations to become self-sufficient in greener technology.

The rate of inflation in Britain slowed for a consecutive second month in December, but was still running in the double digits, maintaining a tight squeeze on household finances, the New York Times reported. Consumer prices rose 10.5 percent in December from a year earlier, down from 10.7 percent the previous month, with rising food prices and prices at hotels and restaurants offsetting lower gasoline and clothing prices, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it aims to buy a minority stake in ITA Airways, seeking to advance an industry consolidation that would give the German airline a stronger foothold in a major European aviation market, Bloomberg News. reported. The German carrier didn’t disclose financial details, or lay out the size of the stake it wishes to buy in the successor of Alitalia SpA. Lufthansa wants to buy as much as 40% of ITA in an initial step and subject to negotiations.

Germany is set to dodge a widely expected recession this year, a source told Reuters on Wednesday, adding to a chorus of voices predicting a brighter outlook for Europe's biggest economy as energy prices fall. Facing soaring gas prices due to the war in Ukraine and supply bottlenecks, consumer prices exploded last year, and the government and economists saw no way around recession. However, a 200-billion-euro relief package to shield consumers from surging energy prices, a mild winter and a readiness to save energy have changed the picture.

Romanian aluminium car parts manufacturer Altur Slatina said that its board decided to waive insolvency proceedings initiated earlier this month, SeeNews.com reported. The company submitted the waiver to an Olt County court, which acknowledged the filing on Thursday, Altur said in a statement filed with the Bucharest Stock Exchange on Friday. On January 4, Altur announced its submission of the application for the launch of insolvency proceedings with the same court.

Britain's lenders are tightening eligibility criteria amid rising interest rates and a cost of living crisis, but demand for borrowing remains elevated, credit data firm Experian said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Experian's key customers include banks, non-traditional lenders and insurance providers, which use its credit reports and scores to analyse and make decisions around credit risk, fraud prevention and lending terms.

The owner of Byron Burger has said it will shut nine restaurants after falling into administration, YahooFinance.com reported. Famously Proper, which owns Byron and fried chicken brand Mother Clucker, said it will cut 218 jobs as a result of the closures. The company was set up after private equity firm Calveton rescued Byron from a previous administration in 2020 following the impact of the pandemic. The company was set up after private equity firm Calveton rescued Byron from a previous administration in 2020 following the impact of the pandemic.