The European Union will propose issuing a certificate called a Digital Green Pass that would let people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus travel more freely, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Monday, the New York Times reported. “The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans’ lives,” Ms. von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

The European Central Bank “can and must react against” any unwarranted rise in bond yields that threaten to undermine the euro-area economy, policy maker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said, Bloomberg News reported. The comments by the Bank of France governor, among the strongest yet by ECB officials, encouraged investors to bet that the central bank is already stepping up its own emergency bond-buying program. While fresh data on Monday showed net purchases slowing last week, it said the figures were distorted by redemptions.

The Insolvency Service paid out £453.4 million in missing wages and benefits to workers at firms that went bust last year, according to new data, the East Ethan Courier reported. The payments made by the agency, which is part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), were at the highest levels in a decade although the various company lifelines provided by the Chancellor meant the number of firms going insolvent fell.

Czech Airlines (CSA), part of the Czech airline group Smartwings, has filed in a Prague court for a reorganisation under solvency law as it grapples with a calamitous drop in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported. The airline sector has been among the worst hit by the pandemic and CSA, one of the world's oldest airlines, said its revenue last year dropped to a fifth of the previous year's total and led to a loss of 1.57 billion crowns ($72.7 million).

Central banks from Asia to Europe escalated their efforts to calm panicking markets, pledging to buy more bonds and signaling more policy accommodation, after U.S. Treasury yields surged to the highest level in a year, Bloomberg News reported. The Reserve Bank of Australia waded in with more than $2 billion of unscheduled purchases, while Korea announced buying plans for the next few months. European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said more stimulus could be added if the surge in yields hurts growth.

FBD said on Friday it estimates that gross claims and expenses arising from a landmark Covid-19 business interruption pubs test case ruling earlier this month will amount to €150 million, the Irish Times reported. The figure includes claims that will ultimately be picked up by reinsurance companies that have shared the risk with FBD. Meanwhile, the Dublin-listed insurer increased provisions for its net exposure to pubs claims to €65 million from €30 million that had been set aside last summer. The charge includes €11 million of expected payments to reinsurers to reinstate protection.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak signaled he’s prepared to raise taxes to fix the U.K.’s battered finances, while also vowing to maintain support for businesses and workers as long as the coronavirus pandemic lasts, Bloomberg News reported. Sunak promised to be “honest” with the public in his budget statement on Wednesday. He said he’ll outline a blueprint to address the budget deficit in a “fair” way -- government advisers project it to reach 19% of gross domestic product.

An agreement on the overhaul of cross-boarder corporate tax rules is within reach by a summer deadline now that Washington has dropped a proposal that could let U.S companies opt out of the future deal, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday after a meeting with G20 counterparts, Reuters reported. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday told the G20 meeting that Washington was dropping the former Trump administration’s demand for a “safe harbor” clause in talks to reform global taxation rules, which other countries said would make a deal impossible.

The head of Germany’s accounting watchdog, under fire for failing to spot wrongdoing ahead of the collapse of the payments company Wirecard, is stepping down, Reuters reported. The agency, formally known as the Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP), said in a statement on Wednesday that President Edgar Ernst is leaving his post at his own wish, effective Dec. 31. Ernst has also come under criticism for potential conflicts of interest because he held seats on supervisory boards of major corporations, including real-estate company Vonovia, retailer Metro and tour operator TUI.