World Bank President David Malpass on Saturday warned G20 leaders that failing to provide more permanent debt relief to some countries now could lead to increased poverty and a repeat of the disorderly defaults seen in the 1980s, Reuters reported. Malpass said he was pleased by progress made by the Group of 20 major economies on increasing debt transparency and providing debt relief to the poorest countries, but more was needed.

Offshore oil drilling contractor Seadrill expects the market for its rigs to remain depressed until late 2021, the Oslo-listed firm said on Friday as it continued talks with creditors over a debt restructuring, Reuters reported. Seadrill, controlled by Norwegian-born billionaire John Fredriksen, in September suspended interest payments after failing to agree with lenders on amending terms for its $5.7 billion bank debt, and warned that restructuring could wipe out its equity.

Thyssenkrupp, the ailing German steel and materials group, plunged to a full-year loss of €5.5bn and said it would cut 5,000 more jobs, as the pandemic increased pressure on the former conglomerate to speed up the sale of underperforming businesses, the Financial Times reported. The Essen-based company, which still employs more than 100,000 people, also warned that it expected a further loss of at least €1bn this financial year, as its restructuring costs spiral.

In the middle of the largest cycling boom ever, one of Germany’s largest bicycle factories, Sachsenring Bike Manufaktur GmbH has applied for insolvency, Bike Europe reported. It seems the company cannot get over its troubled MIFA history. Last week Sachsenring Bike Manufaktur was already given an ultimatum by the district council of Mansfeld-Südharz to settle its rental debt for the land and factory. According to local media, District Administrator Angela Klein told the financially troubled bicycle manufacturer to start settling it’s rental debts of almost €100,000 as of December 1.

Cineworld is looking at a company voluntary arrangement, an insolvency process used to cut costs, as part of its talks with lenders to gain access to capital, the Financial Times reported, citing three sources close to the negotiations, Reuters reported. The world’s second-largest cinema chain is also considering slashing rents and permanently closing UK cinemas after lockdown restrictions and a lack of blockbuster films caused business to collapse, the FT reported. The company last month temporarily shut its U.S.

The European Union’s 27 member states were urged to keep spending and support their economies through the latest wave of coronavirus restrictions without losing sight that the measures will weigh on future finances, Bloomberg News reported. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said fiscal support shouldn’t be withdrawn prematurely while warning Italy and France that their stimulus should be more targeted.

Global debt rose at an unprecedented pace in the first nine months of the year as governments and companies embarked on a “debt tsunami” in the face of the coronavirus crisis, according to new research, the Financial Times reported. The pace of debt accumulation will leave the global economy struggling to reduce borrowing in the future without “significant adverse implications for economic activity”, the Institute of International Finance warned on Wednesday.

Italy plans to widen an existing guarantee scheme for bank loans in a move that will help the country’s lenders cope with any future defaults sparked by the pandemic, a draft of the 2021 budget showed, Reuters reported. Italian banks have raised alarm about the combined effect an obligation to write down problem loans in full over a set number of years could have when coupled with a stricter definition of default kicking in soon and the troubles virus-hit businesses will face once weaned off emergency support schemes.

One morning, after years of financial prudence and solid creditworthiness, you wake up and it’s all gone. You’re no longer worthy. You’re a risk. In fact, you’re sub-prime. That is the fate facing thousands of Britons who, often for no fault of their own, could begin 2021 as “subprime” borrowers if they have had more than six months’ of relief from COVID-19 debt woes, Reuters reported. This could have dire consequences for people who have historically struggled to access credit, especially those on low incomes.

Creditors of the collapsed German payments company Wirecard have made claims for at least 12.5 billion euros ($14.85 billion), a German court said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Wirecard, in a dramatic fall from grace and blow to Germany’s reputation, filed for insolvency earlier this year after disclosing that 1.9 billion euros it claimed to hold in accounts was missing. The firm’s assets are in the process of being sold off around the globe. The claims were made against Wirecard’s holding company at a meeting of creditors and the company’s insolvency administrator in a Munich beer hall.