After the acquisition of two financial institutions in Switzerland and Austria within just two months, the shopping spree of Liechtenstein’s largest listed bank may not have come to an end yet, Bloomberg News reported. "We are interested in further takeovers in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Austria. We have around 400 million francs of surplus capital that we can use for mergers and acquisitions," Roland Matt, Group CEO of Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG (LLB), said in an interview with Bloomberg. He pointed out that acquisitions would have to strengthen existing activities of the bank.

Ireland’s banks have intensified a drive to offload soured loans from the financial crisis as regulators increase pressure on the sector to accelerate the repairing of balance sheets still burdened by bad lending practices before the crash, the Financial Times reported. Under the scrutiny of the European Central Bank and domestic authorities, Irish lenders have recently sold non-performing loans with a gross value of about €6.5bn to US investment vehicles owned by Cerberus, Goldman Sachs and Lone Star Funds.

The exodus of foreign investors from Italy’s bond market is gathering pace, with net sales of the country’s sovereign debt climbing to a record level for the second month in a row, the Financial Times reported. Holdings of Italian debt by foreign investors declined by a net €38bn in June, according to recently released figures from the European Central Bank, eclipsing the previous month’s net fall of €34bn, which was itself a record.

Traders have expressed mounting fears for the country’s financial health, and the potential knock-on effects for its European neighbours, The Daily Express reported. At the root of this lies moves by Italy’s new populist government to further increase astronomical levels of public debt - which is already way above the euro-threshold of 60 percent of gross domestic product. Rome's government debt stands at 130 percent of GDP, just below that of the eurozone’s perennial economic basket-case Greece.

Russian potash producer Uralkali has questioned the process behind the sale of the Force India Formula One team after losing out in a battle between billionaire fathers of young racing drivers, Reuters reported. Uralkali co-owner Dmitry Mazepin is the father of 19-year-old Nikita, who races in the junior GP3 series and is a development driver for Force India. The team were put into administration at the end of July with a rescue deal led by Canadian Lawrence Stroll, the father of 19-year-old Williams F1 racer Lance, announced on Aug. 7.

The rising threat of a no-deal Brexit is causing consternation for investors who are worried that more than €100bn of European bank debt issued under English law could no longer comply with the EU regulation, the Financial Times reported. Countries and companies alike have long turned to English law when raising money on international bond markets, in an attempt to reassure investors that disputes would be settled in a neutral venue known for relatively quick and predictable outcomes.

Alexis Tsipras, prime minister of Greece, has warned of “fresh battles ahead” as the country prepares its first budget measures following the end of its international bailout, the Financial Times reported. In his first public remarks since Athens’ exit from its eight-year rescue programme, Mr Tsipras said Greece was now free to “reshape its future . . . as a normal European country”.

Bank of Ireland is preparing to sell a first batch of senior bonds through its holding company, which was set up last year under new European rules aimed at minimising taxpayer bailouts in the event of a future crisis, The Irish Times reported. The bank, led by chief executive Francesca McDonagh, has hired JP Morgan, a unit of Royal Bank of Scotland, Nomura and UBS to market the five-year senior unsecured debt, subject to market conditions, according to market sources.

Greeks…won’t be celebrating when Greece’s international financial bailout ends on Aug. 20, The Wall Street Journal reported. The moment will mark the symbolic end of the eurozone’s long debt crisis, which put the survival of the single currency in doubt. The Athens government hails the end of the bailout as a historic day when Greece recovers its national freedom and independence. European Union officials hold up Greece’s graduation from its bailout as proof that the bloc’s much-criticized crisis management succeeded.

The EU’s financial services chief has warned that the bloc’s flagship project to boost private sector investment in business is in jeopardy, with governments lagging in approving the necessary laws, the Financial Times reported. Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission vice-president responsible for the euro, said the EU’s goal of creating a capital markets union by 2019 might not be reached.