An ad hoc group (AHG) of noteholders has successfully converted Dutch scheme of arrangement arbitration (WHOA) proceedings launched by Brazilian cement maker InterCement’s finance-raising arm in Amsterdam into bankruptcy proceedings, two weeks after the group secured chapter 15 recognition of its Brazilian recuperação judicial (RJ) plan, Latin Lawyer reported. Read more.

Annual inflation eased for a second month in a row in the U.K., teeing up a new cut to interest rates as policymakers grow increasingly worried about the economic hit from U.S. President Trump’s changeable tariff policy, The Wall Street Journal reported. The consumer-price index rose 2.6% in March from a year earlier, slowing from an annual rate of inflation of 2.8% in February, the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics said Wednesday. Inflation came in a little lower than economists had expected, according to a consensus of estimates compiled by The Wall Street Journal.

The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates for the seventh time in a year on Thursday, looking to prop up an already struggling economy that will take a large hit from U.S. tariffs, Reuters reported. The ECB has been easing borrowing costs rapidly as undue price pressures are disappearing, and recent turmoil on global markets is likely to bolster the bank's conviction that eurozone inflation is under control, adding to the case for further policy easing.

On Monday, hundreds of consumers flocked to the Casa store in Mechelen, Belgium, eager to take advantage of significant discounts as part of the store's total liquidation sale, The Pinnacle Gazette reported. Customers began gathering outside the store as early as 8:00 AM, and by the time the doors opened at 10:15 AM, a line stretching approximately 100 meters had formed. The Casa liquidation, featuring a remarkable 50% off all items, is being conducted across the ten most successful branches of the chain and is supervised by VH Auctions.

Ralph & Russo is teetering on the brink of insolvency for a second time as the haute couture fashion house struggles to stay relevant under new ownership, The Times reported. The luxury brand originally founded by Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo in 2010 has filed for protection from creditors three years after it was rescued out of bankruptcy by American investors.

Official figures Friday showed that the British economy, the world’s sixth-largest, enjoyed a growth spurt in February, the month before U.S. President Donald Trump started to roll out tariffs on imported goods, the Associated Press reported. The Office for National Statistics found that the British economy grew by 0.5% in February, ahead of market expectations for a more modest increase of 0.2%. It also revised up January’s figure to no change from the previous estimate of a 0.1% decline. Were these more normal times, hopes for the year ahead would be high.

German affiliate network belboon GmbH has filed for bankruptcy, according to multiple reports from clients and a ruling from the Nuremberg District Court, Hello Partner reported. Established in 2002, belboon has grown over the years to become one of the leading affiliate networks in the German-speaking market and has expanded its presence internationally, including in the U.K., Spain, Italy, France and the Nordics. But now, in a move described as “surprising,” the Berlin-based network has filed for bankruptcy.

Despite promising contracts and claims of superior technology compared to competitors like Tesla, Lithuanian Vėjo projektai, the company behind the Dancer electric buses, has fallen into bankruptcy, according to a post shared by its co-founder Alvydas Naujekas, ain reported. Not being ready for the pandemic-caused crisis, the company has started its restructuring and began its collaboration with the investment fund NuCapital in July 2022, when the fund lent €1.8 million to Vėjo projektams.

In March 2025, the Netherlands saw a significant decline in the number of business bankruptcies, according to figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), NL Times reported. A total of 271 companies were declared bankrupt, marking the lowest number in over a year and a half. This represents a 20 percent decrease compared to March 2024 and a 25 percent drop from February 2025. However, bankruptcies in the hospitality sector are on the rise. The bankruptcy rate in March 2025 stood at 7.4 bankruptcies per 100,000 businesses, a decrease from the 9.5 rate recorded in March 2024.

Germany’s economy is likely to be more or less stagnant in 2025 after shrinking for two years, and the impact of U.S. tariffs could weigh down an already unimpressive showing, leading think tanks forecast Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy and is the 27-nation European Union’s most populous member. Five economic institutes said in a regular update that they expect minimal growth of 0.1% this year — down from the 0.8% they forecast in September. They predicted growth of 1.3% in 2026.