Deutsche Bank warned investors on Thursday that continuing investigations by financial regulators into potential manipulation of the $5-trillion-a-day currency markets could have a “material” financial effect on the bank, the International New York Times DealBook blog reported. Investigations begun last year by regulators in Germany, Britain, the United States and elsewhere have not resulted in any criminal charges, but more than two dozen traders have been suspended or terminated as a result of internal inquires at some of the world’s largest banks.

The head of Germany's savings banks association has attacked the European Central Bank on the eve of a historic decision on Thursday that could see the central bank’s key interest rates fall to new record lows, the Financial Times reported. Georg Fahrenschon, head of the Berlin-based group that represents 418 Sparkassen across the country, told German public radio station Deutschlandfunk on Wednesday that if low interest rates stop savers putting money aside "then we have big, big problems".

Deutsche Bank AG plans to sell €8 billion ($11 billion) of new shares in a bid to quell concerns about its capital buffers in a challenging business and regulatory environment, The Wall Street Journal reported. The move comes in the midst of a health check of the European banking sector, and as Germany's largest lender seeks to grab market share and improve its position as a global investment and retail bank.

Germany has intervened to prevent bailed-out bank Depfa from falling into US hands just hours before a deal was about to be struck, the Financial Times reported. The government’s financial market stabilisation fund, known as Soffin, said on Tuesday evening that Depfa should be wound down by the German authorities rather than sold for what would have been €320m to US investor Leucadia, according to people familiar with the deal.

The district court at Itzehoe in northern Germany said insolvency proceedings had begun with regard to the Prokon's renewable energy division. Other segments of the firm's business were not facing bankruptcy, Deutsche Welle reported. The court said the company's regenerative energy business faced claims of 391 million euros ($542 million), compared with liquid funds of just 19 million euros. Insolvency administrator Dietmar Penzlin had indicated investors still had a chance of seeing at least some of their money back.

German PV installer and distributor Wagner & Co Solar has filed for insolvency in a court in Germany, PV Tech reported. The company is the latest in a line of firms whose fortunes have fallen with the drop in domestic demand for solar power. “Unfortunately, the market for solar power and heating systems has not as developed positively in recent months, as we had assumed…in our restructuring plan,” a statement from the company said. According to the firm, sustained losses meant it could no longer guarantee that it could fund its everyday operations without structural changes.

The small German airport of Luebeck, near Hamburg, has filed for insolvency and a local court has appointed a preliminary administrator, German media reported on Wednesday. A statement on the website for the airport, which is served by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, said the around 100 people employed had not received their pay for April. Neither the airport nor the court was immediately available for comment. Some regional airports in Europe are struggling to find customers and make money as smaller carriers increasingly turn to bigger airports to attract passengers.

The German government’s plan to lower the retirement age has come under fire for the message it sends to cash-strapped peripheral eurozone states, the Financial Times reported. Speaking to national paper Die Welt, Günther Oettinger, German EU commissioner, said that Germany’s plans to allow longer-serving employees to retire at the age of 63 sent the “wrong signal” at a time when countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal are struggling to introduce tough labour market reforms. “We expect Greeks to work longer for less pay,” said Mr Oettinger.

German luxury fashion company Strenesse, once known for dressing the German national soccer team at official events, has filed for insolvency, it said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The family-owned company, which has been struggling with its finances but seemed back on a firmer footing in February when creditors agreed a new 12 million-euro ($16.6 million) bond, said it would seek to restructure itself under insolvency proceedings. "We want to return Strenesse to profitability as soon as possible," lawyer Michael Pluta, who will act as chief restructuring officer, said.

Strauss Innovation, a German chain of small department stores, has attracted several potential buyers after it sought court protection from creditors in January to try to rescue its business, a German magazine said on Saturday, quoting its administrator, Reuters reported. Andreas Ringstmeier told weekly WirtschaftsWoche some of the interested parties were financial investors with experience in retail industry and had already submitted their indicative bids.