Headlines

The British government unveiled a raft of measures yesterday that it hopes will limit an anticipated spike in unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reported. Most noteworthy were a new bonus plan aimed at getting firms to retain workers that have been idle for months, as well as tax cuts for hard-pressed firms in the tourism and hospitality sectors and a new “Eat Out to Help Out” discount scheme. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak said that his latest major intervention is aimed at weaning the U.K.

The European Union’s chief negotiator said today that EU and U.K. negotiators have yet to find a way to overcome “significant divergences” in their attempt to seal a post-Brexit compromise, the Associated Press reported. Following Britain’s departure from the EU’s political institutions on Jan. 31, the two sides are trying to secure a new trade deal before the end of the year, when Britain will effectively exit the EU’s tariff-free economic zone. But negotiations have proved difficult.

A South African court today dismissed an appeal by administrators in charge of South African Airways (SAA) against a ruling which prevented them from laying off staff, Reuters reported. The failure of the appeal means the administrators may have to start consultations about layoffs from scratch if employees do not accept severance packages they have been offered. South African labour law stipulates a minimum two-month consultation period for layoffs.

German state prosecutors are investigating individuals at Wirecard for suspected money laundering, they said today, adding to probes into alleged fraud, balance falsification and market manipulation at the collapsed firm, Reuters reported. The implosion of what was once a $28 billion fintech giant has caused major embarrassment in Germany, with industry experts and politicians criticising the authorities for what they see as their hands-off approach and a number of missed opportunities to spot problems.

Glencore Plc has restructured a $500 million oil-for-cash loan to Kurdistan in northern Iraq, reducing payments for 2020 as the semi-autonomous region struggles due to low petroleum prices, Bloomberg News reported. The pre-payment deals have been popular among some African and Middle Eastern producers with few others ways of raising funds. But they have also proved controversial, in some cases creating an opaque form of debt that puts governments’ finances under strain when oil prices drop.

Deloitte should be fined a record 15 million pounds ($19 million) for “serious and serial failings” in its audit of technology company Autonomy, a lawyer for Britain’s accounting watchdog told an independent tribunal today, Reuters reported. Deloitte, one of the world’s Big Four auditors, and two of its partners, Richard Knights and Nigel Mercer, were investigated in relation to their audit of Autonomy’s financial statements for 2009 and 2010.

Argentina’s bondholders shouldn’t expect any more improvements or changes to the country’s debt restructuring proposal, Economy Minister Martin Guzman said, according to a Bloomberg News report. The government sees no room for further modifications on an amended offer released Sunday night, part of Argentina’s bid to restructure $65 billion of debt. The proposal gives bondholders about $13 billion more than its initial plan announced in April. “Clearly not,” Guzman said Wednesday, responding to a question about modifying the deal in any way.

The Canadian government is predicting a historic CDN$343 billion (US$254 billion) deficit for 2020-21 resulting from its economic and stimulus plans to battle COVID-19, the Associated Press reported. The amount, included in a fiscal “snapshot” the Liberal government released Wednesday, is a huge jump from the CDN$28.1 billion (US$20.8 billion) deficit projected prior to the pandemic. The report says that since March, the federal government has spent more than CDN$231 billion (US$171 billion) on health and safety measures as well as direct aid to Canadians and businesses.

Bankruptcies among Japanese companies in the first half of the year rose for the first time in 11 years due partly to the coronavirus pandemic which has hit hotel and restaurant businesses, according to data compiled by a research firm. Tokyo Shoko Research, which tracks Japanese bankruptcies, said there were 4,001 cases in the six months through June, up 0.2 percent from a year earlier. Among them, 240 firms went bankrupt due to the coronavirus pandemic, the research firm said.

Travelex said yesterday its debt holders will take control of the company and inject 84 million pounds ($105.60 million) of fresh liquidity, as part of a debt restructuring to help the currency service provider ride out the coronavirus crisis, Reuters reported. The company said that it reached an agreement with at least 66.7 percent of its senior secured noteholders and all of its revolving credit facility lenders for an 84 percent reduction of its existing financial debt. The senior secured noteholders will take full control of Travelex, the company said.