Headlines

The threat of a no-deal Brexit is back -- and with it the risk that the U.K. economy’s shaky recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be hobbled, Bloomberg News reported. As British and European Union negotiators head into the last round of talks scheduled before a key summit this month, chances are growing that the U.K. will end the post-Brexit transition period on Dec. 31 without a free trade agreement in place -- spelling turmoil for businesses. Instead of postponing its final parting with the bloc because of the coronavirus, the U.K. government has so far ruled out any delay.

As China tightens its belt economically in response to the coronavirus, African leaders are anxious about the future of infrastructure projects, trade and, in some cases, are requesting debt relief, VOA reported. China is Africa’s largest trading partner with over $200 billion in combined imports and exports annually.

The deal sees a team of five fee insolvency practitioners transfer Grant Thornton to Begbies Traynor, a UK consulting group dedicated to restructuring and turnaround services, Consultancy.uk reported. The quintet are taking along around 500 Scottish insolvency cases to their new employer, and an fee income to the tune of £600,000 per annum.

In January 2020, the media reported a court petition by the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) to liquidate the East African Cables over a $2.85 million (Ksh285 million) debt, Ventures Africa reported. However, the two parties have reached an agreement, recently, on the restructuring of the $2.85 million (Ksh285 million) debt that is due and payable on demand. “The withdrawal of the petition is a significant step towards the company’s turnaround plan that includes strengthening of the balance sheet, operational improvement and having the right funding structure for growth and profitabi

South Africa’s Comair said on Tuesday it was unlikely to restart operations before November, even after the easing of restrictions on air travel, as the airline requires a substantial cash injection, Reuters reported. The company, which operates the local British Airways franchise and budget airline kulula.com, entered bankruptcy protection process last month after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown forced airlines to suspend all commercial flights.

IMF officials say Argentina can still improve its restructuring offer on $65bn of debt with foreign creditors as it continues negotiations after slipping into default last month, the Financial Times reported. “There is still room for Argentina to increase payments to private creditors,” Julie Kozack, deputy director for the IMF’s western hemisphere department, told the Financial Times on Tuesday.

Clive Palmer's failed Queensland Nickel refinery was insolvent in the days before administrators were called in, a judge has found. But Justice Debra Mullins dismissed the liquidators' claim against Mr Palmer's flagship company Mineralogy, worth more than $100 million, the ABC reported. The judgment follows a mammoth Supreme Court civil trial into Queensland Nickel's (QNI) 2016 collapse, which left 800 people out of work. "This judgment vindicates my faith in the judicial system in Queensland," Mr Palmer said.

Ecuador is kicking off the first round of creditor talks this week with the goal of releasing an initial debt restructuring offer as early as late June, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg News reported. President Lenin Moreno’s administration is pressing to avoid a hard default and to regain access to credit markets. The South American nation plans to convene a call with its biggest bondholders, including a group led by BlackRock Inc.

One of the UK’s biggest investors in smaller companies is planning a £15bn fund to help bail out thousands of businesses that will struggle to repay state-guaranteed coronavirus loans, the Financial TImes reported. Stephen Welton, chief executive of Business Growth Fund, which is backed by the big UK banks, said he was talking to investors, the government and his shareholders about proposals for the public-private fund.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s supervisory board backed a 9 billion-euro ($10 billion) bailout by the German government, paving the way for the airline to receive the lifeline should investors approve it, Bloomberg News reported. With cash reserves dwindling, the board voted in favor of the plan and called an extraordinary shareholder meeting for June 25.