The UAE-based Etihad Airways has said that it is pressing ahead with a plan for an equity investment in the struggling Italian carrier Alitalia, The Economic Times reported. Etihad Airways, which has been in negotiations for almost a year, said it will forward a letter detailing the conditions precedent and the criteria for a proposed equity investment in the Italian airline which had to turn to shareholders for a 250 million pound cash injection for its bail-out in January.

Zim has cut its first quarter loss by 45% to $62m as it awaits approval of its substantial restructuring proposal, Seatrade reported. The Israeli box line recorded an EBIT loss of $8m in the period, improving on Q1 2013's $47m operating loss. Zim has finalised the terms of a $3bn restructuring programme which will reduce debts, inject equity and position the line to better compete in the market if the plan is granted approval by creditors and the Israel Corporation.

The Israeli state is set to lose control of container carrier ZIM who says it has finalised a $3 billion financial restructuring plan with creditors that includes a $1.4 billion debt-to-shares swap, Ship & Bunker reported. The deal, which is still subject to a range of approvals, includes a promise from state holding company Israel Corp.

Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers, a Saudi family-owned conglomerate that defaulted on its debts near the beginning of the financial crisis in 2009, met with creditors in Dubai on Wednesday to propose a new settlement: a cash payment of about 20 cents for every dollar of debt, plus recoveries it makes through lawsuits against Maan al Sanea, a Saudi businessman the Algosaibis claim caused the defaults through an alleged $10 billion fraud, The Wall Street Journal Middle East Real Time blog reported.

A panel of Israeli regulators has proposed new, more transparent rules for managing companies after they get into financial difficulties that would provide more protection and predictability for creditors, Reuters reported. The panel, led by Finance Ministry Director-General Yael Andorn, made the recommendations to encourage the growth of Israel's debt capital market following a number of high-profile debt settlements that angered the public and harmed investor confidence.

Saudi Arabia began to compensate shareholders in Saudi Integrated Telecom Co (SITC) for their stakes in the ailing firm on Wednesday, a statement on the Ministry of Finance website said. Last week, a royal decree declared that investors in SITC - excluding founding shareholders - would receive 30 riyals ($8) per share for their stakes in the company, a 23 percent premium on the stock's last traded price of 24.35 riyals. A lawyer for SITC's minority shareholders had told Reuters he expected it would take a few months for his clients to receive their money.

Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers Co. invited creditors including BNP Paribas SA (BNP) and Standard Chartered Plc to discuss claims on $5.9 billion of debt as it seeks to recover from the Middle East’s biggest default, Bloomberg News reported. The Saudi Arabian company, with interests ranging from construction to finance, will “outline proposals aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement” with more than 70 creditors at a May 7 meeting in Dubai, according to a copy of an invitation sent to banks yesterday and seen by Bloomberg News.

Dubai has received a financial boost thanks to an agreement to refinance at preferential rates $20bn of bonds and loans owed to the central bank of the United Arab Emirates and its capital, Abu Dhabi, the Financial Times reported. The Gulf’s commercial hub, which has an overall debt load of about $130bn, said it extended the maturities for five years at interest rates of one per cent, below the four per cent agreed in 2009 when the UAE came to Dubai’s rescue.

Dubai’s global financial crisis-induced slump, followed by a less dramatic, but equally sharp, recovery make for a compelling story. The endless flow of positive news in the desert emirate culminated late last year in Dubai winning the hosting rights for World Expo 2020, The Wall Street Journal Middle East Real Time blog reported. But the smart people at Bank of America Merrill Lynch are a little more sober in their analysis of Dubai’s rebound. Afterall, there’s still some pretty significant financial hurdles for the city’s government-related entities to clear.

State-owned investment firm Dubai Group announced its long-awaited $10 billion debt restructuring deal with creditors late on Thursday. While all bankers and advisors who took part in the often acrimonious negotiations breathed a sigh of relief, most of them are also aware that Dubai’s debt problems aren’t quite a thing of the past yet, The Wall Street Journal Middle East Real Time blog reported.