British Steel’s Chinese buyer intends to continue pursuing the company’s French arm after completing the takeover of the rest of the group and saving 3,200 jobs, the Financial Times reported. The rescue deal gives Jingye control of the manufacturer’s British and Dutch sites but not its factory in Hayange, northern France, the sale of which has been delayed by concerns from the government in Paris.

A company affiliated to Gruppo San Donato, Italy’s private healthcare group, has withdrawn from bidding for NMC Health, the Middle East-focused healthcare company, the Financial Times reported. The Italian group has been the only bidder for NMC Health after private equity group KKR ruled out its involvement last month. NMC’s shares have been suspended since the end of February, and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has launched a formal investigation into its finances.

A fiery dispute between the board of Amigo Loans and its majority shareholder caused shares in the company to tumble to a record low on Thursday, as mutual recriminations threatened to derail its recently announced sale process, the Financial Times reported. James Benamor, who founded the high-cost lender in 2005, published a lengthy statement on Wednesday evening attacking regulators and accusing the rest of the Amigo board of multiple failings.

Capita’s shares collapsed on Thursday as investors became frustrated over the slow progress of the UK outsourcer’s restructuring plans, the Financial Times reported. Shares of the government contractor plunged 38 per cent to 77p after the company’s results showed the group is struggling to rebuild after a £700m rescue rights issue two years ago. The group announced a £62.6m pre-tax loss in 2019 compared with a profit of £272.6m in 2018. Net debt rose to £791m last year from £466m in 2018, more than the City had been expecting. Revenue slid to £3.6bn from £3.9bn.

British Steel’s factory in France has received four takeover offers, according to the country’s finance minister, a development that will complicate efforts by a Chinese investor to buy out the whole of the troubled company, the Financial Times reported. The bidders include industry giant ArcelorMittal, German steel producer Saarstahl and the UK-based industrial group Liberty House, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The clock is ticking for the debt-laden owner of some of Britain’s biggest malls. Intu Properties Plc has just four months to raise enough capital to fend off creditors after it was forced to cancel a planned share sale, Bloomberg News reported. Furthermore, if mall values keep falling at their current rate, the firm will quickly need to find about 300 million pounds ($385 million) to satisfy lenders. And that’s before Intu even begins addressing its more than 3 billion pounds of loans coming due over the next five years -- a debt burden about 30 times the firm’s current market value.

UK airline Flybe has collapsed after months of talks with the government failed to secure a crucial £100m loan and the deadly coronavirus slashed demand, pushing Europe’s largest regional carrier into bankruptcy in the early hours of Thursday morning, the Financial Times reported. Flybe confirmed it had entered administration after holding last-ditch talks with the UK government on Wednesday afternoon, a move that puts more than 2,000 jobs at risk and raises uncertainty over scores of regional air routes within the UK. “All flights operated by Flybe have been cancelled with

British Steel’s Chinese rescuer is to wrap up a takeover of the failed manufacturer next week, saving more than 3,000 jobs with a deal that secures the future of a key UK industrial asset, the Financial Times reported. Jingye Group said it had agreed to complete its purchase of the country’s second-largest steelmaker from the official receiver, who has kept the insolvent business running with taxpayer funding, on March 9.

NMC Health has called on lenders for time to stabilise its finances, as the embattled healthcare group looks to safeguard cash and sustain its operations. The company, which is under investigation by UK regulators, said on Monday that it had sought a so-called “informal standstill” agreement in which lenders hold off exercising any “rights and remedies” they may have in the event of “current or future defaults,” the Financial Times reported.

Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered could all face a legal challenge from the charity co-founded by billionaire hedge fund manager Christopher Hohn, who has promised to take action if the three banks do not stop lending money to coal-mining companies, the Financial Times reported. Sir Christopher, founder of $28bn activist hedge fund company TCI, has written to the chairmen of Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered urging them to phase out financing for fossil fuels such as coal.