British banks need “a generation” to fix the cultural issues that led to the payment protection insurance mis-selling scandal, according to the UK’s most senior retail banking regulator, as he warned that bad behaviour could return during the next economic downturn, the Financial Times reported. Jonathan Davidson, director of supervision for retail and authorisations at the Financial Conduct Authority, said lenders had made genuine efforts to reform since they were forced to set up a PPI compensation schemes in 2011.

Zambia should show that it is taking measures to fight corruption to unlock donor aid and investments that have been withheld due to graft concerns, the British High Commissioner to the country said on Tuesday, the International New York Times reported on a Reuters story. Britain, Finland, Ireland and Sweden withheld nearly $34 million in aid to Zambia's social welfare and education sectors in September last year because of concern over financial mismanagement.

Creditors of Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Marine Services (GMS) are close to hiring an adviser to help them renegotiate debt terms, two sources familiar with the matter said, Reuters reported. London-listed GMS, which provides support vessels for offshore oil and gas and other energy installations, has been hurt by a downturn in the oil and gas services industry after a slump in oil prices in recent years reduced demand.

The largest shareholder in Carpetright has agreed to take on the company’s substantial debt pile and open talks over long-term funding, providing a degree of certainty to the troubled UK flooring retailer as it pushes to turn itself round, the Financial Times reported. Carpetright said on Tuesday that Meditor, a private investment vehicle controlled by former hedge fund manager Talal Shakerchi, would purchase its £40.7m revolving credit facility from its current lenders AIB and NatWest. The company was not involved in the talks between Meditor and the lending banks.

A number of “non-binding” offers are on the table for Harland and Wolff which, if successful, could ensure a new future for the historic east Belfast shipyard which is in the hands of administrators, The Irish Times reported. According to Michael Jennings and Brian Murphy of BDO NI, who were appointed as joint administrators of the yard at the beginning of this month, there has been a “healthy level of interest” from potential buyers.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Friday ordered liquidation of debt-ridden Amtek Auto as it declined lenders' request for extension of the insolvency resolution process deadline, Business Today reported. Amtek Auto was among the first list of the 12 companies that were referred by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2017 to respective banks for the initiation of insolvency process for defaults. UK-based Liberty House was selected as the highest bidder by the committee of creditors (CoC) of Amtek Auto.

Essex and London Properties was wound up by the courts in September 2018 on public interest grounds. The Official Receiver was appointed liquidator of the company and has been made aware of several schemes targeting the company’s investors, GOV.UK reported. The ‘recovery schemes’ falsely claim they can retrieve invested capital from the liquidation process, pretend to be acting in co-operation with the Official Receiver and some even claim to be the Insolvency Service itself.

Bank of England Gov. Mark Carney said global growth prospects are flagging due to a trade war pursued by Washington, creating new challenges for economic policy makers, The Wall Street Journal reported. “The pickup that we’ve been expecting in global growth has not transpired,” Mr. Carney said in an interview Friday on the sidelines of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual symposium in the Grand Teton National Park. “When we trace it, it’s not because of Fed policy. It’s not because of global financial conditions.

Jamie Oliver is looking to move on from the collapse of his 25-strong restaurant group in the UK, by recasting his business interests to focus on his campaigning efforts against junk food and child obesity, the Financial Times reported. Mr Oliver, who has said that he was “utterly devastated” about the bankruptcy of his Jamie’s Italian chain in May, will unveil a report on Friday that is the first step in an effort to achieve B Corp status for his media and book publishing business, Jamie Oliver Group.

Gold miner Avocet Mining Plc on Wednesday appointed Paul Williams and Geoffrey Bouchier from Duff & Phelps Ltd as joint administrators, as it started its insolvency process, Reuters reported. The appointments, effective Aug. 21, come a few months after the struggling gold miner said its board proposed voluntary liquidation of the company as it faced mounting debt. Last week, the West Africa-focussed miner said it would pursue a formal insolvency process by appointing administrators to the company, but also remained open to exploring “viable funded investment opportunities”.