Howden, the British insurance broker, is closing in on a $10bn (£7.7bn) takeover of a US-based rival that will pave the way for an eventual stock market flotation that could value it at in excess of $30bn (£23.2bn).

Bitcoin’s chief hype-man is testing the boundaries of public markets regulation

Private capital’s falling hurdle rates will cause more activity to migrate from traditional lenders

If some big European lenders appear to waver in their commitments, others will surely follow suit