China-based rare earth metals producer Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare Earth Group has added nine regional mining firms as part of a government bid to consolidate the industry.

Sources told the Financial Times that billionaire George Soros has bought a 3.1% stake in Spanish builder FCC. The acquisition happened just three months after Microsoft's Bill Gates also made a bet on the company.

Australia-based investment company Keybridge Capital Ltd is considering a share buyback using its $20.5 million cash in an effort to repel a takeover by its rival Oceania Capital.

The rising use of mobile computing has prompted the development of fresh technology startups around the world as international entrepreneurs hope to get a share of the markets for tablets and smartphones, the Financial Times reported.

Investor demand for shares of auto lender Ally Financial has grown as evidenced by the increasingly high prices paid for them in recent private transactions, sources told Reuters.

House of Fraser, a 160-year-old department store chain based in UK, expects a floatation by the end of 2014. The British retailer however remains in exclusive talks with French peer Galeries Lafayette on a possible buyout.

Australia-based protective clothing manufacturer Ansell Ltd has completed the purchase of US-based firm BarrierSafe Solutions International in a deal valued at $615 million (A$692.29 million).

VentureBeat reported that 2013 was a good year for venture capital firms as it was the third quarter in a row when there were more than 20 venture-backed companies that held their public debuts.

California, US-based security company FireEye purchased Virginia-based firm Mandiant for $1 billion in the biggest security deal of 2013.

Delmarva Bancshares Inc, the bank holding firm for the National Bank of Cambridge, was able to raise $11 million in a private placement participated in by a group which included Castle Creek Capital.