Three major banks interested in purchasing Catalunya Banc Three Spanish banks have placed bids on Spanish lending giant Catalunya Banc. The nationalized lender is being sold and the non-binding bids were submitted by Santander, Sabadell and Popular.

UK government to divest shares in RBS. The Royal Bank of Scotland reported its highest profit since the market crash of 2008. This can lead to the eventual sale of the UK government's 82% share in the bank.

Bankia's bad history now a thing of the past. Spanish lender Bankia is showing signs of recovery. The fiscal rescue together with huge write-offs on overvalued property assets contributed to its accumulation of its record breaking corporate loss amounting Eur19.

Vodafone pre-empted on bid to purchase Kabel Deutschland. Vodafone Group Plc is still considering a takeover bid of Kabel Deutschland, Germany's biggest cable operator.

Russia's richest man, Alisher Usmanov, is selling a stake worth 7.4% in the Internet group Mail.Ru.

Ryanair's third attempt to purchase Aer Lingus refused by EU regulators. European Union regulators have refused to validate the third purchase attempt by Ryanair to acquire Aer Lingus.

French water utility Veolia is now considering to buy out some minority investors but will not make acquisitions policy.

BCBG sale may reach US$1 billion BCBG Max Azria Group Inc, the fashion house to stars such as Beyonce and Angelina Jolie, is now expecting to sell at an amount nearing US$1 billion.

Y&R, the wholly-operating company owned by WPP PLC, has acquired a majority stake of Turkish C-Section.

Allianz has been in the focus of its own growth in the German market. The business unit of Allianz in Germany has been considering merger opportunities in the Germany market as it focuses on increasing its business presence, according to Markus Riess, unit head.