While shoppers in the UK and the US spent more for the holidays this year, the profit margin for retailers remains in doubt due to steep discounts, the Financial Times reported.

The problems of Britian-based insurer RSA is a reminder that politicians, regulators and the general public should also put the spotlight on insurance companies and not just banks.

Local buyout funds like MBK Partners and Vogo Fund are now leading the domestic buyout market in South Korea just nearly a decade after its first private equity fund was established in the country, the Financial Times reported.

Lawrence Rakers will be replaced by Ramona Persaud as the manager of Fidelity Dividend Growth Fund and Fidelity Advisor Dividend Growth Fund starting January 1, Bloomberg reported.

South Korean-based private equity firm Hahn & Co will pay $283 million to buy a 76% stake in Hanjin Shipping Co's bulk carrier business, Bloomberg reported.

Islamic banks want to diversify their investments outside of the Middle East and real estate and are seeking to work with Western businesses that comply with the Shariah law.

The Slovenian beer market may turn sour as the government plans a state fire sale of its assets in a bid to steady its finances and avoid a bailout, Reuters reported.

Venture capital firms have supported niche e-commerce firms in India like CarDekho.com and Lenskart because they are profitable but require less capital, The Financial Express reported.

UK Sinha, Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India or Sebi, said firms can be creative in their advertisements to attract investors to their IPOs but they must contain all required disclosures.

The number of internet cafés in China has decreased, a collateral damage to China's bid to go online as smartphones and tablet devices grow in popularity, a Financial Times report said.

Sources said Japan is preparing to introduce guidelines for institutional investors known as the Japanese Stewardship Code, which would improve returns, transparency and corporate governance, Reuters reported.

The Fair Trade Commission of Taiwan slapped a TW$20 million fine on Apple Inc for violating the country's fair trade laws when it restricted the prices of local telecom carriers for iPhone contracts.

The American Bankers Association, a group that represents mostly community banks, has filed a complaint challenging the final version of the Volcker Rule, Bloomberg reported.

Shares of NH Investment & Securities Co gained the most in more than three years after Woori Finance Holdings said its parent company NH Financial Group Inc was the frontrunner to purchase the Woori Investment & Securities Co.

Fortissimo Capital, a private equity fund, won the bid for Israel-based Eshbel with NIS 192 million after the software company was put on the auction block.

A report said the wave of hotel initial public offerings of Blackstone Group showcased a resurgence in one of the sectors that suffered the most during the recession, the hospitality industry.

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc was able to secure $13 million from Special Situation Fund and Sabby Capital Healthcare, according to a report on Globes which cited sources.

Gift cards and shipping refunds were offered by Amazon.com Inc to appease its customers after UPS said it would not be able to deliver some packages by Christmas, Bloomberg reported.

India-based supermarket operator is thinking of holding an initial public offering when the privately-held chain will draw near its first profit, a Bloomberg report said.

Lond-based private equity firm CapVest has bought Scandza, a Nordic consumer food and beverage firm for an undisclosed amount. Jan Bodd and Stig Sunde, who founded Scandza in 2007 will still lead the company.

In spite of the steep price cuts offered, consumers in the US did not do a lot of shopping in brick-and-mortar stores on the weekend before Christmas, Reuters reported.

Coal & Oil Group based in Dubai said it has secured $250 million for the completion of its 1,200 megawatt power plant called the Mutiara Thermal Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, India.

CSI Holdco, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc, has exited two solar power plants called the PSEG Shasta Solar Farm to PSEG Solar Source, subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group.

Carmat, a French medical technology firm, saw its stocks rise 43% after it implanted the first artificial heart in a patient last week, Bloomberg reported.

During the financial crisis when the deal markets were quiet, banks parted ways with their senior investment bankers. Now that business has slowly revived, lenders are seeing that they are left with junior bankers that are a little wet behind the ears.

Taminco Corp, the world's largest alkylamines and alkylamine derivatives producer, said it had agreed to acquire the formic acid business of Finland-based chemicals firm Kemira.

Infinity Group, a private equity firm based in China, announced its investment of $4.2 million in Israel-based biotechnology firm BotanoCap, a developer of green solutions for various industries.

ARA Asset Management Ltd, an Asian real estate fund management firm, said it had agreed to buy Macquarie Real Estate Korea Ltd, the Korean unit of Macquarie Group Ltd.

Roshan Padamadan, a former HSBC Holdings Plc product specialist, has started a hedge fund that will seek for opportunities in global liquid securities, Bloomberg reported.

There are no sellers even as Scandinavian phone companies believe that mergers would benefit not only the region but corporate earnings as wel.