Turkey's military pension fund OYAK has reached a provisional agreement to take over British Steel and could close the deal by the end of this year, potentially saving thousands of jobs.

A UK High Court judge has blocked the transfer of 12 billion pounds ($15 billion) in annuities from insurer Prudential to Rothesay Life, the two companies said on Friday.

British Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said on Friday a provisional deal with Turkish military pension fund OYAK to take over British Steel was an important step forward in ensuring the company's future.

Canadian property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp said on Thursday it agreed to buy The Guarantee Co of North America and Frank Cowan Co for C$1 billion ($750.6 million) in cash from Princeton Holdings Ltd.

UK-based real estate firm Henderson Park is to buy Irish commercial property investment trust Green REIT in a deal that values the firm at 1.34 billion euros, a 25% premium to its share price before the sales process kicked off in April.

Genworth Financial Inc agreed on Tuesday to sell its 57% stake in its Canadian mortgage insurance unit for about C$2.4 billion ($1.81 billion), as the U.S. insurer looks to close its long-delayed sale to China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co Ltd.

Payments processor Mastercard Inc said on Tuesday it would buy a majority of the corporate services businesses of Scandinavian payments group Nets for about 2.85 billion euros($3.19 billion), furthering its push into the Nordic markets.

France's CNP Assurances and Italy's Cattolica Assicurazioni are among a series of European bidders looking to submit binding offers for a controlling stake in the insurance arm of Italian lender UBI Banca , sources told Reuters.

Swiss Re's UK-based ReAssure unit has agreed to buy the life insurance and pensions division of Quilter for 425 million pounds ($515.19 million), just weeks after the reinsurer halted plans to list the business in London.

U.S. broadcaster Fox Corp on Monday agreed to buy Credible Labs Inc in a deal valuing the online finance broker at $397 million, as the Murdoch-controlled firm hunts for growth following the sale of its film and TV assets to Disney.