People's Insurance Co (Group) of China (PICC) and three China-listed tech companies said their major state shareholders plan to reduce holdings - a move that comes amid a torrid bull run in China's stock market.

U.S. Insurer Allstate Corp said late on Tuesday it will buy National General Holdings Corp for about $4 billion in cash, scaling up its auto insurance business at a time when the coronavirus has crushed traffic on roads and reduced claims.

UBI Banca on Tuesday fired back at rival Intesa Sanpaolo in an escalating war of words over a takeover offer from Italy's second largest bank, reiterating that the bid does not adequately reward its shareholders.

Qantas Airways and Afterpay Ltd said on Monday they had agreed to allow users of the airline's frequent flyer programme to benefit by using the buy-now-pay-later firm's payment platform.

Insurance startup Lemonade Inc, which is backed by SoftBank Group Corp said it raised $319 million in its U.S. initial public offering.

The chairman of DAMAC Properties , owner of the only Trump-branded golf club in the Middle East, is weighing buying out minority shareholders and taking the $1.1 billion Dubai-listed company private, three sources familiar with the talks said.

EU antitrust regulators will decide by Aug. 3 whether to clear Mastercard Inc's bid for part of Scandinavian payments group Nets, according to a European Commission filing.

Assicurazioni Generali SpA has approached Brightsphere Investment Group Inc about a possible acquisition of the U.S. asset management firm, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Intesa Sanpaolo expects synergies from its proposed takeover of UBI Banca would be only slightly less if it cannot fully incorporate its Italian rival, and would not affect a 2022 profit goal of at least 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion).

Italy's top insurer Generali has agreed to buy 24.4% of smaller rival Cattolica Assicurazioni , the two companies said on Thursday, in a surprise move that will boost Cattolica's capital position.