Friday newspaper round-up: Network Rail, George Osborne, Brexit

Network Rail could be privatised as part of sweeping government reforms designed to reduce train delays and cut its £38bn debt. A review of the state-owned infrastructure company said that full or part-privatisation was on the cards within the next four years, after similar moves at National Grid and Royal Mail. – The Times

George Osborne is considering a multibillion-pound plan to privatise the government’s stake in housing associations in an attempt to take the sector’s debt off the public books and inject life into Britain’s housing market. The hope is that the more sweeping the changes, the more likely it is that large housing associations will reinvent themselves by borrowing more and taking more risks, according to officials familiar with the proposals. – Financial Times

Two high-profile London hedge fund managers are to pump millions of pounds into the campaign to keep Britain in the EU, in a move that will come as a relief to David Cameron. Mr Cameron had feared that hedge fund managers, frustrated by attempts by Brussels to regulate the sector, would give the Brexit campaign a vital cash advantage in the forthcoming EU referendum. – Financial Times

Goldman Sachs is fighting back against a reputation for being a tough place to work for women, with its biggest promotion of women to senior roles. Yesterday, the bank elevated 30 women in Europe to the position of managing director, its second most senior post, out of a total of 109 promotions to that level. – The Times

Mario Draghi has hinted that Britain's demands to renegotiate its relationship with the EU will have an impact on how the European Central Bank conducts monetary policy. The Italian said the ECB would not sit back and "do nothing", should the UK agree a key demand to protect non-Eurozone members from being overriden by the bloc. However, the former Goldman Sachs banker remained vague about the precise impact such a concession would have on the ECB's mandate to ensure stable inflation. – The Daily Telegraph