Sunday newspaper round-up: Arm, Energy bills, Flybe

The Financial Conduct Authority has offered to relax rules around so-called "related party transactions" in order to entice microchip designer Arm to float in London. Arm worries that otherwise it may have to report dealings with owner Softbank and any of the Japanese outfit's hundreds of investments as well as having to consult with shareholders each time. Such transaction nevertheless played an important role in failed US companies Enron and Tyco. Critics say the move would dilute the UK's highly regarded standards of corporate governance. - The Sunday Times

The Chancellor has dismissed calls to avoid a sharp increase in households' energy bills in the March budget. That will see millions of Britons face a roughly 40% jump in energy costs. Jeremy Hunt rejected demands to stop the planned jump in the energy price guarantee from £2,500 to £3,000 a year for the average household. That would be on top of the halt to the additional £400 of additional government aid to offset higher energy costs, which was also scheduled to take place in March. According to the Treasury however, insulating all households on an open-ended basis could have a major impact on the public finances. - Guardian

Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are engaged in talks with the administrators of Flybe over a possible takeover of the insolvent carrier. But time may be running out for the administrators from Interpath with only days left to secure a deal. Otherwise, the company may have to be wound up. Lufthansa and Air France are interested in Flybe's seven pairs of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow and its five pairs at Amsterdam Schiphol. Critically, in the case of Flybe, contractual terms mean that if rivals want those slots then they must acquire the business. - Guardian

Activist hedge fund Cevian has heavily reduced its stake in Aviva having achieved its objective of making the insurer return more cash to shareholders. The move by Cevian, which in 2021 took a 5% stake, will be seen by the FTSE 100 giant as a vote of confidence in chief executive officer Amanda Blanc's strategy. Cevian later raises its stake to 6.6%. In March 2022, Aviva sait it would return £4.75bn to shareholders, having raised £7.5bn via the sale of non-core businesses in Singapore, Italy, France, Poland and Turkey. Nonetheless, Cevian will remain Aviva's second-largest shareholder. Shares of Aviva had gained nearly 60% since Blan took over. - The Financial Mail on Sunday