Danske Bank reported a fourth-quarter net loss attributable to shareholders of 6.37bn kroner (€855m) after writing down 9bn kroner in goodwill in December.

German inflation slowed to its lowest level in over five years in December, raising pressure on European Central Bank president Mario Draghi to unveil unconventional measures later this month to ward off a deflationary spiral in the eurozone.

German retail sales posted their biggest monthly decline in more than seven years in September, a sign that consumers cannot be relied on to prop up Europe’s largest economy.

Banks in Europe may be allowed to use covered bonds to meet about 60% of their liquidity needs as talks move toward a compromise deal that would help avoid the sell-off the industry has warned against.

Global private equity firm KKR has bought $150m (€109m) worth of shipping loans from two European banks amid a surge of interest in the industry as world trade in goods picks up.

The biggest banks in Denmark’s €402bn mortgage market say hedge funds looking for ways to bet against the industry are setting themselves up for losses.

Denmark’s latest bank failure was caused by bad bets on commercial property, a model for insolvency that continues to dominate the nation’s financial woes, Jyske Bank chief executive Anders Dam said.

Loyaltybuild, an Irish-owned Loyalty Marketing Company headquartered in Ennis, employing 70 people, has started a partnership with Nordea Bank in Finland.