EC denies thwarting exchange merger
The European Commission on Tuesday issued a statement rebutting claims by the London Stock Exchange that an eleventh hour intervention by Brussels had thwarted the latter’s £24bn merger with Deutsche Börse. The Commission said its “market-testing process” was well known for raising “new issues” or “uncover new evidence” regarding any proposed merger. (Times)

Barclays soothes concerns over pension plan
The expected £1.25bn contribution to Barclays’ main pension plan later this year will not hamper the UK lender’s dividend payout, finance director Tushar Morzaria has said. Speaking to analysts on Tuesday, Morzaria said that the bank was “comfortable” that it had provided in full for the pension costs in its capital projections for this year. (FT)