Billionaire financier Todd Boehly has secured US and Gulf backing to bid for Lukoil's international assets following Russian sanctions. The consortium includes the US International Development Finance Corporation and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, brother of the UAE's president. Qatar's Al-Khayyat family, with ties to the White House and the Trump family, also participates.

Boehly, who recently sold his stake in Chelsea Football Club, aims to unseat Carlyle, which agreed to buy the assets in January. The DFC, led by Ben Black, is expected to take a mid-teens equity stake. The Boehly group has not yet finalized a deal with Lukoil, though sources describe its proposal as advanced.

Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk is open to upgrading its New York listing to boost its US profile. Oil supertanker costs between the Middle East and Asia have surpassed $1.2 million daily amid Iran war disruption. Global banking executives warn investment will divert from the UK if sector taxes rise.

Nscale, an Nvidia-backed AI cloud provider, buried a significant Byte Dance relationship in its investor pitch. Senior US officials held talks with Iranian counterparts on UN General Assembly sidelines, hours after Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" the Islamic republic.