AIG is selling its American Life Insurance Company (Alico) business to rival MetLife for $15.5bn (£10.3bn), as part of its continued efforts to pay off its federal bail-out.

The FTSE 100 edged past the 5,600 mark in early trading Monday, helped in part by a 2% gain for Prudential which has accelerated its plans for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Barings is to launch a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) fund to tap into the region's growing economies.

Mining shares helped the FTSE 100 jump more than 56.81 points (1.1%) to 5,411.33 in early trading after copper prices hit a five-week high following the earthquake in Chile.

Royal Bank of Scotland shares jumped 6.8% in early trading after the bank reported smaller-than-expected annual losses of £3.6bn.

HSBC Global Asset Management is to launch a pair of ETFs tracking emerging market indices.

The FTSE100 rose in early Monday trading following strong gains in Japan.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management is cutting its initial charge on all lump sum investments in its investment trust ISAs when purchased online.

The FTSE was up 40.81 points (0.84%) to 5,185.53, buoyed by news of a tie-up between British Airways and American Airlines.

A third of advisers do not expect the Bank of England to increase interest rates for at least another year, a study suggests.