Bloomberg Two of the world’s largest block- chain developers are battling over more than $1 billion in virtual-currency options, in a dispute that may help establish the leading player in providing new payment technologies to financial companies. R3, a blockchain startup that leads a group of more than 100 firms, sued rival Ripple Labs Inc. in state court in Delaware, …

Bloomberg The Bank of England won’t budge on policy next week, though it could present a shift in tone. In the six weeks since the Monetary Policy Committee’s last decision, the economy has performed broadly as the bank expected and there have been tentative signs of a long-awaited pickup in wage growth. At the same time, the pound’s renewed decline …

Reuters Austria’s Oberbank will sign a deal with Iran this month enabling it to finance new ventures there, its chief executive said, among the first European lenders to do so since sanctions were eased. The deal Tehran struck in 2015 with six major powers lifted many sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities and technically paved the way …