Thomas Cook is in advanced talks to raise £150 million from bondholders after making "progress" over the terms of a rescue deal.

The tour operator is looking to secure the cash injection on top of a £750 million deal it has already agreed with Chinese firm Fosun to attempt to secure the future of the company.

Thomas Cook has suffered recently as a result of mounting debts, reporting a £1.2 billion net debt in its half-year results in May.

It has also been hit hard by an influx of online competitors which has resulted in oversupply, forcing tour operators to cut prices.

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Last month, Thomas Cook announced that majority shareholder Fosun would recapitalise the company, with additional funding from its lending banks.

The travel firm said the additional cash boost would ensure further liquidity headroom for the difficult winter period.

In a statement to investors, the company said: "The discussions with noteholders include the injection of additional capital on top of the previously announced £750 million.

"This additional capital, of approximately £150 million, will provide further liquidity headroom through the coming 2019-20 winter cash low-period and ensure the business can continue to invest in its strategy."

Thomas Cook said its original £750 million funding deal - which included £450 million from Fosun, with the rest from lenders - would give the company sufficient liquidity to cover its costs for the rest of the year.

Mattress retailer Eve Sleep has confirmed it is in "very early stage discussions" with rival Simba over a potential merger.

The two retailers, which both operate online and deliver mattresses directly to consumers, have found difficulties in the increasingly consolidated sector in recent years.

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Eve told investors on Monday that there is "no certainty" that the potential deal would succeed, or what the terms of any deal would be.

Eve, which launched on the London Stock Exchange's junior AIM market in 2017, has now had its shares suspended on the index, until either discussions collapse or an admission document for the merger is submitted.

A deal would improve the buying power of the two firms and cut their costs as they both attempt to return to profitability.

The confirmation on Monday came after The Sunday Times revealed the two firms were in initial talks about a deal to shore up their finances.

Banking on your voice could become the new way to check accounts if a NatWest trial using the Google Assistant proves to be right on the money.

The bank is launching a trial using the voice-powered virtual helper, allowing customers to ask the Google Home smart speaker for details such as their bank balance or recent spending.

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Users will have to say a partial voice pin to confirm their identity when using the feature.

NatWest is seeing whether banking with the spoken word could follow the same path to the mainstream as mobile banking. It is also hoping to be a useful tool for blind customers.

The initial pilot - which will be tested with 500 people for three months - will respond verbally to eight questions as well as providing access to more than 15 banking tips, with the potential for more if the trial is successful.

"We are exploring voice banking for the first time and think it could mark the beginning of a major change to how customers manage their finances in the same way mobile banking made a huge impact," said Kristen Bennie, head of NatWest's Open Experience digital innovation centre.

"This technology will make it easier for people to bank with us and could bring particular benefits to those who have a disability as voice banking eliminates the need for customers to use a screen or keyboard.

"This is one of a number of services that the bank is aiming to develop this year that uses cutting edge, innovative technology to better serve our customers."

According to a recent Ofcom report, one in five households in the UK now own a smart speaker, such as the Google Home, Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod - an increase of 7% from 2018.
It found almost seven in 10 use a smart speaker to listen to music via a streaming service - making it the most common use of smart speakers - while little over half listen to live radio and a fifth to podcasts.

Google Assistant is also available on smartphones, meaning users can ask for information about their finances in the same way, but details will appear on screen too.