Dec 15 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening higher on Monday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.4%.

* HSBC: Hong Kong's Hang Seng Bank 0011.HK said an independent board committee found HSBC's HSBA.L $13.6 billion take-private offer to be fair and reasonable, and recommended its minority investors vote in favour of the proposal.

* HOUSE PRICES: Asking prices for British homes have fallen by more than is usual for the time of year, property website Rightmove said, in what could be a reflection of the rise in uncertainty in the property market ahead of the government's budget last month.

* CRYPTO REGULATION: Britain will start regulating cryptoassets from October 2027, the finance ministry said, rules it hopes will give the industry certainty while keeping out "dodgy actors".

* OIL: Oil prices rose as concerns over potential disruptions from escalating U.S.-Venezuela tensions outweighed lingering oversupply worries and the effects of a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal.

* GOLD: Gold extended gains, supported by a weaker dollar and softer U.S. Treasury yields, as investors looked ahead to key U.S. jobs data for clues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.

* London's FTSE 100 fell on Friday, as a sell-off on Wall Street fuelled by AI angst spoiled the mood across European markets.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/

TODAY'S UK PAPERS> Financial Times PRESS/FT> Other business headlines PRESS/GB

(Compiled by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru)

((Prerna.Bedi@thomsonreuters.com; +91 98052 24616;))