An agreement in principle was reached on Saturday night between the banks and bondholders of Atos to restructure the troubled group's debt, reports the newspaper Les Echos on its website on Sunday, which would place the IT services specialist in the hands of its creditors.

Last Wednesday, Atos announced the end of negotiations with Onepoint, its main shareholder headed by David Layani, with a view to its financial restructuring.

"The bondholders and banks, having been let go by David Layani, finally reached an agreement in principle on the financial restructuring on Sunday," writes Les Echos.

Only one bank - Deutsche Bank - had not yet given the go-ahead by Sunday morning, adds the financial daily, quoting a source who assures us that "it's only a matter of hours now". (Written by Claude Chendjou, edited by Blandine Hénault)