"We are pleased that we are able to put this matter behind us."

These words, from Alibaba's vice-chairman Joe Tsai, were enough to boost renewed confidence in the ecommerce giant after it was hit by a record antitrust fine from China's regulators on Saturday. 

On Monday, the company said it "had good guidance on some of the specific issues under the anti-monopoly law" and the penalty won't negatively affect its operations. It added, positively, that the $2.78 billion fine represents the end of a month-long investigation.

Facing regulator's accusation of abusing its dominance in the market, Alibaba will introduce measures to lower entry barriers and business costs faced by merchants on its shopping platform.

Talking about growing optimism, the UK's shopping streets today have been overwhelmed with crowds eager to get back to some long-forbidden in-person buying. Monday marked the reopening of non-essential retailers, together with open-air museums, theme parks and zoos.

Retail has also grown in volume in Europe, as our graph below shows – but the overall values are still lower than in February last year, by 2.9 percent.

Scroll down to find a video explainer on what the first 100 days of Brexit has brought about and an interview with Italian economist and politician Michele Geraci on the way Brexit could be an opportunity to reset UK-China trade.

Read on for all the day's business news in full.

Giulia Carbonaro,

Digital correspondent

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Alibaba's shares climbed more than 6 percent on Monday after the ecommerce giant reassured investors the $2.78 billion antitrust fine imposed by regulators would have little impact on its operations. The penalty was handed to the tech giant after regulators found it has been abusing its dominant position in the market.

Microsoft will buy Nuance, a U.S. company that specializes in artificial intelligence, for $19.7 billion. The deal is Microsoft's second largest acquisition after LinkedIn in 2016.

Crowds filled the UK's shopping streets as the country reopened non-essential businesses on Monday in a key step towards easing lockdown restrictions. The number of people in shops jumped by more than 200 percent compared with last week.

Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron has admitted making mistakes when lobbying for Greensill Capital – his first public comment since his involvement in the matter was raised after the collapse of the financial group. Maybe too little too late, as the government has called for an independent investigation into Cameron's lobbying.

France's pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced it will invest $475 million in building a new plant based in Singapore that can produce multiple vaccines at once. The new factory is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2026. 

French water and waste-treatment companies Veolia and Suez have agreed to a mega-merger "to create a global champion of ecological transformation." After months of negotiations, Veolia finally bought Suez with an offer of $24 per share.

Brewdog, a popular Scottish brewer and pub chain, has announced it plans to open a beer-themed hotel in Edinburgh this year. The company, which despite pub closures has been growing over the past year, already operates a hotel next to a brewery in Ohio, U.S..

China's fintech giant Ant Group is set to restructure as a financial holding company, the country's central bank, The People's Bank of China, announced on Monday – a decision that is expected to curb the company's profitability and valuation. 

Auction house Sotheby's says it expects a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by rapper Kanye West at the 2008 Grammys, marking the debut of his short-lived collaboration with the sneakers brand, to fetch $1 million.

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WATCH: What has changed during the first 100 days of Brexit? Among disputes over vaccine supply, sales of fresh shellfish and the Northern Ireland border issue, we look at what the EU and the UK can do to move forward with trade negotiations.

It has been 101 days since the UK's departure from the European Union. During this time of change, Italian economist and China expert Michele Geraci says China and the UK have the opportunity to reset their trading relationship.

What kind of post-Brexit relationship between the UK and China do you see shaping up in the coming months and years?

The geopolitical situation has changed. I would call it a 'silver era,' maybe not a 'golden era,' but the UK, I think, fully understands that the trade deficits to trade surpluses do not matter very much. The UK is very happy to have a trade deficit with almost any country in the world. This should not be focusing on that.

Just a few weeks ago, I heard David Cameron – of course he's the ex prime minister – saying Chinese investment is very welcome in the UK, even in areas that in other parts of Europe would be raising concerns such as energy, logistics, even telecoms. So I do think that this is an opportunity for reciprocity, because the UK probably also wants to invest in China. So if China opens the door for UK investment, then it would find a very, very open door back into the UK.

What does the UK have to offer to China in particular?

It is the biggest financial market in Europe and probably in the world. There is a renminbi settlement, that means a hub for all trans-national, cross-border mergers and acquisitions. There are some energy, green energy, cooperation opportunities. China is going green and this is a big, big change. Electric vehicles. We have the manufacturing of automobiles in the UK that can be easily and quickly upgraded to the new technology. 

And finally... It's not only the UK retail sector that is looking up at the moment. Despite lockdown extensions, the total volume of retail trade has risen by 3 percent in February 2021 in the euro area and by 2.9 percent in the EU, compared with January 2021, according to estimates from Eurostat.