The UK government was putting the finishing touches Tuesday night on what would be one of the broadest bailouts of the global financial crisis, with the UK potentially taking stakes in some of the country's largest financial institutions, people familiar with the matter said.

Under terms being discussed at hurried meetings among government officials and bankers, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and others stood to receive government injections totalling as much as £45bn (€58bn). In return, the government could receive minority stakes in the companies.