Trainline says Middle East tensions hitting European rail bookings

Trainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based international ticketing aganet said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”.Airlines have reported later bookings, with considerable consumer uncertainty around summer travel plans. The US-Israel war on Iran, closure of the strait of Hormuz and subsequent blockades have raised doubts about global jet fuel supply, with carriers already beginning to cancel thousands of flights.Shares in the company dropped sharply on its earnings guidance, with the Middle East tensions adding to Trainline’s prior warnings of headwinds, including UK ticketing policy

Airlines among companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows

Airlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy.A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April.Nearly six in 10 firms surveyed by S&P Global said average costs rose last month, mostly driven by fuel and higher wages, but also in part by metals and plastics getting more expensive.IAG, the conglomerate that owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, said last month it would make “some pricing adjustments to reflect these higher fuel costs”, although it stopped short of labelling the move as a surcharge.Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has added a charge of £360 to business class tickets, falling to £50 for economy

JD Wetherspoon issues third profit warning this year as costs climb

The boss of JD Wetherspoon has said the pub chain could miss profit expectations because of rising costs, in the latest sign the UK hospitality industry is buckling under the pressure of higher energy, food, labour and tax bills.The company’s chair, Tim Martin, told investors on Wednesday: “As many hospitality operators, including Wetherspoon, have reported, there have been substantial increases in costs.”It is the third profit warning this year from the company, which operates about 800 pubs across the UK and Ireland. Investors had already been expecting a drop in pre-tax profit to £73m, compared with £81m last year.Pubs, restaurants and hotels have said rising costs are making it harder to make a profit

UK regulator launches review of ‘aggressive’ claims management firms amid compensation concerns

The City regulator has launched a review of claims management companies amid concerns that firms are misleading victims of financial scandals, such as car finance, about their compensation.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said some companies were pursuing “aggressive marketing, misleading advertising and unfair exit fees”.Some consumers were being signed up without their permission or by multiple companies, the FCA said, which could delay any compensation owed.Claims management companies (CMCs) have targeted victims of the car finance scandal, where they can charge fees worth up to 33% of the final payouts. The FCA and lenders have advised consumers not to use these firms as the regulator’s scheme is free to use

‘Our competitors are everyone’: Joybuy leads ‘China’s Amazon’ into the UK

“We’re here to shake up the UK e-commerce market,” says Matthew Nobbs, the UK boss of Joybuy which is spearheading a European charge by China’s version of Amazon.“I see our competitors as everyone,” he adds, reflecting the scale of ambition of the online retailer that sells home appliances, groceries, makeup and more.Joybuy is owned by China’s JD.com, the giant online and high street retail group which is taking on its US rival Amazon in Britain in a clash that is expected to lead to “collateral damage” for UK retailers caught up in the tussle for shoppers.JD

Global finance watchdog warns over private credit industry fuelling AI boom

The private credit industry’s role in fuelling the AI boom could backfire, with a sharp correction leading to “sizeable” losses, the Financial Stability Board has warned.A new report on private credit by the global watchdog, which monitors financial authorities including central banks in 24 countries, found that the healthcare, services, and tech sectors have become the biggest borrowers of private credit.That includes AI companies, which have increasingly turned to private lenders to fund datacentres and other infrastructure. The AI industry accounted for more than a third of private credit deals in 2025, up from 17% over the previous five years. “This focus on specific sectors may leave private credit funds exposed to idiosyncratic risks … [and] increase exposure to region or industry-specific shocks,” the report said