More than 2,150 jobs are at risk after the UK business of struggling jewellery chain Claire's called in administrators, Reuters reported. Insolvency practitioners Interpath said on Wednesday they had been appointed joint administrators to Claire’s Accessories UK Ltd, the operator of Claire's 306 stores across the UK and Ireland. The move comes a week after its parent filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. Headquartered in Birmingham, central England, Claire's is known for its trend-led accessories and as a destination for ear piercing.

Statistics Netherlands reports that, adjusted for court days, 299 businesses (including sole proprietorships) were declared bankrupt in July, CBS.nl reported. That was 109 fewer than in the same month in 2024, a decrease of 27 percent. The number of bankruptcies fell by 4 percent in July, relative to June. The bankruptcy rate, the number of bankruptcies per 100 thousand businesses, was 8.1 in July 2025. In July 2024, 11.3 per 100 thousand businesses were declared bankrupt. Since the start of the series in 2015, the bankruptcy rate peaked at 24.8 in March 2015.

German banks’ asset quality will come under pressure from rising corporate insolvencies in the coming months amid a challenging macroeconomic environment and persistent high interest rates, Fitch Ratings says. Fitch expects banks’ exposure to vulnerable sectors and anaemic economic growth to result in heightened credit losses in corporate and SME loan portfolios.

Britain has appointed FTI Consulting to advise on contingency plans for Thames Water to be placed into a special administration regime were the country's largest water utility to collapse, a government source said. The heavily indebted and loss-making company is battling to avoid nationalisation by securing 5 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) of finance from its senior bondholders. Thames, which said in July it had enough funds to continue operating for 12 months, needs a reset of regulations for the deal to go ahead. The government said it would always act in the national interest.

Bon Bon Entertainment, a Dutch promoter that has organised tours and shows for the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid and J.Cole, has declared bankruptcy, IQ Magazine reported. “We can’t ignore the fact that the past two years have been difficult. Cancellations, financial setbacks, and an increasingly difficult market have deeply affected us,” the firm said in a statement. Last summer, Bon Bon was due to deliver Burna Boy’s first stadium show in the Netherlands at Johan Cruijff ArenA on 9 June, but it was pulled less than a month out.

The U.K.’s jobs market continued to cool in the second quarter as businesses grappled with an increase in employment taxes, uncertainty about the outlook for trade, and cautious consumers, the Wall Street Journal reported. The unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in the three months to June, from 4.5% in January to March, while the number of workers on payrolls fell by 26,000 between May and June, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

Nearly 20% of Russian property developers are at risk of bankruptcy due to plunging sales driven by high mortgage interest rates, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said, the Moscow Times reported. Khusnullin, who oversees housing and infrastructure in the government, warned that this figure could rise above 30% if financial conditions do not improve in the next six months. “By my estimate, about 20% of developers face serious risks,” he told the Vedomosti business daily.

President Trump is combining diplomatic overtures with economic threats to persuade Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Mr. Trump raised the stakes of his approach this week, when he announced plans to meet President Vladimir V. Putin, on the same day that he said he would punish India for buying Russian oil by doubling U.S. tariffs, the New York Times reported. Over the past month, Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cripple Russia’s war economy if Mr. Putin doesn’t agree to a cease-fire, either by imposing new sanctions or by closing off the remaining markets for Russian oil.

Chinese automakers are shipping cars to Europe through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, nearly two years after the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen started attacking vessels in the critical Middle East transit route, the New York Times reported. Other automakers are still shipping cars from Asia by way of a much longer, and expensive, trip around Africa. Last month, at least 14 car-carrier ships traveled from Chinese ports to Europe through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to a new analysis by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a British maritime information service.

Bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt had stepped up production of high-quality battery cells at its Skellefteå plant before operations were halted, a former executive said on Friday, a major factor in sealing a deal to sell the company, Reuters reported. Northvolt, once seen as Europe's answer to dominant Chinese battery manufacturers, filed for bankruptcy in March and ceased production in June after failing to secure a buyer in time. U.S. battery startup Lyten said on Thursday it would buy most of Northvolt's assets, reviving hopes of a European battery champion.