Sensex, Nifty End Lower as IT Stocks Weigh; Markets Track US–Iran Talks

Mumbai, June 30: Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Monday, weighed down by selling pressure in information technology stocks, while investors closely monitored developments around upcoming US–Iran talks.

Market sentiment remained cautious throughout the session as weak performance in key IT counters dragged the broader indices. Analysts noted that profit booking and global uncertainty contributed to the decline.

Investors also tracked geopolitical developments, particularly the scheduled US–Iran discussions, which are expected to influence global crude oil prices and broader risk sentiment in the coming days.

Despite the downturn, selective buying was seen in some defensive and sector-specific stocks, helping limit deeper losses in the broader market.

Market experts said volatility is likely to persist as global cues, currency movements, and geopolitical factors continue to shape investor sentiment.

transcosmos completes registration as a Financial Services Intermediary

Tokyo, Japan, June 30: transcosmos announced that it has completed registration as a Financial Services Intermediary with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Registration No. 27). The Financial Services Intermediary business involves operations that directly handle customers’ assets and transactions, and therefore requires a highly robust operational foundation, including adequate financial capacity, guarantee arrangements, and rigorous compliance and internal control systems.

Under these requirements, transcosmos has completed its registration and will commence support for licensed operations across deposit, lending, and securities areas. Through these services, transcosmos will contribute to expanding the customer base of financial institutions while providing integrated support from the design of digital customer touchpoints to back-office operations.

Background

In recent years, amid changes in the interest rate environment, competition in financial products and services has intensified, while customer needs have become increasingly diverse and sophisticated. Against this backdrop, there is a growing need to expand opportunities for customer proposals, deliver seamless and efficient operations in contract-related support and procedures, enhance customer experience (CX) through digital channels, and drive continuous improvement by leveraging Voice of the Customer (VoC).

Overview of registered business and services

[Intermediation Services for Deposits and Loans]

– Acceptance and processing of new applications for housing loans and deposit accounts
– Document verification, data entry, and handling incomplete or missing information
– Provision of product information and implementation of initiatives to promote applications

[Securities Intermediation Services]

– Administrative procedures and customer support related to the opening of securities accounts
– Inquiry handling and order intermediation via telephone
– Support for applications and promotion of investment trusts and NISA (Nippon Individual Savings Account) accounts

transcosmos’s strengths

• Extensive track record in financial operations
  Leveraging expertise gained through supporting the operations of financial institutions, transcosmos provides efficient and stable operational frameworks
• Integration of digital (Web/CX) and operations
  transcosmos delivers end-to-end services—from the design of customer touchpoints to back-office operations—enhancing CX and advancing operational capabilities
• One of the largest contact center infrastructures in Japan
  transcosmos provides high-quality, large-scale customer support and multichannel operations, including chat support, voice bots, and social media engagement

Next steps

Going beyond traditional outsourcing, transcosmos will work closely with financial institutions to address both management and operational challenges, while promoting the development of sustainable operational models. With this registration, transcosmos will expand its support in the CX domain to include licensed operations and establish an operating model that integrates digital and back-office functions. Through these initiatives, transcosmos will create an environment that enables financial institutions to concentrate on their core businesses, while contributing to the delivery of financial services that are clear, accessible, and reliable for consumers.

* transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries.
* Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

BlaBlaCar Announces Global Expansion Into 20 New Countries

June 30: BlaBlaCar announces expansion into 20 new countries as carpooling emerges as a mainstream solution to persistent economic and environmental pressures on consumers. This deployment marks the company’s first major wave of new market entries in a decade, driven by artificial intelligence to accelerate localization and operational scaling, and brings global presence to 41 countries.

The expansion builds on mature regional operations where the platform has successfully established localized networks. By broadening its geographic reach, BlaBlaCar aims to address structural transport challenges in high-growth areas while completing its network coverage across Europe.

It comes at a critical time when carpooling is emerging as an affordable and efficient solution for intercity travel amid the current context of rising fuel prices for the foreseeable future. Carpooling is a collaborative mobility alternative in which several individuals share a vehicle to complete the same journey and split the travel expenses. The average distance of BlaBlaCar journeys is around 150–250 kilometers. Through its technology, the platform optimizes and facilitates the connection between passengers and drivers who list their empty seats for trips they were already planning to make with other users who need to travel to the same destination in a more direct or economical way than other forms of travel can offer.

Since March 2026, BlaBlaCar registered more than 875,000 new drivers globally, demonstrating the impact of the platform in offsetting travel costs by sharing them.

“Our model works because it solves an economic reality for the consumer,” said Nicolas Brusson, CEO of BlaBlaCar. “Last year alone, our drivers saved over €568 million in travel expenses. As we scale into 20 new markets, we are unlocking massive, untapped economic relief for millions of travelers and commuters.”

The international rollout scales across four major geographical regions:

Latin America: The expansion follows a decade of operations in Brazil, where more than 25 million passengers used the platform in 2025. Brazil has become the second-largest global market for the group’s carpooling and bus offerings and this regional rollout introduces BlaBlaCar’s shared mobility infrastructure to neighboring countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Southeast Asia: the company is launching services in several new countries. New market entries include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Structural transit gaps, particularly between big and mid-size cities, present high demand for shared travel solutions and carpooling offers an untapped opportunity in the region.

Europe: BlaBlaCar is expanding into several additional markets to complete its regional footprint across historical market, Europe. New entries include Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, and Moldova.

North Africa: The company is launching operations for the first time in Africa, starting with Morocco. The expansion leverages geographical proximity and existing similar travel patterns in the French and Spanish markets.

“Our mission is to optimize every empty seat on the road,” says Nicolas Brusson. “The growth we’ve seen in the last months demonstrates that consumers find the cost-sharing model more relevant than ever. And we are excited to see new communities form across new countries around the same concept.”

India, BlaBlaCar’s Largest Carpooling Market Globally

India has experienced 47% year-on-year growth in 2025 surpassing all European markets with 19 million passengers in 2025, thereby emerging as BlaBlaCar’s largest carpooling market globally.

In 2026, this momentum has only accelerated the platform now serves over 2 million passengers per month, with 315,000 new drivers joining since March alone. Remarkably, this growth has been driven entirely by word of mouth, reflecting the depth of demand for affordable intercity travel across the country. BlaBlaCar’s reach in India now extends well beyond metros, with shared mobility becoming a mainstream solution for travelers connecting cities like Pune, Jaipur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Chittoor, Meerut, Anantpur, amongst others.