Small Business (SMB) stories

Québec Tech and partners launch a province-wide drive urging firms to adopt homegrown technologies to lift productivity and resilience.

Gusto launches a ChatGPT app letting small firms query payroll data, with limited users also able to run pay directly from the chat.

AI platform Emergent raises USD $70m Series B from Khosla Ventures and SoftBank to speed global software creation for non-coders.

Exactly.com trims processing fees after 23% turnover rise, targeting UK SMEs with local acquiring and lower-cost eCommerce payments.

Accountants double down on everyday AI tools, as optimism stays high but scepticism, job fears and data security worries all intensify.

Commonwealth Bank teams with OpenAI on AI and cyber training to close skills gaps for 1 million Australian small business customers.

Singapore and Shenzhen launch a blockchain-based data validation trial, starting with cross-border checks on business owners’ credit reports.

Australian SMEs risk a hidden productivity tax as fragmented IT oversight and tool sprawl quietly erode day-to-day business performance.

Social media creators urged to treat content as a business as dashboard payouts ignore platform cuts, tax and rising running costs.

Sage taps Augusta Labs’ embedded AI teams to turbocharge product development and accelerate its shift to an AI-first software model.

Finance teams clinging to spreadsheets risk cash flow chaos, poor forecasting and lost talent as automated AR tools rapidly raise the bar.

AI app builder Emergent raises USD $70m Series B to deepen European push, add London offices and hiring as revenue soars to USD $50m ARR.

Payoneer snaps up Ireland’s Boundless to deepen its European workforce push and expand tools for hiring and paying cross-border teams.

Xero unveils its 2025 Power Lists, spotlighting the most‑connected apps across accounting, payments, retail, trades and professional services.

Digital payments will be non-negotiable for Malaysian businesses by 2026, Paydibs says, as liquidity, speed and visibility demands intensify.

Airwallex buys Korean fintech Paynuri, securing key licences to launch local payments and FX services for Korean and global businesses.

Australia’s Propel-AIR 2.0 robotics sprint launches in Brisbane, uniting ARM Hub, MassRobotics and innovators for a week of AI showcases.

Vorwerk will shift its Australian Thermomix head office from Perth to Melbourne as eastern and southern states drive 85% of its revenue.

Adobe folds new generative AI into Acrobat Studio, auto-making slide decks, chat-edited PDFs and podcast-style summaries from documents.

Repair shops once formed the backbone of local high streets. Rising costs, sealed devices and shifting consumer habits are now pushing many to close.