Small Business (SMB) stories
Smaller operators face faster, cheaper attacks as Five Eyes agencies say frontier AI could reshape cyber threats within months.
Snap is edging towards one billion monthly users as advertising and subscription sales help lift quarterly revenue 19% to USD $1.60 billion.
Retailers risk missing a lucrative SME market, as business buyers pay far more for notebooks than households and demand pricier, work-ready devices.
Cross-border payments are becoming faster and more transparent, with stablecoins and data-driven lending broadening access for firms shut out by banks.
Product development is already running about 30% more efficiently as the software group expands AI use across accounting and legal services.
Fragmented payments and rising AI bills are forcing APAC fintechs to rethink infrastructure, interoperability and cost controls.
Finance chiefs are facing tighter budgets as AI automation and new AML rules turn once-discretionary tech spend into a cost imperative.
Nearly a quarter of affected sole traders have already set up, or started setting up, a limited company as quarterly reporting looms.
Online sellers using multiple marketplaces could cut manual work as FreeAgent links its accounts to Equali for automated reconciliation.
Rising eCommerce and outsourcing demand are pushing logistics firms to use AI to improve routing, visibility and warehouse efficiency.
Smaller firms risk being left behind as medium-sized companies in New Zealand are far more likely to have AI embedded in daily operations.
Private backing and public funding are helping Scottish fintech firms scale AI tools, with Aveni's GBP £12 million round and FRIL's GBP £3.18 million boost.
Fragmented banking, payments and accounting data is slowing reporting and weakening AI answers for businesses trying to act in real time.
Small firms may miss basic cyber gaps as a free self-check from MY CYBER GUARD flags weak passwords, patching and backup risks.
Many New Zealand firms say they could ride out an outage, but fewer than four in ten have tested recovery of critical systems recently.
A store-led strategy has helped the Melbourne family retailer outpace a shaky sector, with demand holding up for bulky, in-person purchases.
Rising regulatory pressure could force banks, merchants and payment firms to tighten controls on AI and card costs as Australia reforms payments.
A poor checkout can cost local merchants repeat trade, with 55% of consumers saying one bad payment experience would stop or deter them returning.
Chequing and spending products helped lift assets under administration to CAD $155.6 billion, with client numbers reaching 3.6 million.
More US high school students will get classroom finance lessons as free Intuit materials are folded into a new AP course.