Small Business (SMB) stories

Xero expands its Canadian engineering footprint with a Vancouver hub focused on AI, the Accounting Engine and Anthropic integrations.

YFM Equity Partners invests GBP £7.6 million in Exeter-based Shopify agency Swanky, funding hiring, service expansion and selective acquisitions.

team.blue widens AI push with new tools for booking, compliance, website creation and data analysis across four brands.

Founders should treat lawyers less like transactional advisers and more like long-term partners who can shape confidence, reduce friction and support growth.

Stripe, PayPal, Adyen and Block are pushing into loyalty, lending and AI checkout tools as payment groups seek a bigger role in merchant commerce.

Markable widens access as it opens Smart Deep Links, AutoDM and AI Product Collage to all creators in free push to boost affiliate sales.

Markable opens free creator tier and adds AI shopping tools as it targets a fast-growing social commerce market.

US SMBs hold firm on automated cybersecurity despite budget squeezes, as inflation forces tighter tech choices and wider AI enthusiasm cools.

Vodafone and Google Cloud widen their SMB push with new Gemini-based concierge and managed cyber defences, starting in Germany and Greece.

Temenos and Bain warn banks that cloud, AI and stablecoins will reshape competition, with core modernisation now key to growth.

Managed service providers can boost renewals and upsell revenue by turning hidden security work into clear, customer-ready reports that prove value.

World IP Day spotlights how sports brands' trademark wars, NFT disputes and licensing fights underpin billions in commercial value.

Duda says local firms with AI-crawled websites are seeing a surge in customer actions, as structured content boosts visibility in answer engines.

Temenos and Bain warn that banks must modernise core systems, governed data and cloud architecture as AI, stablecoins and personalisation gather pace.

Thrive widens post-Abacode push with managed compliance service for firms facing tougher rules and cyber risk.

Everywhen warns businesses and consumers to check web addresses, padlocks and browser alerts as fake sites fuel rising cyber fraud risk.

Accenture and WaveMaker strike AI partnership to help mid-sized firms modernise legacy apps and curb costs, risks and technical debt.

Acronis rolls out GenAI Protection for managed service providers to spot shadow AI, curb data leakage and block prompt injection.

Tenzo lands USD $5 million and appoints Jane O'Riordan as Chair as the hospitality data group targets US growth and new product launches.

Xero rolls out AI-powered business health scorecards as 4.6 million subscribers gain deeper KPI tracking, cash flow forecasts and sharing tools.