Small Business (SMB) stories

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

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.

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.

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

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

CrowdStrike deepens managed security push in Japan and Asia Pacific with Dicker Data and Otsuka to reach more SMBs through channel partners.

Intuit's QuickBooks is under pressure as AI start-ups push automated bookkeeping, forcing accounting software to prove it can do more than digitise ledgers.

Xero unveils AI-native finance platform and JAX assistant to cut admin for small firms, with accountants and bookkeepers also in line for gains.

Atomgate's Renee Lovell says education, testing and partnerships are helping the South African MSSP turn SonicWall upgrades into measurable business gains.

Apple rolls out unified business hub in 200 markets as signs mount that local ads in Maps will debut across North America this summer.

Emergent unveils Wingman, an always-on AI agent for email, scheduling and sales support as Australian firms seek to ease admin pressure.

Emergent's Wingman puts autonomous AI agents to work across email, calendars and chats, with human approval for higher-risk actions.

SMBs already own the tools, but cyber breaches keep breaking through because patchwork security, weak access controls and over-trust still leave gaps.