Digital Payments in Africa: Mastercard is teaming with TeamApt to let licensed non-bank acquirers expand secure digital payments for MSMEs across Africa, aiming to boost acceptance and growth. SME Tax Scrutiny (Australia): The ATO says it already knows most contractor income from TPAR data and will focus on mismatches—leaving income undeclared won’t make it “invisible.” AI for Small Business Finance (Australia): MYOB is bringing its financial insights into Claude and ChatGPT so owners can query balances, overdue invoices, and profit/loss using trusted business data. Cybersecurity & AI Threats: Kaspersky warns cyberattacks are becoming AI-native, with longer undetected compromises and agent-driven malware risks. Women’s Economic Support (Australia): NSW is funding programs to empower women and girls, including initiatives tied to aviation and clean energy careers. Fairer Grocery Deals (Australia): The government backs free training for fresh food suppliers to understand rights under the mandatory Food and Grocery Code. Local Growth & Community Business: Fort Worth’s Marine Central signs first retail tenants, while Nigeria’s Speaker Abbas Tajudeen distributes POS machines and seed capital to 1,000 micro-entrepreneurs. Small Business Lending: Australia’s banking competition is pushing small-business loan pricing down to a five-year low, with faster approvals reported by many SMEs.