AGP Executive Report

UK Tax Crackdown: HMRC published a new list naming businesses and individuals accused of deliberate tax errors, with fines tied to defaults over £25,000, including cases in Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. Cash-Flow Reality Check (South Africa): A new look at SME finances says cash flow remains the top threat, with many firms stuck behind long invoice payment cycles and even using personal credit to bridge gaps. AI Skills & Training: Skillsoft completed the sale of its Global Knowledge unit, narrowing focus to its AI-native skills management platform while keeping a strategic partnership for instructor-led training. Insurance Tech Deal: ekincare acquired Superclaims, an AI claims adjudication SaaS, to expand across insurers and third-party administrators and push global growth. Heat Safety for SMBs (US): New York State Insurance Fund analysis finds workers’ comp claims spike on very hot days, and it’s offering small-business support to buy cooling PPE. Cybercrime Warning: Bitdefender reports scammers are posing as Interpol to trick small businesses into opening password-protected archives that deliver ransomware. Funding & Expansion: Stoa raised £1.8m pre-seed to scale cash management; Descartes bought Drivin to boost last-mile delivery management in Latin America. Energy & Jobs (Africa): Africa Energy Technology Centre shared its strategy with Ghana’s president, aiming to shift the continent from importing energy tech to building and exporting solutions.

UK High-Street Tax Fight: Labour frontrunner Andy Burnham’s plan to expand Small Business Rates Relief could cost about £880m a year, with funding proposed via higher business rates on large warehouse developments tied to online giants. UK Aviation Deal: easyJet has agreed in principle to a sweetened £6.90/share takeover bid from Castlelake, valuing the airline at up to £5.5bn, with a firm offer due by Aug 3. SME Tourism Boost (US): AP reports small businesses in places like Lake Tahoe, Asheville and Kansas City say Americans are shifting from overseas trips to closer-to-home road travel. Pakistan Talent for Growth: Planning minister Ahsan Iqbal urged overseas Pakistanis—especially healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs—to back Pakistan’s URAAN Pakistan push, including a proposed telemedicine “backup” model for districts. Africa MSME Funding: Fiji’s Reserve Bank partnered with The Forge Pacific on a five-month readiness program for 20 MSMEs to improve governance, finance skills and investment readiness. Defense Supply Chain Push (India): Adani plans ₹2,500 crore for an integrated missile ecosystem in Madhya Pradesh, aiming to support MSMEs in the defense supply chain.

TVET-to-entrepreneur push: Malaysia’s Youth Robot Challenge urged technical graduates to start businesses, with officials pointing to TVET funding and alumni earnings as proof skills can turn into income. SME visibility in Nigeria: Gidira is positioning itself as a business discovery and verification platform to help Nigerian SMEs earn trust online through vendor checks and a structured marketplace. Startup scaling in Saudi: KPMG opened applications for its Global Tech Innovator 2026 competition, aiming to back Saudi-registered tech startups ready to scale beyond home markets (deadline July 31). SME compliance pressure in South Africa: Spaza shop registration and food-safety rules are sparking debate as municipal red tape and enforcement gaps push some operators out of legal competition. Retail distribution for MSMEs in Bangladesh: PriyoShop says it’s expanding Coca-Cola retail distribution via hubs and a retailer network, improving last-mile availability for local shops. Regional business growth via infrastructure: Abu Dhabi launched a maritime guidebook to attract global maritime firms and entrepreneurs, while South Africa’s cabinet welcomed peaceful June 30 protests and signaled a migration management push. Cross-border trade momentum: India’s CETA origin rules were notified ahead of July 15, and Pakistan’s foreign minister urged Turkish investment across energy, mining, IT, manufacturing, logistics, tourism and defence.

SMB Travel Demand Shift (US): Small business owners in US tourist hotspots say more Americans are staying closer to home this summer, favoring road trips and day outings over longer, pricier travel—helped by the FIFA World Cup and the US 250th anniversary, but pressured by higher airfares and gas. AI in Banking (MENA): Commercial Bank in Bahrain won “Best Use of AI in Financial Services,” highlighting practical AI for customer experience and operations. SME Digital Compliance (UAE): Advintek received UAE FTA approval as an accredited service provider for e-invoicing compliance ahead of the January 2027 mandate. SME Growth & Skills (Africa): South Africa’s Nemisa leadership quit amid a probe into a R50m digital training programme, raising questions about how SME-focused training funds are spent. SME Financing & Resilience (Africa): Ghana’s disaster resilience debate spotlights parametric insurance as a faster way to help communities recover after floods. Global Startup Funding (Tech): Global startup investment hit a record $510B in H1 2026, with AI taking the lion’s share. SME Market Access (Pakistan): Pakistan’s chamber pushes digital transformation for SMEs to boost competitiveness and exports.

India Growth Bet: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says India’s middle class will drive 93% of spending and help nearly 500 smaller cities become new economic hubs. Export Push: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal targets USD 1T exports, citing coordinated government-industry action and urging MSMEs to use export promotion missions and improve testing/certification. Startup Mentorship: FICCI and Mercedes-Benz launch a mentorship + Rs 30 lakh funding drive for startups in EV, sustainability, and manufacturing. SME Market Access (Africa): UNDP and Lagos State back fashion/leather MSMEs with better finance, networks, and global market links. Digital Infrastructure (Tanzania): YAS says it has invested Sh1 trillion to expand towers and boost participation in the digital economy. Toy Industry Upgrade (India): India will build modern toy testing facilities in clusters via BIS and labs to help MSMEs meet global quality demands. Domain Privacy Fight: GoDaddy challenges India’s court order that would end privacy-by-default for domain owners, warning of collateral damage. AI for Small Business (US): A foster-care mental health startup says AI helped it go from idea to funding fast and scale operations. EV Reality Check: A report questions whether rising US auto costs will slow the EV “golden age” as cheaper Chinese EVs surge elsewhere.

SMB Growth & Jobs: Bank of Industry (BOI) says it disbursed ₦644.9bn in 2025, with 30%+ to nano/micro/small/medium enterprises and 20%+ to women- and youth-led businesses, tying financing to measurable development impact. Cross-Border Payments: PAPSS is expanding as a live system that lets traders and businesses move money across Africa in local currencies, aiming to cut the costly USD/EUR detour and speed up settlement. Startup Scaling & Talent: Pearson and AWS warn small businesses may struggle with AI-ready hires: 80% of students use AI tools, but only 23% get practical training, and just 12% of employers rate graduates “excellent” at judging AI outputs. Regional Tech Expansion: Israeli AI cybersecurity firm Dream plans a Latin America push, targeting government demand as defenses lag and cyber threats rise. Green Industry: Australia’s Hysata says it expects first large-scale green hydrogen electrolyser delivery in H1 2027 after landing an export customer. Local Entrepreneurship: Kenya’s Silverlink Manufacturing turns plastic waste into durable fencing poles, creating jobs while tackling pollution. Business Travel & Retail: Jollibee announces a five-year Canada expansion plan, adding more locations as it leans on Filipino-Canadian demand. Policy Watch: Illinois’ new AI law is criticized for compliance burdens that may favor big companies over startups.

Government-Private Push for Growth (Liberia): Liberia’s Chamber of Commerce and government leaders renewed their push for a more resilient, inclusive economy, stressing innovation, trade, jobs for youth, and stronger local business support. SME Confidence (Nigeria): A Mastercard SME Confidence Index finds 81% of Nigerian SMEs feel upbeat about the year ahead, with digital and online payments seen as key to growth. AI Startup Funding (UK): geoSurge raised €10M to expand AI “visibility” research, aiming to help brands shape how models represent them over time. AI x Web3 Infrastructure (Hong Kong): MegaRouter won a Best AI x Web3 Infrastructure Platform award, positioning itself as a multi-model routing and governance layer for enterprises. SME Skills Boost (Nigeria): Zeberced Group plans to train 20,000 Nigerians in job-ready trades, targeting 40,000 direct jobs. SME Export/Compliance (EU CBAM): Experts warn EU carbon rules are a major compliance hurdle for Indian MSMEs, calling for urgent government support and tech help. Business Finance/Tech (India): PayRupik marked five years of financial inclusion, reporting AUM above ₹1,500 crore and expanding credit options. Local Jobs via Contract (Canada): Ocean Pacific Marine won a $74.7M RCMP contract to build three aluminum coastal patrol vessels in British Columbia.

Quantum Funding: UC Santa Barbara-linked Qolab raised $54.2M in Series B to push superconducting quantum computing and expand its global quantum partnerships. AI Governance: The UN launched an “AI for Good” global commission, signaling enterprises can’t wait for final rules and should start governing high-risk AI use now. AI Power & Trade: A new Chinese AI model, GLM-5.2, is drawing Western attention for coding/agent-style tasks at lower cost, while Pakistan’s SMEs are urged to use tech and simpler export rules to tap CPEC 2.0 trade momentum. SME Payments: Visa is rolling out smartphone-based payments aimed at helping small merchants act like “new cash registers.” Housing for Small Builders: Nova Cottage Co. is pushing modular/3D-printed affordable homes to tackle shortages. Fintech/Banking: NBK was recognized as a Kuwait FinTech leader, and EBRD-backed support is targeting SMEs and female entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan. Local Business Safety: Cambridge Police is reviving Neighborhood Watch with a focus on observation and reporting. Startup Capital: Ayar Labs closed a $500M Series E to scale optical data-center tech as investors chase the next AI bottleneck.

Venture Funding Pulse: Global venture funding hit a record $510B in H1 2026, with AI dominating and just OpenAI + Anthropic taking 43% of the total—good news for founders, but a reminder that capital is concentrating fast. Africa Startup Finance: African startups raised $1.44B in H1 2026 across 146 disclosed rounds, with fewer deals but bigger checks, led by Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. Digital Infrastructure for SMBs: Microsoft-led consortium plans a 3,600km undersea cable linking India and Southeast Asia to support AI and cloud demand—more connectivity can mean better service reliability for smaller firms. Fintech & Payments: Visa pushes digital payments for SMEs, while Sendana launches a digital US$ platform for Caribbean users to hold and spend dollars via a Visa debit card. SME Risk & Regulation: UK set to introduce tougher late-payment protections for small businesses; South Africa’s Competition Commission will probe the franchise industry for barriers to new entrants. Energy & Supply Shock: Helium shortages are hitting Texas labs and small businesses as Southwest Gases steps in amid allocation cuts.

SME Momentum Watch: Lithuania’s entrepreneurship push is hitting new highs, with the share of adults actively starting businesses reaching 17.4% and intentions rising to record levels in the latest GEM report. Export Gap for Small Firms: A Thailand panel says export growth isn’t reaching traditional SMEs; capacity use is stuck at 59.6% and revenues at hundreds of listed SMEs are still declining, prompting plans for better SME classification and targeted support. Cross-Border Payments for SMBs: India’s HiWiPay received in-principle IFSCA approval to set up a regulated payment service provider at GIFT IFSC, aiming to help exporters and digital businesses scale internationally. Entrepreneurship Hubs: Türkiye is pitching itself as a regional startup magnet, planning to showcase at GITEX AI Europe and host its own GITEX AI fair to attract investors and talent. Local Business Spotlight: A Philadelphia pop-up is giving immigrant-owned small businesses a storefront platform, with many women-led brands using the space to reach new customers. Energy Cost Relief: El Salvador cut July LPG prices and extended targeted subsidies, lowering out-of-pocket costs for households and commercial cylinder sizes.

SME Credit Access: Greece’s long-running non-performing loan backlog is still locking about 1.5 million people out of bank credit, with many small business owners stuck in court for years and unable to refinance or invest. Working Capital for Small Firms: A new forecast says the global purchase order financing market could hit $12.9B by 2033 as SMEs lean on faster funding to fulfill big orders and ease cash-flow pressure. Trade Finance Digitization: SECRO named Guy de Pourtalès as CTO to scale its tokenized trade finance document workflows, aiming to speed cross-border paperwork for traders and banks. Banking Pressure Points: India’s RBI flags rising deposit costs and tougher competition for savings as a margin risk, even as banks remain resilient. Funding for Deeptech: Ruya Ventures raised €43M for its first fund focused on getting lab-born deeptech into real-world deployment. SME Tech Tools: Fortude was named a Microsoft Fabric Featured Partner after helping manufacturers consolidate data into a unified analytics foundation. Local Business Boosts: Malaysia extended its MotoGP hosting deal to 2031, citing major tourism and SME spillovers from past events. Cyber Insurance Gap: One report notes fewer than half of small businesses worldwide have standalone cyber insurance.

Gambling Reform Push (Australia): Greens are talking with the Coalition to pressure Labor for tougher gambling rules, arguing current plans miss key fixes like banning online gambling ads and creating stronger oversight. Crypto Rulebook Shift (EU/Middle East): MiCA’s July 1 deadline is widening the gap between “approved” crypto firms and those still seeking authorization, while Dubai is seeing a surge of Europe-based founders planning UAE setups. SME Investing Tool (UK): Tide launched a dedicated Tide Investment Account for SMEs, aiming to make investing easier inside the business banking app with automated tax/reporting planned. Payments Adoption (Maldives): PayPal says it’s already operating in the Maldives, with 2,100+ wallet activations and thousands of linked businesses. Tourism as Growth Engine (Ethiopia): Prime Minister Abiy designated tourism as a core economic pillar to drive jobs, investment, and long-term transformation. Energy & Jobs Funding (World Bank/Togo): The World Bank approved $323M for electricity access, jobs, and resilience in northern Togo and the region. AI Governance Deadlines (Global): The EU’s AI transparency rules kick in Aug. 2, while the US and China keep moving on different tracks—raising compliance headaches for companies. EV Retail Financing (Canada): Santander Consumer Bank partnered with Taiga to offer dealer-network retail financing for EV watercraft and snowmobiles. Telecom Expansion (Syria): Zain won a 25-year Syria telecom license after a $747M bid, targeting commercial launch in Q1 2027. SME Risk Watch (Cyber/Finance): Multiple securities class-action notices continue to target public-company disclosures, a reminder for smaller investors to watch governance and reporting closely.

SME Finance Boost: Emerging Markets Global Advisory closed a $15M senior debt facility for Sri Lanka’s CDB, backed by Swedfund, to expand SME lending and grow a greener portfolio. Power & Local Business Risk: Mumbai’s eight-to-12-hour blackouts sparked a political storm in the Maharashtra Assembly; the Speaker demanded a BEST accountability plan and faster fault response to protect the city’s commercial lifeblood. Cross-Border Expansion: Hong Kong says nearly 200 Shanghai firms listed there by year-end, as the SAR pushes mainland tech “going global” support via a dedicated GoGlobal task force. AI for B2B Discovery: Generative engine optimization is becoming the new battleground for visibility—brands need earned mentions in trusted outlets to show up in AI answers. Digital Identity & Ads: Media Square tested Intent IQ identity resolution in France, reporting higher CPMs and RPM on previously unaddressable inventory while staying GDPR-compliant. Startup Funding for Private Markets: Nomerra raised $2M to make private-market operations more AI-native, aiming to cut manual retyping and reporting drag. Crypto for Social Impact: BingX partnered with Save the Children Hong Kong to fund cash vouchers and essentials for migrant and at-risk children in Serbia and Bosnia. Immigration Pressure on SMEs: South Africa’s anti-immigrant mobilisation ahead of June 30 is intensifying uncertainty for workers and businesses, with debate focused on jobs, public services, and security. New Trade Deal: The UAE-Ukraine CEPA takes effect, cutting duties on most goods and expected to lift private trade and investment flows.

Data Center Expansion: Vantage Data Centers held an open house in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a proposed 480-megawatt campus on 1,800 acres, with permits targeted for late 2026–2027 and potential scaling to 1 gigawatt; the plan says it will cover power-plant connection costs so small businesses and residents aren’t hit. SME Policy & Subsidies: Malaysia’s MITI says subsidy rationalisation can protect MSME margins and competitiveness if phased, targeted, and paired with support—pushing automation for MSMEs plus EV and green-energy investment. Cybersecurity for Small Firms: New Zealand’s TUANZ is urging “security by design,” warning scams and generative AI are raising the burden on individuals and small businesses. Digital Privacy Update: WhatsApp is rolling out usernames so users can message without exposing phone numbers, with reservations expected soon. Global Business Lobby: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hired Joshua Walker as chief international affairs officer ahead of hosting the B20 Summit. Heat Costs: A new report warns extreme heat is draining city GDP and hitting women workers hardest, calling for urgent, affordable solutions. Heritage & Entrepreneurship: Zimbabwe and Zambia are running a Victoria Falls workshop to turn heritage protection into local entrepreneurship and community benefits. AI Governance: EU/India AI governance discussions highlight a “frontier” moment as countries grapple with how to regulate fast-moving AI.

Cybersecurity for SMEs: Kaspersky and Digital Penang teamed up to help Penang’s micro, small and medium enterprises strengthen cyber readiness as the state pushes its digital economy plan. EU Payments Policy: The European Parliament’s committee backed a digital euro plan aimed at reducing reliance on US card giants, with a vote expected in early July. SME Trade Deal Talks: Malaysia and the EU wrapped up five chapters of the Malaysia-EU Free Trade Agreement, targeting finalization by 2027 and including an SME chapter. Startup Funding & Growth: Yash Raj Films invested in Rusk Media to expand Gen Z-focused digital entertainment IPs; Naqi Logix added Dino Mariutti to its board to drive commercialization. Energy & Infrastructure for Business: Oman LNG shipped its first cargo on the Muscat LNG vessel; World Bank approved a project to expand electricity access in Gambia and Togo, targeting about 1 million connections and jobs. Cross-border Payments: OwlTing integrated Saber Money into its OwlPay Harbor to enable payouts into India and support Eurozone/UK payments. Market Moves: Rocket Lab agreed to acquire Iridium in a major space deal; Martin Marietta will combine with Lhoist North America in a $13.5B transaction.

MSME Policy Push (Bangladesh): Bangladesh’s SME Foundation and officials marked International MSME Day by urging faster digital and AI adoption, plus easier formalization—experts want a one-stop digital licensing system to cut delays and harassment that keep ~90% of firms informal. Regulatory Reform Call (Bangladesh): A separate MSME Day panel backed simplifying business rules and consolidating support services, saying scattered information across institutions is a major barrier to growth. SME Growth Outlook (US): Columbia Bank’s 2026 Business Barometer finds US small and midsize firms are cautiously optimistic, with many prioritizing investment (not just cost cuts) as AI boosts expected productivity—though most still delay big decisions amid tariffs, inflation, and energy costs. Startup Spotlight (EMEA Food Tech): The Global Food Tech Awards open an EMEA track, inviting startups to prove innovation, real food-system impact, scalability, and commercial viability ahead of the Future Food-Tech London summit in September. Local Entrepreneurship (Philippines): Senator Loren Legarda highlighted MSME Day in the Philippines, pointing to laws like the Magna Carta for MSMEs and Go Negosyo centers that support training and market linkages. Market Pressure (Ireland): PwC data shows corporate insolvencies in Ireland are broadly steady year-to-date, with retail up sharply while hospitality closures are down—suggesting some stabilization but continued strain.