SMB Hiring Reality Check (South Africa): A new look at SME hiring in South Africa says the “real cost” goes beyond salaries, with owners weighing full-time staff vs contractors amid high unemployment and rising operating pressure. MSME Formalization (India): India’s MSME ministry highlights the Udyam Registration Portal and Udyam Assist Platform as faster ways for small firms to get formal status and access credit, tech support, and procurement. AI Fintech Funding (U.S.): Flex, an AI finance platform for mid-sized business owners, raised $70M and is reportedly valued around $1.2B, aiming to bundle credit, payments, and finance insights for “jumbo shrimps.” On-Demand Delivery Infrastructure (India): Aalpha Information Systems launched DeliveryStack, a white-label platform meant to cut delivery startup build times from months to weeks by handling dispatch, tracking, payouts, and order management. Energy Storage Validation (India): Meine Electric says its fast-charging iron-air battery was independently validated, with claims of 6-hour charging and 18-hour discharge for long-duration storage. AI Workforce Platform (Canada): Vendasta promoted internal leaders to C-suite roles to push its next phase of AI workforce expansion for SMBs. Drone Autonomy in War Zones (Denmark/Ukraine): Robotto’s GPS-free drone autonomy software, built for wildfire detection, is now being used for GPS-free strike missions in Ukraine. Digital Skills Push (EU): The EU’s Digital Decade plan targets getting 80% of people digitally literate by 2030, with new focus on feasibility across countries. AI Infrastructure (Finland/Europe): Pure Data Centres launched a major AI data center campus in Seinäjoki, pitching it as a jobs and skills engine for the region’s AI transition.