SMB Affordability & Trade Pressure: Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper is pitching a U.S. Senate run on making “stuff cost less,” blaming tariffs and cost-of-living pressures on families and small businesses. Tourism Funding & Local Business Impact: Cheyenne hotels stayed busy this summer, with the city’s lodging tax helping fund Visit Cheyenne—renewal is on the Nov. 3 ballot. Fraud Watch for SBA Loans: Wyoming ranks in the top 10 for SBA pandemic loan fraud per capita, raising questions about transparency and enforcement. Green Startup Finance (Women-Led): Pakistan’s Punjab proposes a $15M green finance and entrepreneurship hub to back 800+ women-led startups and create green jobs. ICT Growth Loans (Tanzania): Tanzania set aside Sh5B for youth-led ICT startups via Azania Bank, with loans from Sh1M to Sh100M. E-commerce Push: Converge, DTI and TikTok Shop launch SellerPlus with 0% TikTok Shop commission for 90 days plus tools and incentives for micro and small sellers. Competition Policy: Bermuda is consulting on a modern competition framework aimed at stopping anti-competitive conduct and abuse of dominance. AI for Productivity: Cognition’s Devin is scaling fast, with the company targeting 30–35M software engineers and claiming major productivity gains. Travel SME Voice: WTTC and ICC team up to give travel and tourism SMEs more guidance, tools, and market access. Cost Squeeze on Operators: Diesel prices are crushing independent truckers, threatening delivery capacity for small businesses that rely on freight. Meta Opens Muse Hardware: Meta is letting developers build Muse-powered gadgets with open-source tools, potentially lowering barriers for small builders. Local Contracting Rules: Greenville council will consider aligning its small business participation policy after changes to MWBE programs. Startup Funding & Regulation: SEBI is working on a second surveillance system to flag “bad elements” and improve scrutiny of small IPOs that can hurt retail investors. SME Cyber & Compliance: A new focus on small business cybersecurity and risk is emerging across coverage, alongside broader regulatory updates.