SME Finance Boost: OPEC Fund is lending US$50M to Viet Nam’s SeABank to expand MSME lending and climate projects, building on a 2022 partnership. SME Growth Through Skills: Leeds Rhinos and Checkatrade’s inaugural Skills Summit spotlights a trades pipeline problem—nearly half of young people want trade careers, but only 12% of trade firms took on an apprentice—plus a new “Trade Jumpstart” support push. SME-Friendly Insurance: Compare My Insurance CEO Mark Thomas says SMEs deserve “VIP treatment,” using tech plus people to rethink how commercial insurance is delivered. Local Innovation Infrastructure: Kerala’s MSME Technology Centre at Technocity moves toward implementation after an EPC tender win, aiming to add advanced manufacturing, prototyping, and SME advisory services. AI for Customer Service: A practical playbook argues small businesses can use AI voice/virtual agents 24/7 without losing the human touch customers value. Payments That Speed Cashflow: PanteraPay launches an all-in-one smart billing and payment tool for small businesses, promising faster payments and fewer card-processing frictions. Women’s Development Bank Capital: Ghana has transferred GH¢400M into escrow at the Bank of Ghana to kick off licensing for the proposed Women’s Development Bank. SME Investment Caution (NL): A Dutch study finds SMEs are investing less as costs rise and policy stays inconsistent, risking stagnation. Small Business Tax Relief Misses (Scotland): Scotland’s small business bonus scheme is set to leave nearly 4,000 more premises without full rates relief after the SNP declined to pause revaluation. SME Recognition: Rasa Spa wins the NYS Senate Empire Award, highlighting sustainability and a training institute built to tackle labor shortages. AI Model Watch: China’s free open-source GLM-5.2 draws attention for coding and agentic tasks, though tests note slower performance and capacity limits.