SME Funding Pipeline: Zimbabwe’s Zida unveiled a US$17m investment prospectus spanning a US$12m gold mining expansion, a US$4.56m solar panel assembly plant, and a US$500k cloud ERP platform aimed at SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa, with projects marketed via debt and equity. Local Policy & Rights: A Pennsylvania town hall (“My Pharmacy. My Choice. My Voice”) will let rural residents and independent pharmacy advocates discuss pharmacy benefit manager restrictions and pharmacy choice. SMB Digitalization & Payments: Payaza launched Shopaza, an AI-powered e-commerce builder for African merchants that turns a single photo into a branded store, pricing and listings, and ties directly into Payaza payments for instant settlement. SME Finance Access: West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker rolled out an Access to Finance Action Plan to help start-ups and SMEs find funding routes and prepare pitches. Tech for Small Business Growth: Wayflyer acquired Conjura, adding AI ecommerce analytics with a natural-language interface to help SMBs consolidate data and improve growth and margin decisions. SMB Hiring & Costs: A report highlights small business hiring plans hitting a six-year low as labor costs worry owners. SME Support via Budget: Kerala proposed “Invest Keralam,” including a ₹100 crore MSME growth scheme and a single-window system to speed land and clearance approvals. SMB Banking Leadership: Copper State Credit Union promoted Amy Ward to assistant vice president of business services to expand business lending outreach in Arizona.