Small Business (SMB) stories - Page 14

Avanade has appointed Chris Howarth as CEO, succeeding Rodrigo Caserta, who departs after 11 years to lead SME and channel for Microsoft.

Sage adds AI copilots, finance automation and supply chain intelligence to Sage X3, promising faster insight for mid-sized firms.

Australian small firms race to use AI in design, but research shows most still insist on human hands to shape trusted, distinctive brands.

Commonwealth Bank will raise eligible variable business loan and overdraft rates by 0.25 percentage points from 13 February 2026.

Revolut launches a unified merchant payments suite in Australia, tying in‑person, online and A2A payments directly to its business accounts.

Revolut Business launches an all-in-one acquiring platform in Australia, unifying online, in-person and account-to-account payments.

Fintech investor Brian Collins has been appointed CEO of Enterprize Tasmania as it ramps up support for the state's growing startup scene.

Sage adds Copilot, AI agents and smarter automation to Sage X3, promising faster decisions for mid-sized finance and supply chain teams.

Security, privacy and data protection will command the biggest tech spend for Australian retail SMBs in 2026, ahead of AI and global growth.

OpenAI unveils an Australia-wide AI push, pairing a Sydney supercomputer campus with skills training and new startup support schemes.

OpenAI will levy a 4% fee on Shopify merchants for sales made via ChatGPT's integrated instant checkout from late January 2026.

CEFC commits up to AUD $60m so Hyundai Capital can cut loan rates on cheaper Hyundai and Kia EVs, targeting households and small firms.

Event planners in Australia and New Zealand face tighter budgets, faster turnarounds and lingering doubts over AI's place in their work.

20i unveils Twentie, an AI assistant embedded in its hosting platform, offering account-aware support, reports and analytics with unlimited use.

Asia-Pacific startup founders are growing older but no less ambitious, with most over 45 and four in ten still chasing unicorn valuations.

FOMO.ai has launched Hello Gordon, a voice-led AI interview tool that turns expert conversations into multi-format, search-ready content.

Xero rolls out a redesigned, widget-led homepage that surfaces real-time profit, cash flow and tasks in a custom view for each user.

AiDeliv's reverse-auction marketplace is slashing ocean freight for small importers to an average of USD $0.65 per kilo, data shows.

Avalara inks multi-year AWS deal to push its AI-driven tax tools via AWS Marketplace, promising simpler cloud procurement and billing.

Fingular taps Kilde for SGD $10m credit line to fund Southeast Asia expansion, ramping up Malaysia consumer lending under Tambadana.