Workforce & Youth Pathways: Target Huron launched the $100,000 RISE initiative to connect high school juniors and seniors to credentials, internships, and entrepreneurship-ready skills across five counties. SME Funding: Namibia’s ProSME project rolled out an SME Fund targeting women- and youth-led micro, small, and medium businesses to boost competitiveness and growth. Local Business Climate: Dhaka’s business leaders called the FY2026-27 budget “business-friendly,” but warned success hinges on hitting revenue targets and fixing weak execution. Federal Procurement Push: The SBA and GSA moved to remove nearly two dozen foreign product listings from GSA Advantage! after concerns about “Made in America” claims, aiming to protect U.S. manufacturers in federal buying. Energy Costs for Small Projects: Hawaii’s governor extended solar tax credits for commercial and industrial projects to prevent deal pullbacks after lawmakers capped credits. Community Commerce: Jamestown, Falconer, and Hamburg won major downtown revitalization funding to drive local shopping and visitor activity. Retail Payments Trend: Buy Now Pay Later is gaining traction in South Africa, with retailers reporting higher basket sizes and shifting spend away from lay-by. Small Business Spotlight: Iowa’s Leah Jean Boutique was named Small Business of the Week by Sen. Joni Ernst. Tech & AI Competition: Anthropic’s rapid vertical AI rollout is raising alarms among enterprise software partners as it moves closer to competing products. Entrepreneurship & Growth Programs: Enterprise Room expanded from consultancy into program delivery, citing support for thousands of SMEs and large-scale funding deployment.