SME Finance & Growth: Zimbabwe’s Zida unveiled a US$17m investment pipeline aimed at SMEs and local industry, including a US$12m gold mining expansion in Kwekwe, a US$4.56m solar panel assembly plant in Chivhu, and a US$500k cloud ERP platform for SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Capital Markets: Reliance’s Jio Platforms approved and released its DRHP for an IPO of up to 27 crore equity shares, as Mukesh Ambani said Jio has crossed 524 million users and is pushing 5G, satellite broadband, and AI. AI for Small Business: Wayflyer acquired Conjura, an AI ecommerce analytics platform, to help SMBs consolidate fragmented commerce data and use AI insights for growth and margin decisions. Payments & Commerce: Payaza launched Shopaza, a cloud e-commerce platform with an AI store builder and integrated payments for African merchants, promising instant settlement and built-in inventory and analytics. SMB Lending Access: Hungary’s government is ending a fixed 3% interest rate on certain Széchenyi Card liquidity loans, warning it could raise borrowing costs for startups and small businesses. Policy & Costs: Washington state business leaders report worsening conditions, with more employers considering relocation amid tax hikes and regulation burdens. Local Business Support: Copper State Credit Union promoted Amy Ward to expand business lending services for small businesses in Arizona’s North Valley.