SME Finance & Rewards: Bank Islam handed out nearly RM2.5m in prizes to eight winners via its iGAIN SME Fortune Drive and Awfar campaigns, spotlighting financial discipline and small-business resilience. Tourism for MSMEs: Malaysia’s Islamic Tourism Month (ITM) 2026 is pushing Muslim-friendly travel while explicitly aiming to boost visibility and market reach for micro, small and medium enterprises. Local Business Growth: A Kansas farm and home store in Elkhart is changing hands, with a young owner rebranding and expanding offerings after a family transition. Consumer Pressure: U.S. consumer sentiment fell in September, with year-ahead expectations for finances and business conditions dropping—bad news for small-business demand. AI Skills for Entrepreneurs: The Dominican Republic’s RD Inteligente plan will train 1 million people in AI to improve productivity, including support for small business owners. Policy & Banking: A proposal would expand federal deposit insurance up to $5m for certain accounts, a move aimed at helping smaller banks compete for business deposits. Tax Enforcement Concerns: Philippine business groups say BIR examiners are still extorting entrepreneurs despite orders to suspend field audits. Cyber Risk for SMBs: Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is being actively exploited, with patch deadlines set for federal civilian agencies. Side Hustle Boom: A new wave of 2026 side hustles is emerging as AI and no-code tools make services easier to launch.