SME Growth & Access: India’s QCI and NSIC signed a five-year MoU to help MSMEs adopt quality and reach markets, tying ZED certification to digital commerce, ONDC onboarding, AI product cataloguing, and export promotion. Industry Support: India’s textiles ministry is turning former powerloom service centres into Integrated Textile and Apparel Development Centres, offering skills, testing, design, tech upgrades, credit facilitation, and market linkages for MSMEs. Local Marketing for Small Firms: SeoSamba launched LocalEko, a done-for-you local marketing engine aimed at small businesses, franchisees, and multi-location brands that runs in the background. Digital Skills Push: Telkom pledged R100m to create an AI Institute to train young people and small businesses for an AI-driven economy. Community Business Funding: Wisconsin’s WEDC awarded $250k to Appleton’s Long Cheng MarketPlace for a major renovation supporting immigrant and underserved entrepreneurs. Small Business Pressure Points: A Liverpool takeaway owner said he “couldn’t sleep” if he deceived customers, while a Glasgow outlet store was hit by a break-in that wiped out stock and cash. Policy & Compliance: Liberia highlighted IP reforms at WIPO to expand entrepreneur support and strengthen protections for creators and innovators. Business Closures: Mill Hall Pharmacy announced it will close permanently July 28, with prescriptions transferring to CVS. Recognition: WIPO named 11 Global Award winners, spotlighting SMEs using IP to scale and solve real-world problems.