Businesses

• Long-term U.S. Treasury yields surged to their highest levels since 2007 on Tuesday, triggering a significant bond market sell-off. • In response to the volatility, the Treasury Secretary doubled the government's buyback of debt to stabilize the market. • This "bond market quake" is expected to increase borrowing costs for governments, businesses, and consumers, potentially slowing economic growth.

• European governments are aggressively seeking new ways to fund cutting-edge start-ups to bridge a nearly $1 trillion investment gap. • The initiative aims to bolster Europe's ability to compete with the United States and China in the development of pioneering technologies. • Officials attribute the current competitive disadvantage to soaring energy costs, high labor expenses, and the European Union's slow decision-making processes.

• China is intensifying its crackdown on online rumors targeting businesses, with a specific focus on combating AI-generated misinformation. • To support these efforts, the Supreme People's Court is currently developing new judicial policies regarding AI and data rights. • The country's top legislature has officially added AI-related legislation to its preliminary legislative agenda to strengthen the legal framework.

• CrowdStrike's 2026 Threat Hunting Report has identified a new cyberattack trend called "LLMJacking," where hackers hijack corporate AI access to inflate usage costs. • In one highlighted incident, attackers utilized a stolen cloud identity to execute nearly 200,000 API requests within a two-minute window. • This shift in tactics differs from traditional data theft or ransomware, as attackers treat AI access as a financial resource to run up massive bills for the victimized business.

• The UK economy grew by 0.4% in the second quarter, with growth in June offsetting a stagnation in May despite geopolitical tensions involving Iran. • Ofwat has authorized five English water companies to increase household bills to fund £3.4bn in infrastructure spending for datacenters, housing, and chemical removal. • Southern Water will see the most significant impact, with average bill increases of £43 in the 2027/28 financial year and £37 in 2029/30.

• The U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a final rule eliminating beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements for U.S. companies and persons. • This decision comes more than two years after the Treasury first began accepting BOI reports under the Corporate Transparency Act. • While the reporting mandates are removed for these entities, the Corporate Transparency Act itself remains active on the books.

Tariffs are annoying and disruptive, but this round is less impactful – and business owners are taking them in their strideRebounding from his defeat at the supreme court in February, Donald Trump has recently announced a new round of tariffs, invoking sections of various trade acts to levy amounts on industries and countries based on reasons ranging from “forced labor” to “excess capacity”.And how are small and medium-sized businesses in the US reacting? One word: snoozefest. Continue reading...

• France will become the first European nation to implement a social media ban for users under 15 starting September 1. • Similar restrictions are being drafted by 10 other EU countries, including Spain, Sweden, Greece, and Portugal, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushes for EU-wide regulations. • These bans force brands to urgently rethink their marketing strategies and find new ways to reach the youngest generation of consumers.

• London-based startup Inforcer has raised $50 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Partners to help small businesses manage AI and cybersecurity risks. • Since launching in 2023, the company has focused on product development, including a "Shadow AI" detection tool to identify unauthorized AI usage on corporate devices. • The funding follows rapid evolutions in cyber threats, prompting Inforcer to launch a real-time threat detection and response tool to mitigate security vulnerabilities.

• The EU Commission is opening its laboratories to businesses to accelerate the transition of scientific discoveries into commercial products. • The initiative aims to speed up innovation by reducing bureaucratic hurdles, simplifying funding access, and bridging research gaps between Member States. • This move is designed to create a more efficient pathway for startups and technology firms to bring new innovations to the market.

• Experts are urging AI developers and deployers to begin preparing for compliance with the EU AI Act's new transparency requirements. • The regulations mandate that businesses must clearly label and disclose content generated by AI, specifically targeting "deepfakes" and generative-AI outputs. • These rules matter as they aim to protect consumers from misinformation and ensure the authenticity of digital content across the European Union.

• AI Appreciation Day serves as a catalyst for Asia Pacific businesses to move beyond celebrating technology and evaluate the actual operational impact of AI. • Companies are shifting focus from theoretical potential to identifying specific use cases that drive efficiency and tangible business value. • This transition is critical as regional firms seek to bridge the gap between AI experimentation and scalable, revenue-generating implementation.

• U.S. businesses are increasingly shifting from American AI models to Chinese open-weight alternatives due to rising token costs and financial pressures. • This trend is evidenced by the rapid adoption of Z.ai’s GLM 5.2, which became the fastest-adopted model on its platform in 2026. • Within its first full week of launch, GLM 5.2 saw a 27-fold increase in daily token volume and an 80% growth in its customer base.

• Kingsoft Office demonstrated a new AI tool in Hong Kong on July 9, 2026, designed to automate complex business workflows. • The demo featured a product manager using a single command to stream CRM data and parse a 300-line procurement document for evaluation. • This shift toward "AI that actually does the work" aims to move beyond simple chatbots to functional automation that can win over Asian businesses.

• Kaspersky reports that Malaysian businesses are facing increased cybersecurity risks driven by the adoption of AI tools, poor password management, and the prevalence of hybrid work models. • The report highlights that these vulnerabilities create critical gaps in workplace security, making organizations more susceptible to data breaches and cyberattacks. • This trend is significant as digital transformation accelerates across the Asia Pacific region, leaving companies struggling to balance innovation with robust security protocols.

• Comcast's Sky has reached an agreement to acquire the networks and streaming businesses of UK media giant ITV in a deal valued at $2.13 billion. • The transaction excludes ITV Studios, the company's production arm, which is slated to become a standalone business following the acquisition. • This strategic move allows Sky to significantly expand its content distribution and streaming capabilities within the competitive UK television market.

• Primotech, a global IT solutions and AI consulting firm with operations in Mohali, India, and offices in Texas and California, is positioning itself as a key partner for businesses transitioning to AI-ready infrastructures. • The company argues that simply having a website or ranking on Google is no longer a competitive advantage as the business landscape evolves toward 2026. • This shift matters because businesses must now build foundational AI capabilities to maintain growth and operational efficiency in an increasingly automated market.

• Europe holds €37 trillion in savings, yet a significant portion fails to reach businesses due to a lack of integrated capital markets. • EU leadership views a comprehensive Capital Markets Union (CMU) as essential for competing with the US in strategic sectors, specifically AI and defense. • Despite this priority, member states remain reluctant to deepen integration, hindering the creation of a unified financial system.

President’s crypto ventures have eclipsed in revenue much of his property portfolio that took decades to accumulateDonald Trump raked in more than $1bn from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Monday shows, giving a substantial boost to his annual income.In his second term, the president and his family have heavily invested in digital money and various crypto businesses with Trump announcing at the start of 2025 that he wanted the US to be the “crypto capital of the world”. Trump’s crypto earnings are in addition to profit from his legal settlements, real estate and royalty deals. Continue reading...

• The Five Eyes intelligence alliance issued a critical warning that AI-powered cyberattacks are accelerating and could target businesses within months. • Intelligence agencies signal that AI is evolving beyond productivity tools to become one of the most significant cybersecurity threats facing the private sector. • This shift matters as AI enables attackers to automate complex breaches and scale sophisticated threats more rapidly than traditional methods.

• The CEO of J2 argues that cybercrime poses a more significant threat to businesses than the inherent risks of artificial intelligence. • The primary danger lies in criminals leveraging AI to automate attacks, effectively removing the "human effort" that previously acted as a bottleneck for hackers. • This shift matters because businesses may be focusing their security concerns on the wrong targets, ignoring how AI empowers malicious actors to scale their operations.

• A record-breaking heat wave in 2026 is severely impacting European productivity, transport, retail, and tourism, turning extreme weather into a permanent corporate cost. • Rail operators in France, Belgium, and the UK have reduced services due to track buckling, while the Louvre implemented early closures from Wednesday through Saturday. • The human toll is significant, with French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reporting at least 40 drownings since June 18 as people sought relief in water.

• A recent report reveals that 65% of organizations believe a serious cyber attack could potentially threaten their business survival. • This heightened concern follows highly disruptive attacks on major companies such as M&S and Jaguar Land Rover, highlighting the vulnerability of large enterprises. • Cyber incidents remain the primary cause of IT downtime and data loss, with AI-driven attacks more than doubling in frequency over the last 12 months.

One Nation leader says she isn’t suggesting Australia get rid of taxpayer-funded parental leave entitlementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson says small businesses will “fold” under the cost of providing paid parental leave, as Labor suggested the One Nation leader didn’t understand how the policy worked.It is not compulsory for employers to pay parental leave entitlements in Australia, though most businesses do provide it and employees are entitled to 12 months of unpaid leave. Continue reading...

• InCorp reports that AI is rapidly evolving the cybersecurity landscape, creating a "new reality" where businesses must balance technological opportunities against increasingly sophisticated threats. • The report highlights a critical vulnerability in vendor exposure, noting that cybersecurity has become a fundamental trust issue between companies and their clients. • Data shows that 65% of consumers immediately lose trust in a brand following a security breach, with recovery of that confidence taking significantly longer than the incident resolution.

Start-ups and testamentary trusts to receive carve-outs after criticism of Labor’s CGT changesAll of Australia’s 2.7m small businesses will receive “generous” exemptions from capital gains tax, as Anthony Albanese flagged startups and testamentary trusts would receive carve outs from the government’s contentious tax reforms.The prime minister’s announcement on Thursday follows weeks of sustained criticism from industry groups, who have labelled the move from a flat 50% CGT discount model to an inflation-linked approach as a “tax on growth”. Continue reading...

• A report by team.blue, based on a survey of 10,059 businesses across 32 European markets, identifies a growing "Visibility Gap" affecting how companies reach customers. • The study highlights that the rise of AI, evolving search algorithms, and increasing advertising costs are fundamentally redefining the process of customer discovery. • This shift matters because traditional search methods are becoming less effective, potentially leaving smaller European businesses unable to compete for online visibility.

A year ago it was the hot topic, but business owners have seen there’s a limit to the president’s royal decreesIn two weeks, I’m speaking to a group of companies in the packaging industry about issues affecting their businesses this year. I’m going to discuss the economy, navigating higher costs, leveraging new tax legislation, AI and what companies are doing to find and retain workers in a volatile job market.You know what I won’t be talking about? Tariffs. Continue reading...