Payments & fees: India’s National Traders’ Welfare Board member urged the government to withdraw the new 0.4% UPI Merchant Discount Rate on higher-value transactions, warning it could raise costs for small merchants and push prices up. Energy & data centers: The U.S. House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act to stop “cost shifting” from AI-driven data center buildouts onto households and small businesses via utility-rate hikes. Antitrust & ad tech: A federal court ordered Google to change ad-auction rules, improve interoperability, and add an internal antitrust monitor—without ordering a breakup—raising stakes for publishers and smaller ad-tech players. Local business pressure from policy: Trump signed an order ending a 2009 Chesapeake Bay mandate that states used to justify stormwater “rain taxes,” which often hit households and small businesses. Workforce policy: A proposed U.S. law would gradually move the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours, with overtime rules and pay protections—forcing employers to rethink staffing. SME risk management: Thailand’s insurance regulator is pushing SME resilience in Songkhla by encouraging owners to match risks with appropriate insurance coverage. Business finance & growth: Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation is bringing back its free BizConnect “Headshots & Handshakes” networking event to help local owners refresh branding and expand connections.