Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:

ATB Financial and Nmbr announce first-of-its-kind partnership to automate payroll for Alberta’s small businesses

By Business Wire — November 25, 2025

Source: Financial Post

ATB is embedding payroll directly into its business banking portal via a partnership with Nmbr, letting small businesses run payroll, manage CRA remittances, and handle compliance without a separate provider. The service promises faster processing—including two-day payroll at no extra cost—and is in pilot now, with wider rollout planned for 2026. For small businesses, it’s a notable step toward simplifying a notoriously manual, error-prone back office task.

Asia Pacific Buy Now Pay Later Business Report 2025: Market to grow by 14.5% to reach $211.7 billion this year

By Research and Markets — November 25, 2025

Source: Research and Markets

BNPL in Asia Pacific is projected to hit $211.7B in 2025 and nearly $358.6B by 2030, driven by super app integrations, cross-border commerce, and financial inclusion efforts. Growth is strongest across e-commerce and increasingly in sectors like travel, education, and healthcare, even as regulators tighten oversight to curb consumer debt risks. For merchants and SMEs, BNPL remains a conversion booster—especially in mobile-first markets—while compliance readiness becomes more important.

Sundaram Home Finance looks to double ‘Emerging Business’ branches in Central TN

By BL Chennai Bureau — November 25, 2025

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

Sundaram Home Finance plans to expand its ‘Emerging Business’ network in central Tamil Nadu from 12 to 25 branches, targeting ₹120 crore in disbursements over the next year. The focus is on small-ticket loans up to ₹20 lakh and affordable housing up to ₹40 lakh in Tier-3 and -4 towns. The move taps rising entrepreneurial activity beyond metros, widening access to credit for small-town business owners.

Amex GBT is exploring a sale

By Dennis Schaal — November 25, 2025

Source: Skift

Global Business Travel Group, fresh off its CWT acquisition, has reportedly hired advisors to explore a sale amid stock market pressures. Potential buyers range from private equity to players like Expedia, SAP Concur, and even Big Tech, as the firm pursues an AI-driven tech overhaul and deeper reach into small and unmanaged business travel. Any deal could reshape corporate travel options and pricing for small businesses.

An AI startup’s viral LinkedIn story and the ‘fake it till you make it’ approach

By Katherine Li — November 25, 2025

Source: Business Insider

Fireflies.ai’s founders say they initially posed as an AI notetaker while manually producing meeting notes to validate demand before building the product—sparking debate about pretotyping ethics. Supporters cite a common startup tactic of testing willingness to pay first; critics argue for clearer disclosure. The company later raised funding with a working product and is now reportedly valued at $1B, a reminder to validate real customer need while maintaining transparency as you scale.

Opinion: Cut taxes and stop punishing scale in order to improve productivity

By Ram C. Acharya — November 25, 2025

Source: Financial Post

Arguing that Canada’s lagging productivity fuels wider economic challenges, the piece calls for lower investment taxes, fewer interprovincial barriers, and policies that stop penalizing firms as they grow. The author urges shifting capital from housing to machinery, equipment, and intellectual property, and building a clearer bridge from research to commercialization. For small businesses, the takeaway is to watch for policy moves that reward investment, scaling, and R&D.

Systematic transformation of urban cold chain networks: From cross-regional dependencies to sustainable local excellence

By Kewei Wang, Kekun Fan, Yuhong Chen — November 25, 2025

Source: PLOS ONE

Researchers show that reconfiguring cold chain networks from long-haul dependencies to localized hubs can cut costs and carbon emissions by 44% while improving product freshness by 22%. Using a hierarchical optimization framework, the study demonstrates that economic, environmental, and service goals can be improved simultaneously. Grocers and distributors can take note: localizing facilities and optimizing routes can deliver both savings and sustainability gains.

CEO greed and corporate technological innovation: Analyst coverage as an external governance mechanism in China’s A-share market

By Yuanbo Hu, Ruiyuan Cong, Ran Teng, Baolong Ji — November 25, 2025

Source: PLOS ONE

Analyzing 2011–2023 data, the study finds CEO greed correlates with higher levels of exploitative (short-cycle) innovation, with analyst coverage amplifying the effect. The impact varies by firm and industry, suggesting external monitoring can channel aggressive incentives into tangible product improvements. The caution: near-term innovation may flourish, but leaders should balance it with long-cycle R&D to avoid short-termism.