Tourism & Local Trade: St. Kitts welcomed Rhapsody of the Seas for another off-season Port Zante call, bringing 2,200 passengers and a boost for Port Zante small businesses like crafts, tours, and taxi operators. Destination Marketing: St. Vincent and the Grenadines unveiled a branded InterCaribbean aircraft, framing it as a partnership that should translate into more arrivals and more income for hotels, restaurants, artisans, and farmers. SME Finance & Credit Access (Caribbean): The Caribbean Development Bank approved a US$232,000 grant to help development finance institutions train on SME lending and roll out a web-based SME credit scoring and risk rating platform. Local Business Costs: St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Cost of Living Assistance Programme includes removing VAT on electricity bills from August–December 2026, cutting overhead for households and small commercial businesses. Organized Crime & Microenterprise Risk (Ecuador): InSight Crime highlighted how extortion in Durán, tied to the Chone Killers, has disrupted daily life and stifled small business activity. Digital Payments & Cross-Border Growth: SOLOWIN’s Gello Finance signed with ATTRUS to build liquidity and cross-border payment services in Latin America, starting with Mexico and Brazil. Cruise Economy Strategy (Trinidad & Tobago): A local economist argued cruise tourism can diversify the economy, but success depends on raising visitor spend and local enterprise participation. Online Visibility Warning: A commentary cautioned that social media and search are not a level playing field, since paid placement and algorithms shape what small businesses and customers see.