Intelligent SME.tech Issue 52 | Page 10

// LATEST UPDATES //
Growth is the main goal for nearly half of small businesses for 2025 , global survey finds
One of the main goals for small businesses in the new year is growth , according to a global survey of SMEs .
Peninsula Group conducted a survey of 79,000 SMEs across five countries – Australia , Canada , Ireland , New Zealand and the UK – to see what the top priorities and concerns were for employers in 2025 .
Growth is the main business goal for 47.2 % of SMEs ; up from 44.7 % this time last year . Businesses in Ireland and New Zealand are least optimistic , with only 36 % and 34.1 % respectively listing it as one of their top goals for the year ahead .
While this may seem optimistic , almost a quarter of all respondents globally ( 23.3 %) are just hoping to survive the year ahead , up from 20 % this time last year .
The UK and Ireland are least optimistic . The UK jumped from 18.8 % last year to 26 % this year , while Ireland increased from 18.8 % to 25.6 %.
Employment Hero acquires Canadian employment platform , Humi , in global expansion move
Funding Societies secures investment from Cool Japan Fund
Global employment solutions leader , Employment Hero , has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Humi , Canada ’ s trusted employment platform , in a deal estimated to be worth north of CA $ 100 million in one of the largest recent deals in Canadian tech .
The acquisition will facilitate Employment Hero ’ s expansion into Canada , a key market for the business as it seeks to broaden its global footprint , which currently serves over 2 million employees and 300,000 SMEs worldwide .
The deal will combine Employment Hero ’ s global innovation and Employment Operating System ( eOS ) with
Humi ’ s intimate understanding of the Canadian market , creating a localised solution for businesses .
Thousands of Humi SME customers will soon gain access to an all-in-one platform for payroll , HR and benefits , designed specifically for Canadian businesses . The companies aim to double this number in the near term as part of their goal to become the leader of employment management solutions in the region .
Funding Societies | Modalku , one of the largest unified SME digital finance platforms in Southeast Asia , has announced that it has raised US $ 25 million in equity investment from Cool Japan Fund ( CJF ) – Japan ’ s sovereign wealth fund . The investment from CJF signifies the fund ’ s first investment into a FinTech company in Southeast Asia .
Funding Societies will funnel the investment to deepen
its core business in SME financing across its five markets ( Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia , Thailand and Vietnam ), while further expanding its payments business since embarking on it in 2022 .
Having served SMEs in fulfilling their business potential for a decade , the company will focus on helping businesses get paid faster through innovative receivables and financing solutions . It will also leverage technology and AI to digitise and automate lending origination processes . These initiatives and synergies between payments and lending , align with the company ’ s objectives of achieving growth and profitability . �
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