// NEWS //
More than half of SMBs use AI to handle employee workloads
shows that the average small business headcounts across more than 200,000 active Bluevine customers have remained remarkably flat across the last three years. From October 2023 to July 2026 the average headcount of Bluevine customers stayed completely flat at 3.3 employees per account despite account balances growing X % in that time period. new report published by Bluevine,
A one of the largest digital banking platforms for small businesses in the US, has revealed that American small business owners are fundamentally decoupling revenue growth from headcount growth. According to Bluevine’ s Lean Team Economy Report, business owners are leveraging software and Artificial Intelligence to scale operations, preferring to run lean rather than expand their payrolls.
The survey of 729 US small business owners shows that while 60 % of small businesses are actively trying to grow and scale, 40 % have paused hiring or intentionally kept their teams small over the past 12 months. Rather than adding staff, owners are turning to technology: 53 % of small business owners report that AI and automation tools have already absorbed the workload equivalent to at least one full-time employee. This corresponds with Bluevine data that
While running a lean team delivers clear operational advantages, with 58 % of owners citing faster decision-making and another 58 % pointing to lower overhead and higher margins, it comes at a steep personal cost.
Nearly two-thirds( 65 %) of respondents state that operating with a lean team has negatively impacted their business or personal wellbeing. The single most common sacrifice was the owner’ s ability to take time off( 33 %), followed by burnout and mental health strains( 24 %).
Fulton Bank launches digital cash flow platform for SMEs
Fulton Bank is now offering CashFlow Central from Fiserv, a single, integrated payments hub, designed to help small businesses better manage accounts receivable and accounts payable in one digital experience.
Available through Fulton’ s small business mobile and online platforms, CashFlow Central helps business owners streamline payment activities, improve visibility into cash flow and spend less time on manual processes so they can focus on growing their businesses.
“ With CashFlow Central, we’ re delivering a more modern, efficient way for small businesses to manage their money,” said Phil Smith, Fulton Bank Director of Business Banking.“ By bringing invoicing, payments and reporting into a single hub, this service gives our customers the tools they need to stay organised, get paid faster and operate with greater confidence.”
Fulton Bank collaborated with Fiserv, a global payments and financial technology company, to deliver this solution to small business customers via Fulton’ s mobile and online banking platforms.
“ CashFlow Central gives financial institutions a powerful way to extend their value beyond traditional banking by helping small businesses simplify how they manage and move money,” said Justin Jackson, Head of CashFlow Central, Fiserv.“ By bringing payables, receivables and visibility into one experience, Fulton Bank is equipping its business clients with tools that reduce friction, improve cash flow insight and support day to day growth.”
The addition of CashFlow Central reflects Fulton Bank’ s ongoing commitment to supporting small businesses with practical, digital solutions tailored to their evolving needs.
Intelligent SME. tech
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