As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more and more crucial for making international trade easier, global organizations are stepping up to support startups and small businesses that use these technologies to boost their competitiveness. In this spirit, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its partners announced the winners of the 2026 Small Business Champions competition, which celebrates innovative AI-driven initiatives. The WTO's Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and this year in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), revealed the names of the winners and runners-up for the 2026 Small Business Champions competition. This event honors innovative initiatives that support small businesses using AI technologies. Rinato Space from Zambia and Koaloo.Fi from France won the top awards. The Colombian Chamber of Informatics and Communications (CCIT), in collaboration with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) from Colombia, and The Globby from Turkey, were recognized as runners-up. The winners were celebrated at a ceremony held at the WTO headquarters, just two days after the World MSME Day. The event saw the participation of Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Coordinator of the WTO's Informal Working Group on MSMEs, along with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO; Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the ITC; Valerie Picard, Head of Trade at the ICC; and Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU.
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