Business briefing

What should a small business pay attention to in July?

Recently, several changes have been moving in the same direction and they affect business in one way or another: official communication is becoming more digital, marketing claims need better proof, AI transparency is getting closer, and summer cybersecurity routines matter.

11 July 2026

Written by Johannes Savolainen

1. Official communication is now part of digital operations

The Finnish Tax Administration notes that businesses, associations and other organisations receive decisions and letters only electronically in MyTax. PRH also highlights that from 2026, Trade Register notifications and applications must be submitted electronically, with sole traders excluded from that change.

2. Fewer companies face sustainability reporting, but digital filing remains

According to PRH, amendments to the Accounting Act entered into force on 30 June 2026 and reduce the number of companies subject to sustainability reporting. Companies still within scope must continue to file financial statements in digital structured form with the Trade Register.

3. Green marketing claims and repair information are becoming stricter

Government project information shows that amendments to consumer protection, waste and authority-powers legislation were confirmed on 26 June 2026. They concern marketing information, traders' pre-contract information duties and repair services for certain goods.

4. EU AI rules move closer to everyday business

The Council of the EU adopted a simplification package for AI rules on 29 June 2026. The Commission's draft transparency guidelines also note that AI Act transparency obligations start applying on 2 August 2026: users must be told when they interact with an AI system, and certain AI-generated content must be marked.

5. Summer means scams and patching risk

Traficom's June Cyber Weather highlighted the FortiBleed campaign, summer-season scams and the risk that substitutes or new staff may not know normal verification routines. Traficom also published a 2 July warning about a critical Linux kernel 6.0-7.1 vulnerability.

What is worth paying attention to?

Make one short checklist: 1) MyTax and PRH responsibilities, 2) website marketing claims, 3) AI tool use and customer notices, 4) summer fraud approval routines, 5) server and cloud updates. These steps reduce risk without turning it into a large project.

Sources

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