Welcome to the Agentic Era: Change Is the New Normal — Inside the Liberis x Google Partner Event

Last week, Liberis and Google welcomed partners from across the world to Google’s London HQ for an event designed to do more than share updates. It set out to reframe how we think about small business finance, and how embedded capital, contextual finance, and AI are fundamentally reshaping what’s possible.

Over the past 18 months, Liberis has released 106 new product features, and not minor tweaks, but major launches that have enabled new countries, unlocked new products, and opened up entirely new use cases. The business has doubled its number of strategic partnerships to 50, scaled into 16 countries across Europe and North America, and tripled the number of merchants being served.

Each month, over 2.2 million merchants are being analysed and supported through the Liberis platform. That’s a huge leap, but still just scratching the surface. In context, there are over 5 million SMBs in the UK, 32 million in Europe, and another 30 million in the US. The gap between what’s possible and what’s already being done is the opportunity, and the challenge, we’re tackling head-on.

Small businesses are operating in a climate shaped by instability and acceleration. Geopolitical tensions, global trade shifts, and the rise of AI are all reshaping how commerce happens. In this environment, the funding needs of SMBs are changing, and changing fast.

A recent survey carried out by Liberis of over 850 merchants found that 32% believe tariffs and trade tensions will get worse, and that they’ll be forced to raise prices just to stay afloat. More broadly, most small businesses now rely on five to eight funding products throughout their lifecycle. But the market isn’t built to flex with that level of complexity. Providers are still trying to make one-size-fits-all solutions work in a world where nothing is one-size anymore.

The result is a messy, fragmented experience where businesses constantly switch lenders, reapply from scratch, and rebuild their profiles again and again, wasting time, energy, and momentum. It’s inefficient. It’s painful. And it’s holding SMBs back.

That’s why Liberis is doubling down on two big bets for future growth and impact.

The first is smarter funding. One platform, powered by real-time data and AI, that meets businesses where they are, matches them with the right product, and adapts with them as they grow.

The second is contextual finance. It’s time to move beyond traditional application journeys. What if funding were there, in the moment it was needed, embedded in the tools businesses already use — no separate forms, no follow-up calls, no delays?

These two approaches aren’t just product upgrades. They’re a complete rethink of how finance should work for small businesses. And when done right, they don’t just help merchants — they drive loyalty, conversion, and lifetime value for partners too. This blog series will unpack these themes 

We dig into how the Liberis Capital Platform is making that first bet a reality, with AI models that predict growth, personalise offers, and evolve alongside the business.