#financing
Financing
Business financing options and funding strategies
The SBA's 90% Grocery Guarantee: A Financing Guide for Small Grocers and Food Businesses
The SBA's 90% Grocery Guarantee, launched May 2026, raises the federal guarantee on food-supply-chain loans from 75% to 90% — up to $5 million over 25 years — and approved $30 million in its first month. Here's who qualifies, how it differs from a standard 7(a) loan, and what lenders need to see in your books before you apply.
The SBA's New 90% Grocery Guarantee: A Financing Lifeline for Small Grocers and Food Suppliers
The SBA's 2026 Grocery Guarantee raises its loan guarantee from 75% to 90% for roughly 20 qualifying food-supply-chain NAICS codes, covering loans up to $5 million with terms up to 25 years, and backed 19 loans totaling more than $30 million in its first month.
SBA MARC Loans Explained: FY2026 Fee Waivers for Manufacturers
The SBA has waived upfront fees on 7(a) and 504 loans for manufacturers through September 2026 and launched MARC, a revolving credit line up to $5 million for NAICS 31-33 businesses, after issuing its first $3.5 million in MARC loans to four manufacturers in December 2025.
C-PACE Financing for Commercial Property Energy Upgrades: Rates, Terms, and the Lender Consent Catch
C-PACE financing lets commercial property owners fund HVAC, solar, and resiliency upgrades with 100% financing repaid through the property tax bill at 5.5%-9.5% fixed rates over 20-30 years, though the senior-lien structure requires existing mortgage lender consent, which is the most common closing bottleneck.
SBA's Made in America Loan Guarantee: A Manufacturer's Financing Guide
The SBA's Made in America enhancement raises the 7(a) International Trade Loan guarantee to 90% on loans up to $5 million for manufacturers and waives guarantee fees through fiscal year 2026, cutting a lender's unguaranteed exposure on a $3 million loan from roughly $750,000 to $300,000.
New State Disclosure Laws Are Forcing Merchant Cash Advance Providers to Show Their Real Numbers
Ten states now require merchant cash advance providers to disclose an APR alongside the factor rate, turning opaque MCA pricing into an apples-to-apples comparison for small business owners.
B2B "Buy Now, Pay Later": How Net-Terms Financing Lets Small Suppliers Offer Credit Without Eating the Risk
B2B Buy Now, Pay Later platforms pay suppliers upfront on Net 30/60/90 invoices and take on non-recourse collection risk, with transaction volume around $14 billion in 2023 forecast to grow at over 25% annually through 2030.
Building Business Credit From Zero: The D-U-N-S, Net-30, and SBSS Playbook
Building business credit from zero follows a fixed sequence — form an LLC, get an EIN, obtain a D-U-N-S number, open vendor accounts that report to bureaus, then add a business credit card — with PAYDEX and FICO SBSS scores following naturally from on-time payment history.
The Fed's 2026 Rate Pause: What It Means for Your Variable-Rate SBA Loan
The Fed held rates at 3.50%-3.75% for a fourth consecutive meeting in June 2026, keeping the prime rate at 6.75% and SBA 7(a) variable rates near 9-11.5% APR, so refinancing into a fixed rate can pay off once you account for SBA prepayment penalties (5%/3%/1% in years one through three) and lender fees.
Letters of Credit for First-Time Exporters: How a Bank Guarantee Gets You Paid Overseas
A letter of credit is a bank's guarantee to pay an exporter once shipping documents match its terms exactly — issuance typically costs 0.75%-2% of the transaction, and the ICC estimates 60-70% of first-time document presentations get rejected for discrepancies.
Revenue-Based Financing: How to Trade a Slice of Future Sales for Growth Capital Without Giving Up Equity
Revenue-based financing repays a lender 2-8% of monthly revenue until a 1.2x-3x cap is reached, typically costing 20-50% effective APR versus 40-300%+ for merchant cash advances, with no equity or collateral required.
SBA 7(a) and 504 Loan Eligibility in 2026: New Citizenship Rules and the End of SBSS Credit Scoring
Effective March 1, 2026, SBA 7(a) and 504 loans require 100% of direct and indirect owners to be U.S. citizens or nationals with a U.S. principal residence — green card holders no longer qualify — and the FICO SBSS score is retired in favor of a 1.10 minimum debt service coverage ratio and full commercial credit analysis. Here's who's affected and how to prepare.