Welcome to the first edition of Small Business Blender, a monthly newsletter dedicated to all things small business lending, banking and more. Every month, we’ll distill down insights from industry peers, highlight industry trends and news, and offer our own opinions and predictions.
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Findings from the 2024 Small Business Credit Survey
The Federal Reserve Banks published their annual Small Business Credit Survey, which is always a rich source of data around small business lending. Among the notable insights is a decline in lender satisfaction, particularly with online lenders.
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CFPB to revamp small business data collection rule
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is “assessing” its 2023 small-business data collection rule with an eye toward retooling it.
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Small business loan demand increases despite year-over-year decreases in new small business lending and tightening credit standards
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, in Q4 2024, new small business lending decreased when compared to the same period in 2023, while outstanding loan balances increased.
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Study finds cash flow crisis deepening for small businesses amid tariffs and consumer pullback
A recent survey by PYMNTS underscores the challenges small businesses are facing as they grapple with tariffs, cautious consumers and a generally uncertain regulatory atmosphere.
“The findings reveal that about half of SMBs rely on immediate sales or existing cash for survival, with business credit cards being the most common form of financing for those with access. SMBs with access to some method of financing demonstrate greater confidence in navigating economic challenges.”
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Cash flow underwriting: A practical credit risk implementation guide for lenders
On behalf of Fintech Takes, Tim Bates of Efficient Frontier Risk Strategies recently published a great report on the benefits of cash flow underwriting for both consumer and small business lending.
“And while both consumer and business lending uses have been successful, for business lending the greatest applicability and utility has been in the micro and small-business areas (e.g., less than $5 million in annual sales).”
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PayPal surpasses $30B in global small business lending
PayPal recently announced that it has passed $30 billion in global loan originations and has extended more than 1.4 million loans and cash advances to more than 420,000 business accounts globally since 2013.
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Lessons from building an all-digital Canadian bank for small businesses
Elodie Bouneau, Senior Director, Product at Flipp, outlines some of the lessons she’s learned over the past three years in building an all-digital challenger bank for Canadian small businesses.
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Revolutionizing small business banking in 2025
Manny Tocco, Chief Operating Officer of Business Banking at Citizens Bank, joins the Banking Transformed podcast to share his insights on the major trends impacting small businesses and how FIs must reimagine their small business banking model from the ground up, balancing high-tech capabilities with high-touch relationship management.
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Why doesn’t every small business have a credit card?
In a deep dive essay for Fintech Takes, Alex Johnson tackles this question head on. He also predicts that within 10 years, a majority of new small business credit card accounts will be originated through embedded distribution channels.
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[Video] Cash flow lending to small businesses
How do JUDI.AI clients describe their experience with cash flow lending to small businesses? Hear from Ent Credit Union, Unitus Community Credit Union and Apple Federal Credit Union on their journey to date with the JUDI platform.
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[Video] Small Business Advisor experience with Vancity Credit Union
How is JUDI.AI streamlining the small business lending process and making life easier for Small Business Advisors at Vancity Credit Union?
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Cash flow lending to small business: A profitable segment and strategic source of deposits
For York Public Relations’ recent 2025 State of Fintech report, JUDI was invited to contribute a piece on the strong connection between small business lending and deposits.
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Small Business Lending Summit
On May 21-22, JUDI is co-hosting our first-ever Small Business Lending Summit with Vancity in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It’s a unique opportunity to bring together community FIs from across Canada and the U.S. in person to learn about Vancity’s small business lending journey.
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Welcome aboard!
We’re thrilled to welcome four community lenders to the JUDI platform.
- Compass Credit Union | $225M | Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
- Steinbach Credit Union | $10B | Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada
- Ent Credit Union | $9.9B | Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Unitus Community Credit Union | $1.7B | Portland, Oregon
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In case you missed it
Financial Brand summarized a Deloitte report on the evolving role of the business banking relationship manager in the age of AI.
FinRegLab published a comprehensive report on the emerging use of cash flow data in small business lending.
The CFPB published a study revealing significant disparities in how lenders treat Black and white small business owners seeking loans.
PYMNTS published survey data on small business’ preferences for credit options and how cash flow impacts the availability of those options.
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