Small businesses have found that online lending platforms can be a reliable alternative to the traditional banking sector and received nearly $10 billion in loans from these sources between 2015 and 2017, according to a study by NDP Analytics. Access to capital is one of the most significant hurdles that new and small businesses face to get off the ground or expand their operations and traditional small business loans have been in decline since 1995. The research showed that for every dollar borrowed, business sales increased by $2.31 meaning that the $10 billion investment led to approximately $37.7 billion in economic output along with an estimated 358,911 jobs created.
Major players in the online space, including Kabbage and OnDeck, saw a fifty percent jump in their loan issues during this time and the vast majority of those borrowing had sales of less than $500,000. The companies used the funds to produce more inventory, cover payroll, and invest in equipment and more extensive facilities during critical moments in their growth path. The average business borrowed $55,498 which shows that most are not overleveraging with their decision to take on debt to move forward.
Online lenders provide many advantages for small businesses compared to traditional institutions such as offering smaller loans with shorter terms, making credit decisions and access to cash extremely quick, and allowing payments and most business to be conducted through an online portal. These options will enable a company to be more nimble in how they approach financing and to find the terms that best suit their particular operation.
