Working Capital: Where the Private Sector & the Federal Government Connect

Access to capital is a primary issue cited by small and medium-sized companies for business growth – without adequate financing, new opportunities may go unfulfilled. Join us to discover a new pilot loan program recently launched by the Small Business Administration that intends to help close that trade finance gap by a bank’s leveraging trade finance expertise.

This pilot program represents a significant expansion of the SBA’s loan programs by adding a line of credit product with an innovative fee structure engineered to increase flexibility for small businesses and lenders, providing more options when structuring a line of credit to meet businesses’ specific needs:

· The Transaction-based Working Capital Program (WCP) will allow small businesses to fund individual projects or orders, enabling access to working capital earlier in the sales cycle;

· Asset-Based WCP loans will provide small businesses with a cost-effective way to access working capital against their assets, allowing small businesses to better manage their cash flow while also supporting supply chain resiliency.

· For small businesses participating in the global marketplace, the WCP is designed to support both domestic and international sales under one facility.

· For small businesses participating in the Home Energy Rebate Programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the WCP provides a new solution to help companies ramp up capacity and mobilize service.

Presentations by Keith Schlegel and Ursula Wegrzynowicz, Office of International Trade, U.S. Small Business Administration.

Host or Publisher Internat'l Trade Assn of Greater Chicago & CITCA