Small Business Finance: US and Global Trends

We’ve seen recent releases of interesting new small business finance data from “both sides of the pond” as they used to say.  Here in the US, we’re noting the Federal Reserve’s most recent 2026 Small Business Credit Report on Employer Firms.  Meanwhile, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released its annual Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs 2026 Scorecard.  

Both reports are full of useful information, but we’ll focus here on what they tell us about the current global state of small business finance. The high-level trends in both reports are somewhat similar.  Overall firm performance is stagnant or showing slight improvements, and finance opportunities are improving yet remain more expensive and more challenging to access when compared to pre-pandemic era patterns.  Both surveys found that many firms are actively using AI tools, and also project that AI tools may help improve financing options in the future.

In the US, the Fed survey finds that business expectations remain somewhat gloomy, with firms projecting low job and revenue growth in the coming year.  The biggest pressures on small business relate to reaching customers and increasing sales, but rising costs, including tariffs, were also cited as a major concern.

The OECD Scorecard offers a similarly sober take, with declining lending rates and higher finance costs, especially for the smallest firms.  In addition, fears of rising costs are growing, especially for businesses operating in the Middle East and other areas facing the current energy crunch.