While Wall Street rejoiced at the U.S.-China tariff truce, small businesses have less to celebrate. As The New York Times (NYT) reported Tuesday (May 27), these enterprises are struggling even after a drop in tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%. “Six weeks ago, 30 percent would...
To thrive in today’s fragmented retail landscape, small and medium-sized businesses must close the digital divide and embrace unified commerce strategies. It’s a good summary of PYMNTS’ new 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index: SMB Edition, which surveyed 18,468 consumers and 3,464 merchants across eight countries, including the...
No longer secondary considerations, the speed and efficiency of receiving non-recurring, or ad hoc, disbursements are becoming critical factors influencing an SMB’s operational stability and competitive position. The payments landscape for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the United States is undergoing a significant transformation,...
Staffing cuts and tighter underwriting standards have reportedly made it more difficult for entrepreneurs to get help from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA’s staffing level, which had surged to nearly 10,000 during the pandemic before falling to 6,000 by the end of the...
Keep has emerged from stealth mode and announced it raised 108 million Canadian dollars (about $78 million) to support the development of its financial platform for Canada’s small businesses. This small business banking platform includes solutions designed to meet the requirements of Canadian tax systems,...
Social media’s reach has brought influencers, tweets and videos to mobile devices, changing the face of commerce and the ways businesses, particularly small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), can drive sales. PYMNTS Intelligence’s “Global Digital Shopping Index: SMB Edition,” commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that...
Many lenders appear to be significantly underestimating the burgeoning opportunity presented by embedded lending, potentially ceding market share and bottom-line growth. According to a recent report, “Embedded Lending: From the Lender’s Perspective,” commissioned by Visa and produced by PYMNTS, embedded lending involves integrating credit tools...
Optimism among small businesses in the United States continues to fade, thanks partly to tariffs. The April installment of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) optimism index, released Tuesday (May 13), found that sentiment among small businesses declined for the fourth straight month. “Uncertainty...
Beyond the earnings season focus on consumer spending and consumer lending, the recent quarterly results from the likes of Block, Shopify and PayPal show that merchants are utilizing those same platforms to access capital in an uncertain environment in order to buy inventory and cover...