SBA Delivers $100 Billion in Fiscal 2026: $39.5 Billion in Guaranteed Loans, Third-Highest on Record
Washington — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on November 2 that it closed fiscal year 2026 with $100 billion in capital and related assistance delivered through its flagship programs, the second straight year at $100 billion. The agency guaranteed 62,205 loans totaling $39.5 billion under its 7(a) and 504 programs, the third-highest lending volume in agency history.
The SBA said it reached those totals despite a 43-day federal government shutdown that halted 7(a) and 504 lending for nearly two months of the fiscal year. Because the programs were frozen, the agency estimated it could not guarantee about $170 million in loans each business day, totaling roughly $5 billion in financing that otherwise could have been approved during the year.
By program, the 7(a) program approved 56,130 loans totaling $32.4 billion and the 504 program approved 6,075 loans totaling $7.1 billion, a combined 1,350 small business loans each week. The SBA supported more than 9,700 startups through the two programs, totaling $6.5 billion in financing, and guaranteed 10,314 loans totaling $6.5 billion to rural small businesses. Lending was strongest in accommodation, retail trade, health care, construction and manufacturing, with construction and manufacturing businesses receiving a combined $7 billion through 11,790 loans.
On investment and disaster relief, the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program closed the year with a record $60 billion portfolio in combined private capital and SBA leverage. The agency approved 46 new SBIC licenses, expected to support more than $12 billion in total investment, and 35 conditional pre-approval letters expected to generate another $8 billion. The SBA approved 5,879 disaster loans totaling $272 million and disbursed 5,371 loans totaling $192 million, and obligated $419 million to support counseling, training and technical assistance for entrepreneurs nationwide.
"Despite a federal shutdown that halted SBA lending for nearly two months, the agency delivered its third-highest loan volume on record and closed the year with a record SBIC investment portfolio," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. She said new business formations exceeded 500,000 in nearly every month of the year, driving historic demand for SBA-backed capital.
The agency also introduced specialized lending tools during the year: its 90% Made in America Guarantee approved 149 loans totaling nearly $300 million, the new 90% Grocery Guarantee approved 79 loans totaling $145 million, and the Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit (MARC) program approved 59 loans totaling $54 million.
(Source: U.S. Small Business Administration)
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国小企业局局长 Kelly Loeffler 官方肖像（2025年）。照片：美国小企业局，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler (2025). Photo by the U.S. Small Business Administration, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
