The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it will close Fiscal Year 2025 with the most capital ever delivered to small businesses, citing a surge in demand and renewed confidence under President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to the agency, the SBA guaranteed 84,400 small business loans totaling $44.8 billion, marking the highest lending volume in its history. That figure includes 77,600 loans through the 7(a) program worth $37 billion and 6,750 loans through the 504 program totaling $7.8 billion. Most of the loans were approved after President Trump took office in January 2025.
The SBA said it now guarantees an average of 1,600 small business loans per week, totaling $860 million, or 320 loans per workday, totaling $170 million. Loeffler credited the record-setting activity to historic tax relief, fair-trade policies, and deregulation that have revitalized business optimism nationwide.
Since President Trump took office, the agency has approved more than 58,000 7(a) and 504 loans representing over $32 billion in capital delivered to small businesses. That includes 3,500 loans to small manufacturers totaling $2.6 billion and 8,900 loans to startups worth $5.6 billion. The SBA also approved 27,000 disaster loans for more than $4 billion since Inauguration Day.
The record lending comes as the U.S. economy continues to show strength. Since January, the administration has helped create more than 500,000 private-sector jobs, driven real wage growth, and boosted small business optimism to a six-month high, exceeding its 52-year average, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The agency’s performance also reflects major internal changes. Earlier this year, the SBA reduced its workforce by 43% and implemented stricter underwriting standards to curb defaults and delinquencies that occurred in FY 2024 under the Biden Administration. Despite a leaner staff, Loeffler said the streamlined agency is now “delivering near-record capital across America’s small business economy.”
Ultimately, the agency said it plans to continue strengthening its loan programs to sustain momentum in Main Street investment and job creation.
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