Infrastructure Week, March 2025

Infrastructure Week - Small-Ticket Lending in a High-Cost Economy. Infrastructure Week covers all things lending tech and transformation.

Top of mind - March 2025
Inflation, volatile energy prices, and tariffs - there’s new reality for lenders and borrowers. Amid economic uncertainty, demand for small-dollar loans is reshaping SMB lending. Our new white paper explores how lenders can scale small-ticket programs profitably with smarter infrastructure, real-time cash flow data, and sharper growth strategies.

White Paper TLDR: What We’re Seeing and What’s Next

• Loan sizes: SMBs want faster, shorter-term capital amid uncertainty.
• Lenders shifting: Those focused on larger loans will move into small-dollar space to pursue growth.
• Cash flow is the new credit: Real-time performance is the unlock.
• New entrants: From fintechs to SaaS platforms, embedded lending is continuing to accelerate.
• Infrastructure is the battleground: Automation, data, and digital experiences will define who scales.

Read out the full report here!

📖 Ned Reading List - March 2025

• Consumer confidence plummets to lowest level since January 2021 (CNN)
• U.S. manufacturing is shrinking again as Trump's tariffs set in(Yahoo Finance)
• Fed’s Bostic Now Sees Just One Rate Cut This Year Due to Tariffs (Bloomberg)
• Small Businesses Are Running Out of Moves in Trump’s Trade War (WSJ)
• Small Business Administration to reorganize, cut about 2,700 jobs (AP)
• Bessent Resists DOGE Cuts That Put Low-Income Lending Program Under Fire(Bloomberg)
• Fed’s Kugler Watching Pickup in Prices, Inflation Expectations (Bloomberg)
• Trump tariffs will raise gasoline and electricity prices in the U.S., Canada energy minister says (CNBC)

💡 What’s Top of Mind?

We’d love to share your questions, insights, and hot takes in future issues!