SMB leaders feel largely positive about their business outlook

5 questions, Banking, Member Exclusive, SMB Finance

‘Traditional banks have equated advising with cross-selling’: Grasshopper’s Danielle Kane on why just 7% of SMBs see banks as trusted advisors

• Only 7% of SMB owners see their banks as trusted advisors, exposing a gap between transactional services and the strategic support they need.
• Grasshopper’s Danielle Kane says the SMB-bank relationship needs to shift from more tools to proactive guidance that helps businesses navigate complexity and scale.

Banking, Lending, Member Exclusive, Podcasts, SMB Finance

Live Oak Bank’s BJ Losch on why AI is an accelerant, not a strategy

• Live Oak Bank grew from lending only to veterinarians into 40 verticals without ever opening a branch.
• President BJ Losch explains how AI is helping cut SBA loan approval-to-close times from over 100 days toward a two-week target, while keeping the credit decision itself with a human underwriter.

Member Exclusive, SMB Finance

Why banks’ trusted-advisor pitch isn’t landing with SMBs right now

• For small business owners, banks still have a long way to go: just 7% view their bank as a true strategic partner, according to Grasshopper Bank’s recent survey.
• A major problem, says Grasshopper's Danielle Kane, is that many banks still see small-business banking as a product category rather than an operating environment with distinct needs.

Banking, SMB Finance

How BILL is becoming the financial backbone of the SMB economy

• BILL is embedding AP payments directly into major ERP and payroll platforms, turning fragmented SMB finance stacks into one seamless workflow with an 8M-business network behind it.
• New AI agents are slashing manual work in tax form collection and reconciliation by 80%+, part of BILL's bigger bet on becoming the financial infrastructure layer for the "Fortune 5 Million."

Banking, SMB Finance

Banks are making a bigger play for the SMB back office 

• Banks are evolving digital banking into a central workplace where SMBs can manage payments, cash flow, and financial decisions.
• From Capital One’s research to U.S. Bank’s Enhanced Payments, the focus is shifting from providing capital and payment rails to helping business owners make smarter financial decisions.