Main Street Challenges and Policy Solutions — ⁠The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability

The small business economy, and the capital that fuels it, are changing in dramatic ways. Innovations in financing, new patterns of entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and shifting market and policy dynamics are reshaping what it means to own, operate, and grow a small business in the United States. What is the future of the small business economy and access to capital during this time of profound change?This discussion is one of several that took place as part of “The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability,” a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026. The event featured panels with policymakers, small business owners, advocates, lenders, and technologists on solutions to support responsible innovation and sustainable small business prosperity. Panels include:The Changing Role of Small Business OwnershipInnovations Driving Small Business Lending Forward: It’s Not All About AIMain Street Challenges and Policy SolutionsFor more information, including a transcript, photos, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website.For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.This second-annual event builds on our March 2025 forum, “Advancing Innovation and Fairness in Small Business Finance.”