BDC

What does BDC offer?

BDC offers term loans for most business purposes. Working capital loans cover growth, hiring or a cash gap. Equipment and commercial real estate loans fund assets on longer terms. Purchase order financing bridges a large order. Business acquisition and transfer loans fund buying a company or handing one to the next generation. There is also a technology financing arm for software and tech companies, paid advisory services, and a separate venture capital group. Amounts are not published and are sized to the project.

Who does BDC fund, and who do they decline?

BDC funds Canadian companies only. Its role is to complement the commercial banks, so it will often lend on a project that a bank would cap or decline, such as an acquisition with light collateral, an expansion by a younger company or a technology firm with few hard assets. It can sit alongside your existing bank rather than replace it.

It does not publish decline criteria. In practice it still wants a viable business plan, owners with a stake in the outcome and a path to repayment, so a pre revenue startup without traction is unlikely to be funded. Non Canadian businesses are not eligible.

What does it typically cost and how fast is it?

BDC does not publish rates, fees or timelines on the profile; pricing is quoted per file. Its loans are typically priced a little above a commercial bank in exchange for more flexible terms and lighter collateral, and it is known for allowing payment deferrals on some products. Typical ranges for the products it offers are on our term loan and commercial real estate pages. Expect a bank style timeline measured in weeks, not days.

What will you need to apply?

Treat a BDC application like a bank application. Have two to three years of financial statements, business and personal tax returns, a current balance sheet and aged receivables, a business plan or project description with a budget, and corporate documents. Acquisitions also need the target's financials and the purchase agreement. Our document checklist covers all of it.

How does BDC compare with similar lenders?

RBC Royal Bank and National Bank of Canada are the commercial bank route: operating lines of credit and Canada Small Business Financing Program loans, usually at lower cost but with tighter collateral and history requirements. BDC is the one to approach when the bank says the project is too big for your balance sheet, or when you need patient term debt for an acquisition or a growth push. Many Canadian companies use a bank for the operating line and BDC for the term loan.

How to apply

Apply once on this site and matching shows whether BDC, or a similar lender, fits your file. You can also ask your AI assistant to collect your documents and apply for you through our MCP server. A profile in this directory is a market reference and does not by itself mean the lender is on our network for your file; matching shows the lenders available to you.