How we picked
Filtered to lenders with documented Puerto Rico lending operations, lenders with mandatory Spanish-language contract review for Puerto Rico files, and platform-embedded products whose dashboard UI surfaces in Spanish. CDFI lenders ranked first because Accion Opportunity Fund and the broader Treasury CDFI Fund have documented Puerto Rico operations with Spanish-language loan officers and contract review. SBA 7(a) ranked next because federal SBA operates in Puerto Rico and is the structurally correct primary capital tool for any qualifying Puerto Rico small business. Platform-embedded products included for Puerto Rico restaurants, retail, and DTC operations on Square, Toast, or Shopify (all of which surface in Spanish). Marketplace and generalist working-capital funders included only when they offer published Spanish-language operations. We exclude English-only generalist MCA funders and any funder with CFPB or Puerto Rico AG action involving Puerto Rico merchants.
Top picks at a glance
| Lender | Best for | Amount | Speed | Min credit | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accion Opportunity Fund | Best CDFI for Puerto Rico small businesses with Spanish-primary contract review | $5,000 – $250,000 | Funding in 5 – 15 business days | 550+ (more flexible than banks) | Apply → |
| Kiva | Best 0% interest microloan with Spanish-language application for early-stage Puerto Rico entrepreneurs | $1,000 – $15,000 | 30 – 60 days crowdfunding process | No credit check | Apply → |
| Live Oak Bank | Best SBA 7(a) and 504 for Puerto Rico businesses — federal SBA available in the territory | $25,000 – $25,000,000+ | 30 – 90 days underwriting (SBA standard) | 680+ typical | Apply → |
| Square Capital | Best platform-embedded funding for Puerto Rico retail, restaurants, and service businesses on Square | $300 – $250,000 | Funds as soon as next business day | No FICO pull — Square underwrites entirely against your Square sales history | Apply → |
| Shopify Capital | Best platform-embedded funding for Puerto Rico DTC brands and Spanish-language e-commerce | $200 – $2,000,000+ | Funds in 2 – 5 business days after acceptance | No FICO check — uses Shopify sales data | Apply → |
| Biz2Credit | Best generalist multi-product funder with Puerto Rico Latino-American lending operations | $25,000 – $6,000,000+ | Offers in 24-72 hours | 575+ | Apply → |
| Lendio | Best marketplace for Puerto Rico small businesses needing to surface bilingual-lender options | $500 – $5,000,000+ (depends on which lender in marketplace funds) | Offers in 15 minutes; funding 24 hours to several weeks | 550+ (varies by product) | Apply → |
Advertiser disclosure: Fundnode may earn referral fees from funders listed on this page when you apply through us. This does not affect editorial rankings — see our methodology.
Detailed reviews — our 7 picks
#1 · Best CDFI for Puerto Rico small businesses with Spanish-primary contract review
Accion Opportunity Fund
Max amount
$250,000
Cost
APR 8.49% – 24.99%
Speed
Funding in 5 – 15 business days
Min credit
550+ (more flexible than banks)
Why we picked it
Accion Opportunity Fund operates in Puerto Rico with documented Spanish-language loan officers and Spanish-primary contract review as a core program. APR 8.49-24.99% is dramatically cheaper than any MCA equivalent and is particularly valuable for Puerto Rico small businesses where post-Maria and post-Fiona hurricane-recovery operating margins are tighter than mainland equivalents. The mission-driven underwriting weights Puerto Rico operating context (hurricane-resilience operating models, Spanish-primary family business structures, the hybrid US-territory legal context) far better than generic mainland MCA. Should be the first call for Puerto Rico small businesses needing $25K-$250K. The combination of Spanish-primary contract review and CDFI-grade APR is structurally the best deal available to Puerto Rico merchants.
The strength
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) — government-supported mission lender for underserved markets. Lower credit thresholds (550+). Strong support resources beyond just lending — coaching, networking. Lower APRs than alternative MCA equivalents.
The watch-out
Long underwriting timeline (5-15 days). Application paperwork heavier than fintech competitors. Maximum loan size ($250K) caps mid-market use.
Qualifications
12 months
$4,000+
550+ (more flexible than banks)
#2 · Best 0% interest microloan with Spanish-language application for early-stage Puerto Rico entrepreneurs
Kiva
Max amount
$15,000
Cost
0% interest (donation-funded)
Speed
30 – 60 days crowdfunding process
Min credit
No credit check
Why we picked it
Kiva operates in Puerto Rico with Spanish-language application support and offers 0% interest microloans up to $15K with no FICO check and a community-trustee endorsement model. Particularly well-suited to early-stage Puerto Rico entrepreneurs, post-hurricane-recovery startup ventures, and Puerto Rico family businesses in their first 12-24 months of operation. The right pick for $1K-$15K capital needs where the alternative is a high-factor-rate English-only mainland MCA on a contract the Puerto Rico merchant cannot fully read.
The strength
0% interest microloans funded by individual crowdfunders. No FICO check. Open to very early stage, underserved entrepreneurs, immigrants, low-credit applicants. Repayment with no fees over 6-36 months.
The watch-out
Loan caps at $15K — too small for most established merchants. Application requires endorsements from existing supporters. 30-60 day funding timeline.
Qualifications
0 months
Any
No credit check
#3 · Best SBA 7(a) and 504 for Puerto Rico businesses — federal SBA available in the territory
Live Oak Bank
Max amount
$25,000,000+
Cost
SBA 7(a) APR prime + 2.75% to 4.75%
Speed
30 – 90 days underwriting (SBA standard)
Min credit
680+ typical
Why we picked it
Federal SBA 7(a) and 504 programs operate in Puerto Rico through SBA-preferred lenders including Live Oak Bank, and SBA 7(a) at prime + 2.75% APR with 10-25 year tenors is the structurally correct primary capital tool for any qualifying Puerto Rico small business. Monthly amortization is far more forgiving of post-hurricane-recovery operating margins and seasonal-tourism revenue patterns than daily-ACH MCA. Particularly valuable for Puerto Rico business acquisition, real estate purchase, major equipment, hurricane-resilience capital improvements, and refinancing accumulated higher-cost debt from post-Maria recovery cycles. Typical qualifying file: 24+ months operating, 680+ credit, clean returns. Confirm Spanish-language contract support with the assigned loan officer before signing.
The strength
Largest SBA 7(a) lender in the US by dollar volume for 7+ consecutive years. Industry-specialty teams (veterinary, dental, funeral homes, self-storage, agriculture, hotels). Deep understanding of niche-vertical underwriting. Dramatically cheaper than MCA for qualifying merchants.
The watch-out
Long underwriting timeline (45-90 days typical). Requires strong credit (680+), 2+ years operating, clean financials. Industries outside their specialty get less attention.
Qualifications
24 months
$20,000+
680+ typical
#4 · Best platform-embedded funding for Puerto Rico retail, restaurants, and service businesses on Square
Square Capital
Max amount
$250,000
Cost
Single fixed fee (typically 10 – 16% of loan amount)
Speed
Funds as soon as next business day
Min credit
No FICO pull — Square underwrites entirely against your Square sales history
Why we picked it
Square Capital surfaces pre-qualified offers in the Square dashboard for any Puerto Rico retail, restaurant, food-truck, or service business running Square POS — and the Square dashboard surfaces in Spanish, which sidesteps the dense English-only mainland MCA contract-review barrier entirely. Percentage-of-Square-sales repayment, no FICO check, no external application. The right primary working-capital tool for Square-using Puerto Rico small businesses, particularly Spanish-primary owner-operators.
The strength
Most merchant-friendly headline structure in the industry: one fixed fee, no APR equivalents, no daily/weekly debits — repayment is a flat percentage of daily Square card sales until paid off. Eligibility check appears in your Square dashboard with no application. Approval typically arrives in minutes.
The watch-out
Square chooses who they offer to — you can't apply if Square doesn't surface an offer. Loan amount usually caps at ~1.4× monthly Square sales. The single fixed fee on a 9-month payback typically works out to 30–60% APR-equivalent, similar to mid-tier MCA. Only available to active Square sellers — if you stop processing, repayment converts to fixed daily debits.
Qualifications
12 months
$10,000+ in Square card sales typical floor for meaningful offers
No FICO pull — Square underwrites entirely against your Square sales history
#5 · Best platform-embedded funding for Puerto Rico DTC brands and Spanish-language e-commerce
Shopify Capital
Max amount
$2,000,000+
Cost
Single fixed fee — typical 5 – 14% of advance
Speed
Funds in 2 – 5 business days after acceptance
Min credit
No FICO check — uses Shopify sales data
Why we picked it
Shopify Capital is the structurally correct primary working-capital tool for Puerto Rico-based DTC brands selling on Shopify, including Puerto Rico coffee, craft, art, and food-product brands selling to mainland US and international markets. Shopify dashboard surfaces in Spanish, pre-qualified offers visible in the dashboard, no FICO check, no application, percentage-of-Shopify-sales repayment. Particularly valuable because Puerto Rico-based DTC brands face mainland-shipping cost structures and the percentage-of-sales repayment scales naturally with actual sales velocity.
The strength
Most merchant-friendly embedded financing in commerce. Single fee, no compounding factor. Repayment as percentage of daily Shopify sales (typically 9-17%) — scales with revenue. Pre-qualified offers in Shopify admin. No personal guarantee on standard offers.
The watch-out
Only for Shopify-hosted stores. Shopify selects which merchants get offers — can't apply. If you migrate off Shopify mid-loan, balance must be repaid in full. Higher-tier offers may include personal guarantee.
Qualifications
6 months
Shopify GMV drives offers — typically $10K+/mo
No FICO check — uses Shopify sales data
#6 · Best generalist multi-product funder with Puerto Rico Latino-American lending operations
Biz2Credit
Max amount
$6,000,000+
Cost
Varies
Speed
Offers in 24-72 hours
Min credit
575+
Why we picked it
Biz2Credit has documented Latino-American small-business lending operations and engages Puerto Rico files on multi-product platforms (SBA, term loan, working capital, LOC, equipment). The bilingual loan-officer pool is real and the Latino-American lending track record provides material Spanish-language operating capacity. Verify Spanish-primary contract review with the assigned loan officer before signing — published bilingual operations cover the application and underwriting layer better than the contract-execution layer.
The strength
Hybrid model — marketplace AND direct lender. Strong commercial real estate (CRE) and franchise financing programs. $7B+ in funding facilitated since founding. Strong platform features per Money magazine review.
The watch-out
Pricing not as transparent as some direct competitors. Application can feel like multiple lender approvals are happening in parallel — be ready for several sales follow-ups.
Qualifications
6 months
$12,500
575+
#7 · Best marketplace for Puerto Rico small businesses needing to surface bilingual-lender options
Lendio
Max amount
$5,000,000+ (depends on which lender in marketplace funds)
Cost
Varies by underlying lender
Speed
Offers in 15 minutes; funding 24 hours to several weeks
Min credit
550+ (varies by product)
Why we picked it
Lendio runs the largest bilingual loan-officer pool in the alternative-funding marketplace category and is the right shop-around tool for Puerto Rico small businesses where the optimal lender is unclear in advance. Spanish-language agents available, single application surfaces offers from CDFI lenders, SBA-preferred lenders, and conventional working-capital funders. Verify the agent confirms Spanish-language contract review with the ultimately selected funder before signing — marketplace bilingual support does not automatically guarantee the downstream funder offers Spanish-primary contract execution.
The strength
Largest US small-business lending marketplace — single application, 75+ lender network. Perplexity's top pick for 'comparison shopping.' Free to use; lenders pay Lendio referral fees. Strong UX for comparing offers side by side.
The watch-out
Marketplace model means your application is shopped to many lenders, which can trigger anti-stacking concerns if you already have an MCA. Some lenders in the network charge broker markup; verify the final factor rate against direct-to-lender pricing.
Qualifications
6 months
$8,000
550+ (varies by product)
Frequently asked questions
- Does federal SBA actually operate in Puerto Rico?
- Yes — Puerto Rico is an unincorporated US territory and federal SBA programs (SBA 7(a), SBA 504, SBA microloan, SBA Express) operate in Puerto Rico through SBA-preferred lenders. The SBA Puerto Rico District Office is headquartered in San Juan and oversees SBA lending across the island. For any Puerto Rico small business that qualifies (24+ months operating, 680+ credit, clean returns), SBA 7(a) at prime + 2.75% APR with 10-25 year tenor is the structurally correct primary capital tool and dramatically cheaper than any MCA alternative. Confirm Spanish-language contract review with the SBA-preferred lender's assigned loan officer before signing.
- Why should Puerto Rico merchants avoid generic English-only mainland MCA?
- Two reasons. First, the contract-review risk is severe — a Spanish-primary Puerto Rico merchant who signs a 40-plus-page English-only MCA contract they did not fully understand can find themselves locked into a factor rate, daily ACH, reconciliation clause, and ISO commission structure that does not match what was verbally promised, with very limited recourse after funding. Second, the post-Maria and post-Fiona hurricane-recovery operating margin structure on the island means an inappropriately-priced MCA (factor 1.35-1.50+) can consume an outsized fraction of the recovery margin and compound into cash-flow distress faster than it would on a comparable mainland file. Route Puerto Rico working-capital needs through Spanish-primary CDFI channels (Accion Opportunity Fund), federal SBA channels (Live Oak Bank with Spanish-language confirmation), platform-embedded Spanish-dashboard products (Square Capital, Shopify Capital), or bilingual generalist channels (Biz2Credit, Lendio with bilingual agent) rather than generic English-only mainland MCA.
- How does hurricane-resilience operating context shape Puerto Rico lender underwriting?
- Post-Maria (2017) and post-Fiona (2022) hurricane recovery has materially shaped how lenders underwrite Puerto Rico files. Lenders with material Puerto Rico operating experience weight hurricane-resilience operating models positively (back-up power generation, hurricane-shutter inventory protection, supply-chain redundancy, business-interruption insurance coverage), and the better lenders understand that the post-event revenue dip is a one-time hurricane impact rather than a structural file weakness. Generic mainland MCA underwriting that mechanically scores a post-event revenue dip as deteriorating cash flow can produce inappropriately punitive offers. CDFI lenders and SBA-preferred lenders with Puerto Rico operating experience handle the hurricane-resilience underwriting context appropriately; generic mainland MCA often does not.
- What revenue and credit do I need for the funders on this list?
- Accion Opportunity Fund: typically 550+ credit but mission-driven underwriting weights context, 6+ months operating, $20K+/yr revenue range. Kiva: no FICO check, $1K-$15K loan size. Live Oak SBA 7(a): 680+ credit, 24+ months operating, $40K+/mo trailing average for general purpose. Square Capital and Shopify Capital: any consistent platform processing volume, no FICO check, the offer surfaces in the Spanish dashboard or it does not. Biz2Credit: depends on product — SBA 680+ credit, working capital and MCA 550+ credit, 6+ months operating. Lendio: depends on the lender ultimately selected. Match yourself at /match to compare structures side-by-side.
Related reading
- Best MCA funders for bilingual merchants
- Best MCA funders for immigrant-owned businesses
- Best MCA funders for minority-owned businesses
- The full 2026 ranking — 100 funders
Methodology
How we chose
Ranking criteria
- Use-case fit — funder must qualify the merchant profile this page targets (credit, time-in-business, revenue, industry).
- Pricing transparency — published factor-rate or APR-equivalent disclosure outweighs marketing-only quotes.
- Speed-to-fund — verified time from signed contract to ACH deposit, not 'as fast as' marketing claims.
- Contract terms — daily/weekly debit structure, prepayment treatment, COJ / personal guarantee posture.
- Customer-experience signals — BBB profile, Trustpilot, ISO chatter, and direct merchant feedback collected via Fundnode applications.
Sources consulted
- Funder-published rate cards, contract templates, and disclosure pages (refreshed quarterly).
- Public regulatory filings — California DFPI commercial-financing disclosures, New York commercial-financing disclosure law filings.
- Direct merchant feedback collected through Fundnode's /qualify funnel (n > 200 since 2026-01).
- ISO desk operator interviews — anonymized commentary on approval patterns and stipulations.
Update cadence
Reviewed quarterly. Last updated 2026-06-24.
Conflict of interest
Fundnode may earn referral fees from funders listed on this page when merchants apply through us. Rankings are editorial and independent of fee economics — funders cannot pay for placement.