Enova’s TBB Did $15M in Merchant Cash Advance Revenue in 2017

International online lending conglomerate, Enova, generated $843.7 million in revenue last year, according to their recent annual report. More than $15 million came from merchant cash advances (MCAs) made through The Business Backer (TBB), a small business financing company they acquired in 2015. That’s down from $18.6 million in MCA revenue generated in 2016.

Though MCA revenue may be down, TBB began offering an installment small business loan product in 2017. They’re available in 10 states, according to the company.

Enova refers to MCAs as RPAs in their reports, short for Receivable Purchase Agreements. “Small businesses receive funds in exchange for a portion of the business’s future receivables at an agreed upon discount,” they state.”A small business customer who enters into a RPA commits to delivering a percentage of its receivables through ACH or wire debits or by splitting credit card receipts until all purchased receivables are delivered.” That is a textbook explanation of MCAs.

Their average “RPA” customer averages $1.5 million in annual sales and has 10 years of operating history.