Articles by Press Release
deBanked & Reliance Financial Sponsor Major Community Event in Jersey City
September 23, 2025deBanked and Reliance Financial have teamed up to support and sponsor one of Jersey City’s signature community events, The Zombie Opera. Produced by local non-profit Undead Arts, The Zombie Opera, an outdoor Halloween-themed opera, is attended by 5,000 people each year in Downtown Jersey City. With the Opera known as a “phenomenal day of community and commerce” both deBanked and Reliance Financial are proud to support it and the local business community. This year’s Zombie Opera will take place on October 25 between 6:30 – 8pm at Hamilton Park in Jersey City, NJ.
About deBanked
deBanked, founded in 2010, operates trade media and events for the small business finance and fintech industries. This is deBanked’s 2nd year sponsoring the event.
About Reliance Financial
Reliance Financial is a U.S.-based provider of revenue-based financing solutions offering up to $5,000,000 per transaction. The company is committed to delivering fast, transparent, and flexible funding to growing businesses nationwide. Led by industry veteran Aryeh Miller, Reliance has helped thousands of companies unlock working capital without giving up equity or control.
If you’re interested in joining as a sponsor, email info@debanked.com.
Fundfi Merchant Funding Expands Credit Facility for Second Time This Year, Supporting Record Numbers of Small Businesses
September 19, 2025Revenue-based financing leader continues aggressive growth trajectory as demand for alternative lending solutions surges
New York, NY – Fundfi Merchant Funding, a leading provider of revenue-based financing solutions, announced today the expansion of its credit facility for the second time in 2025, positioning the company to serve an unprecedented number of small and medium-sized businesses across North America. This latest facility increase reflects the company’s continued growth and commitment to supporting small business owners who are increasingly seeking alternatives to traditional lending channels.
The expansion comes at a time when Fundfi Merchant Funding is helping more businesses than ever before, with loan originations reaching new heights as small business owners turn to flexible financing solutions that align with their cash flow patterns rather than requiring fixed monthly payments.
“This second facility expansion in one year demonstrates our unwavering commitment to being there for entrepreneurs when they need capital most,” said Efraim Kandinov, CEO and co-founder. “We’re seeing incredible momentum in our market, and this expansion allows us to maintain our rapid response times while supporting the diverse financing needs of North American small businesses.”
The revenue-based financing model has gained significant traction among business owners who value the flexibility of repayments tied to their revenue performance. Unlike traditional loans, this approach allows businesses to pay more during strong months and less during slower periods, providing crucial breathing room for companies navigating seasonal fluctuations or market uncertainties.
Natasha Dillon, CFO and co-founder, emphasized the strategic timing of the expansion: “We are bullish on the growth of the small business footprint in North America and anticipating tighter lending from more traditional financing avenues. Fundfi is committed to being the reliable capital partner these businesses need to thrive. This facility expansion allows us to maintain our commitment to fast approvals and quick funding, ensuring small businesses can access capital when opportunities are presented.”
The credit facility expansion enables Fundfi Merchant Funding to:
- Accelerate funding timelines for approved businesses
- Support larger financing amounts for established companies
- Expand into new industry verticals and geographic markets
- Maintain competitive rates despite rising market interest rates
As traditional lenders face increasing regulatory pressures and risk management concerns, alternative lending providers like Fundfi Merchant Funding are filling a critical gap in the market. Small businesses, which represent the backbone of the North American economy, often struggle with the lengthy approval processes, extensive documentation requirements, and rigid repayment structures of conventional business loans.
With this second facility expansion in 2025, Fundfi Merchant Funding reinforces its position as a leading alternative to traditional small business lending, continuing to provide entrepreneurs with the flexible capital solutions they need to grow and thrive.
About Fundfi Merchant Funding:
Founded by Efraim Kandinov and Natasha Dillon, Fundfi Merchant Funding is a revenue-based financing company dedicated to providing flexible capital solutions to small and medium-sized businesses across United States and Canada. The company’s innovative approach aligns repayment schedules with business cash flow, offering small businesses an alternative to traditional bank loans. For more information, visit fundfimerchantfunding.com.
Media Contact:
Sasha Kandinov
Fundfi Merchant Funding
sasha@fundfimerchantfunding.com
Dragin Technologies Unveils the Industry’s First AI Merchant Integrity Dashboard, Setting a New Standard for Underwriting Accountability
September 17, 2025New York, NY — September 17 2025 — Dragin Technologies, the automation engine powering some of the fastest-growing revenue-based financing companies, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking AI Merchant Integrity Dashboard, the first tool of its kind designed to ensure clean, accurate, and trustworthy underwriting decisions.
This new AI-powered feature combines every critical data source in the underwriting process — application forms, bank statements, credit reports, background checks, Dragin’s proprietary AI Web Report, and even the merchant’s interview — into a single, intelligent report. It then cross-references every data point to uncover discrepancies, validate claims, and flag potential risks before an offer is made.
How It Works
The AI Merchant Integrity Dashboard automatically reviews and cross-verifies all data points across multiple documents. It checks everything from business addresses to revenue patterns, ensuring consistency and truthfulness at every step.
For example:
- If a merchant claims their revenues are steadily increasing, the AI will verify this against actual bank statement data.
- If the merchant says they have “great credit,” Dragin will confirm that claim and flag missed payments or delinquencies.
- Business addresses are cross-checked between the application, background checks, and banking data to catch mismatches or fraudulent entries.
Every red flag identified by the AI must be manually reviewed and approved by an underwriter before a deal can move forward, creating a new layer of accountability and transparency in the underwriting process.
Why This Matters
For revenue-based financing companies, speed and accuracy are essential — but so is trust.
With the AI Merchant Integrity Dashboard, underwriters can no longer miss critical details or claim ignorance after a deal closes.
Key benefits include:
- Early fraud detection through cross-document analysis
- Cleaner, fully reconciled deal data for every file
- Reduced merchant default rates by catching inconsistencies up front
- Stronger underwriting accountability, protecting funders from costly mistakes
“This changes everything,” said Mark Ross, CEO of Dragin Technologies.
“For the first time, funders can hold their teams accountable for every detail in a deal. Our AI does the heavy lifting, surfacing risks that used to take hours — or never got caught at all. No more guessing. No more missed red flags.”
Part of Dragin’s Full Automation Suite
The AI Merchant Integrity Report is the latest innovation in Dragin’s end-to-end deal automation platform, which includes:
- Automated email parsing and document classification
- AI-powered application and bank statement reader
- Pre-qualification and pre-decline logic
- DraginForce CRM with built-in automation suite
- Real-time ISO portal for faster deal negotiations
- End-to-end deal tracking and syndication portal
About Dragin Technologies
Dragin Technologies builds the tools that power the future of revenue-based financing. With advanced AI, machine learning, and automation technology, Dragin enables funders to scale faster, reduce risk, and make smarter decisions. Its flagship CRM, DraginForce, and cutting-edge automation modules are trusted by some of the largest and fastest-growing funders in the industry.
Learn more at www.dragin.io
MoneyThumb and deBanked Release Survey Findings on Fraud Trends Among Small Business Funders
September 16, 2025Document Falsification Emerges as Top Concern
San Diego, Calif. (September 16, 2025) – A new study conducted by MoneyThumb, a leader in automated document evaluation and fraud detection solutions, in partnership with deBanked, a leading publication for MCAs, reveals an alarming trend in the small business lending sector: fraud is not only on the rise but is significantly impacting the cost of doing business, especially for smaller funders operating in an increasingly uncertain economic environment.
As small businesses continue to grapple with supply chain pressures, shifting tariffs, and a volatile economic outlook, lenders are seeing a direct correlation between economic strain and elevated fraud risk. When margins are tight and working capital is harder to secure, the incentive for applicants to falsify documents, or even attempt synthetic identity fraud—increases. Most of this fraud cannot be detected visually, making traditional underwriting processes insufficient on their own. This hidden risk doesn’t just weigh on the funder, it ultimately raises the cost of loans for all borrowers, including honest small business owners.
The survey polled a broad range of Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) providers, funders, and alternative lenders to assess how often they encounter tampered documents or fraudulent information during the application process. Respondents ranged from small firms processing fewer than 10 applications per month to large institutions handling over 500.
Key findings include:
- Nearly 54% of respondents report that 2–10% of the applications they receive contain fraud.
- Nearly 60% are “very concerned” about fraud.
- A staggering 90% cite document falsification or forgery as the most pressing issue.
- More than half of respondents say fraud has increased year over year.
- Smaller funders are disproportionately affected: funders processing fewer than 100 financial applications per month report fraud in 11.8% of applications—more than double the rate reported by larger funders (5.6%).
- 88% of funders are still reviewing documents manually, which wastes countless hours per month, is prone to human error and increases labor costs.
“Fraud is evolving just as quickly as the economy is shifting,” said Ryan Campbell, CEO of MoneyThumb. “In a time when rising tariffs and inflationary pressure are already squeezing small businesses, fraudulent applications add another layer of risk that funders can’t afford to ignore.”
Sean Murray, Founder of deBanked, added: “Relying solely on manual review simply isn’t sustainable. The funders who embrace intelligent automation will not only reduce losses but also serve more businesses—faster and more fairly.”
Up to seven percent of revenue, billions of dollars and thousands of hours are lost every year due to fraudulent applications in the lending industry. MoneyThumb’s Thumbprint® patented technology leverages AI and advanced algorithms to identify subtle discrepancies and inconsistencies that can’t be seen manually. Over the last year, Thumbprint® has reviewed more than 10M statements and identified over 500,000 fraudulent or altered documents.
As macroeconomic uncertainty continues into Q4 2025, the report underscores the need for technology-driven solutions that can scale fraud detection without sacrificing underwriting speed or accuracy.
About MoneyThumb
MoneyThumb is an advanced automation software solution that streamlines the lending underwriting process by converting bank statements instantly into actionable data. By exponentially increasing efficiency, accuracy and the detection of fraud – MoneyThumb empowers lenders and accountants to make faster, more informed and accurate decisions. MoneyThumb is headquartered in Encinitas, California, and serves customers globally. For more information visit www.moneythumb.com.
About deBanked
deBanked is a leading publication covering non-bank finance, alternative lending, and fintech since 2010. It is a trusted source for insights, news, and trends in the MCA and small business lending space.
Media Contact:
Tracy Rubin
JCUTLER media group
tracy@jcmg.com
California Legislators Seek to Clean Up the Language In The Commercial Financing Disclosure Law
September 9, 2025A bill to amend California’s commercial financing disclosure law is making its way through the legislature.
“In order to strengthen the effect of existing law, this act seeks to provide further clarity to market participants and to the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) related to deceptive marketing and the authority of DFPI to enforce the law,” the bill says.
The latest iteration of the bill can be viewed here.
Steve Siler Joins NMEF as Chief Technology Officer
September 5, 2025September 8, 2025 | NORWALK, CT – North Mill Equipment Finance LLC (“NMEF”), a leading independent commercial equipment lender and lessor headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Siler as Chief Technology Officer.
Steve brings nearly 20 years of experience driving technology transformation across asset-backed finance, private credit, and M&A integration. In his new role, he will lead NMEF’s digital strategy and oversee all technology operations. From 2018 to 2024, Steve served as CTO at Stonebriar Commercial Finance and Head of Technology at Eldridge, where he led enterprise-wide technology strategy, streamlined operations through automation, and integrated systems across a diverse portfolio.
“We are thrilled to welcome Steve to the team,” said Tom Lyle, Chief Operating Officer of NMEF. “His entrepreneurial mindset and proven ability to scale platforms make him exceptionally well-suited to guide our next chapter of growth. Under Steve’s leadership, we will continue to enhance our offerings for broker and vendor partners and pursue strategic acquisitions of lease and loan portfolios.”
Steve’s career in financial services started with AIG Asset Management, where he developed a contract and asset management platform. At William Blair, he advanced data capture and introduced emerging technologies such as machine learning across investment banking, wealth advisory, and capital markets. Most recently, he has advised startups focused on modernizing private credit infrastructure and improving data accessibility.
About North Mill Equipment Finance
NMEF is a national, premier lender who works with third-party referral (TPR) sources to finance small to mid-ticket equipment commercial leases and loans ranging from $15,000 to $3,000,000 and up to $5,000,000 for investment grade opportunities. NMEF accepts A – C credit qualities and finances transactions for many asset categories including but not limited to medical, construction, franchise, technology, vocational, manufacturing, renovation, janitorial and material handling equipment. NMEF is majority owned by an affiliate of InterVest Capital Partners. The company’s headquarters are in Norwalk, CT, with regional offices in Irvine, CA, Voorhees NJ, and Murray, UT. For more information, visit www.nmef.com. One of NMEF’s controlled affiliates, BriteCap Financial LLC, is a leading non-bank lender providing small businesses with fast, convenient financing alternatives such as working capital loans since 2003 from its main office in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, visit www.britecap.com.
The LCF Group Partners with Utah Business Loans to Empower Small Businesses — Launching in Texas!
September 5, 2025New Hyde Park, NY — September 5, 2025 — The LCF Group is thrilled to announce a dynamic new partnership with Utah Business Loans, bringing fast, flexible, and transparent small business loans to our customers — starting in Texas and expanding to other states soon!
This collaboration marks a major milestone in our mission to support small businesses with the financial tools they need to grow, adapt, and thrive. With Utah Business Loans’ proven lending model, merchants can now access capital with:
- ✅ Simple, transparent terms
- 📅 Fixed payment schedules
- 💸 Lowest-cost options for short-term funding
- 🔓 No prepayment penalties — pay off early and save all remaining interest!
“We’re excited to kick off this partnership in Texas, where small businesses are the heartbeat of local communities,” said a spokesperson from The LCF Group. “Utah Business Loans shares our commitment to empowering entrepreneurs with fair, fast, and flexible financing — and we can’t wait to bring this opportunity to more states in the near future.”
Whether you’re launching a new venture, expanding operations, or navigating seasonal shifts, this new offering is designed to make funding accessible, affordable, and stress-free.
Stay tuned — more states are coming online soon!
Pathway Launches Automation Platform to Redefine Underwriting
September 4, 2025NEW YORK, NY — September 2025 — Pathway, a New York–based fintech company, is transforming how funders and brokers underwrite small business financing. By parsing and reconciling bank statements, auto-screening deals, and producing mathematically verifiable outputs, Pathway helps underwriting teams cut decision time from hours to minutes while improving accuracy and consistency.
The platform was built by underwriters, for underwriters. That perspective shapes everything from its clean summaries and deep audits to its configurable decision rules—designed to eliminate dead paper and accelerate deal flow without sacrificing accuracy.
“We aren’t just a document reader—we’re a decision engine,” said co-founder Andrew Bisch. “We automate the most tedious underwriting work, and let you retain full control of the deal.”
Pathway also extends beyond core parsing. The platform includes information on UCC filings, AI-powered business research, custom Gmail forwarding, and white-labeled deployment options. Every feature is backed by enterprise-grade security—including Okta-powered authentication, full audit trails on every file, and flexible deployment to AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
Highlights of Pathway’s capabilities include:
- Statement Parsing & Reconciliation — Transactions, balances, and metadata reconciled to the penny, with anomalies flagged for audit-ready confidence.
- Auto-Decisioning — Configurable rules that can instantly approve or deny deals.
- Scalability — Support for teams of all sizes with no drop in output quality.
- CRM & Email Pipeline Sync — Push clean data directly into existing pipelines and
track deals without breaking workflow.
Already, Pathway underwrites 100M+ USD of monthly recurring revenue for SMBs across North America.
To see how Pathway can automate your underwriting without giving up control, book a demo or start a free trial at https://lendpathway.com.
