Welcome to the Experian Thought Leadership Hub

According to Experian’s latest Commercial Pulse Report, business formation remains strong:

• 471,000 new business applications were filed in July alone
• Between 2018 and 2023, the number of new businesses establishing commercial credit rose by 38%
• New businesses today look more financially stable than those from earlier years

What’s driving this resilience?

👉 Faster tech adoption

👉 Hybrid business models

👉 Stronger financial fundamentals

The pandemic forced small businesses to transform at record speed. Now, they’re leveraging those lessons to build smarter, more adaptable enterprises.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

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Experian’s Brodie Oldham, VP of Commercial Data Science, and Marsha Silverman, Strategic Analytic Consultant revealed several insights on how small businesses are performing during the Q2 Quarterly Business Credit Review.

During the webinar we asked the audience:

• Which macroeconomic factor is having the greatest impact on small business credit conditions this year?
• What actions if any have you taken in 2025 in response to additional tariff?
• How are small businesses adapting to tighter credit conditions in 2025?

Why you should watch:

• Leading Experts on Commercial and Macro-Economic Trends
• Credit insights and trends on 30+ Million active businesses
• Industry Hot Topics Covered (Inclusive of Business Owner and Small Business Data)
• Commercial Insights you cannot get anywhere else
• Peer Insights with Interactive Polls (Participate)
• Discover and understand small business trends to make informed decisions
• Actionable takeaways based on recent credit performance

Outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. has reached an all-time high of $1.63 trillion, and the ripple effects are being felt far beyond the personal finance arena. This unprecedented debt burden is now shaping the way many small business owners borrow, manage credit, and maintain financial stability.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

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The latest Jobs Report casts doubt on the Fed’s (and many economists’) narrative that the labor market is on solid footing. New data now show that job creation is near stall speed and other areas of the economy are slowing as well. This data, combined with a growing view that the impact of tariffs on inflation will neither be as significant as first anticipated (though still meaningful) nor as persistent, is likely to lead the Fed to cut rates at their September meeting. Get the latest on these trends, plus our new Fed rate cut forecast in Joseph Mayans' latest Macro Moment, "Rate Cuts Incoming."

Although the U.S. economy remains solid and has resisted a broader slowdown thus far in 2025, the outlook remains highly uncertain. In this environment, it is imperative for businesses to stay on top of the latest economic developments. Experian’s Chief Economist Joseph Mayans, Director of Fintech Gavin Harding and Head of Automotive Financial Insights Melinda Zabritski, will provide a look into:

• The latest economic, credit and automotive finance trends
• Forecasts for the rest of the year and beyond
• Answers to today's most pressing questions

As temperatures rise across the U.S., so does the nation’s appetite for travel—and the Leisure & Hospitality sector is feeling the heat. In this week’s Commercial Pulse Report, we examine how soaring consumer demand intersects with evolving credit conditions for businesses in travel, lodging, and transportation.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

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As the automotive sector adapts to rising vehicle prices, shifting consumer behavior, and persistent inflation, the ripple effects are clearly visible in commercial credit activity. Experian’s latest Commercial Pulse Report (July 22, 2025) dives deep into the evolving credit dynamics within the auto industry—and one trend is clear: credit access is contracting across nearly every segment.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

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This week the Experian Commercial Pulse report focuses in on a fascinating paradox in the e-commerce industry that credit and risk management professionals should closely monitor. While online retail revenues continue their upward trajectory—now representing over 16% of total U.S. retail sales and generating quarterly revenues exceeding $300 billion—commercial credit inquiries from e-commerce businesses have declined by nearly 25% in the past year alone.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

Subscribe to Commercial Pulse Report

While the US economy has so far avoided the worst-feared outcomes of higher tariffs, there remains significant uncertainty and concern over outlook, which is driving caution among lenders. In our just-released Q2 2025 Lending Conditions Chartbook, we break down the latest economic developments and do a deep dive into credit conditions across product segments, regions, and lender types. Key insights include:

• Unemployment remains low, but there are ongoing signs of softening in the labor market.
• Real incomes have improved somewhat after softening for most of 2024, which may continue to support consumer spending.
• The housing market continues to be constrained by high prices and interest rates, which are impacting affordability.