Square is using its data to give working capital to retailers. Square, the mobile payments startup launched by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has officially launched a new service where the company will use data from merchant transactions to offer cash advances to businesses. The loans will be paid back through a 10% surcharge on transactions. A typical loan from Square Capital is about $10,000, and the repayment will total around $11,000. The new service, called Square Capital, is an innovative way to help small businesses increase capital to grow and expand. Faryl Ury, spokesperson for Square, told Bank Innovation that Square strives to make complex problems — like raising capital and transactions — easier, simpler, and more flexible for small business. Square recently completed a four-month pilot of the program involving “thousands of merchants,” the company said. Here’s how it works. Square uses its extensive data compiled through transactions via its reader and other products to determine how much to lend to merchants, and at what point in their business cycle. Square then approaches the merchants and notifies them that, if they are interested, Square can lend them a certain amount of money, and merchants can have access to it as soon […]
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