About the BDC Council 2021-05-03T12:41:19+00:00

About the BDC Council

The BDC Council brings together BDCs to advocate for reforms that will provide easier access to capital for America’s businesses while maintaining strict investor protections.

The BDC industry is growing rapidly, and modernizations made to how BDCs are regulated will help unleash more available capital to small businesses that normally cannot access it through bank loans. Currently, BDCs have over $127 billion in outstanding loans in middle market businesses. This financing helps businesses expand and create jobs, providing much needed grow to the U.S. economy. Growing companies across the country rely on BDCs to purchase land, equipment, and factories, and the more capital made available to them means more small businesses have the opportunity for growth.

THERE ARE 77 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES OPERATING TODAY.

Get to know them.

View a List of BDC Companies

About BDCs

Created in 1980 with overwhelming bipartisan Congressional support, Business Development Companies (BDCs) are a job-creating engine that provides access to capital for American small- and medium-sized businesses. BDCs invest in and provide management expertise to these companies to help them grow. BDCs invest at least 70% of their total assets in “eligible portfolio companies,” which are generally defined as public and private U.S. operating companies valued at under $250 million.

In addition to providing access to capital for small and middle market companies, BDCs also allow individual investors access to highly-regulated investment opportunities that were once available to only wealthy individuals and institutional investors.