Business loans in Hawaii: state programs, SBA lenders and fast funding.

What state-backed loan programs does Hawaii offer?

Hawaii operates four small business financing programs: one collateral support program (CSP), two loan participation programs, and one equity/venture capital program. The Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) is the implementing entity for the state and the program administrator for the equity/venture capital program. The HTDC engaged the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA) to administer the credit support programs.

SSBCI is a U.S. Treasury program that gives each state capital to reduce lender risk on small-business loans. You do not apply to the state — you apply to a participating bank, credit union or CDFI, and the program sits behind the loan as a guarantee, a loss reserve, a collateral top-up or a co-investment. Program details and the lender list are published by Hawaii Technology Development Corporation.

HI-CAP Collateral

The HI-CAP Collateral program is a CSP that provides cash deposits to participating lenders to enhance the collateral coverage of a borrowers. The program is designed to help businesses strategically enhance their business models and reach new markets. The program expects to be effective in supporting loans to “displaced hospitality workers (who) are contemplating starting small businesses” and loans to underserved businesses.

HI-CAP Loans

The HI-CAP Loans program provides funding for supporting a loan originated by a participating lender either through a companion loan matching the loan value or through the purchase of a participation of up to 50 percent of the loan. The program is best suited for businesses and non-profits spearheading transformative projects with community impact. Projects considered transformative include (but are not limited to) those in renewable energy, innovation, local agriculture, dual-use technology, manufacturing, or creative industry projects that spur economic development. The program targets catalytic projects that will diversify Hawaii’s economy and lessen its reliance on tourism which incurred high rates of business failures and unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HI-CAP CDFI Loan Pool Program

The HI-CAP CDFI Loan Pool Program provides loans to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) for the purpose of funding up to 50 percent of a loan transaction to an eligible small business. The program is designed as a direct lending program to non-depository CDFIs that will re-lend SSBCI funds matched with the CDFI’s own funds to very small and underserved businesses.

Hawaii also runs 1 SSBCI equity or venture program for growth-stage companies; those are investments, not loans, and are outside the scope of this page.

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, SSBCI Capital Program summaries and program contacts (data current as of August 2026). Allocations are federal SSBCI capital, not the amount available to any single borrower.

How big is the small-business lending market in Hawaii?

In 2023, banks reporting under the Community Reinvestment Act made $1.1 billion in new loans of $1 million or less to Hawaii businesses. $350.5 million of that went to businesses with revenues of $1 million or less.

Those figures cover only large banks that report under the CRA, so they understate total lending — credit unions, CDFIs, online funders and merchant cash advance providers are not included. Still, they show where the money is: $495.2 million went out in loans of $100,000 or less, the size most Hawaii small businesses actually borrow. Small businesses in Hawaii contributed a net increase of 129 jobs over the same period tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.1% of the state's total.

Which industries drive small business borrowing in Hawaii?

By count, the largest small business sectors in Hawaii are professional and technical services (19,640), real estate and rental (16,729), personal and repair services (15,723), administrative and support services (13,420) and retail (12,187). By employment, small firms in accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance and construction employ the most people.

Small businesses accounted for 49.6 percent of Hawaii employment in 2022, which exceeded the national small business employment share. In 2022, 677 identified Hawaii firms exported goods worth $341.0 million; 86.6% of them were small businesses, which is why SBA Export Express and Export Working Capital loans are worth asking a lender about. The industry mix matters for funding: construction and transportation firms lean on equipment financing, retail and food service on revenue-based advances tied to card sales, and professional services on lines of credit that smooth invoice timing.

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy 2025 profile (Census Nonemployer Statistics and Statistics of U.S. Businesses, 2022; Census import/export profile).

Where do Hawaii businesses get SBA loans?

SBA 7(a) and 504 loans are made by banks and credit unions, not the SBA itself. In Hawaii, lenders are supported by the Hawaii District, and free help preparing an application comes from the Hawaiʻi SBDC.

• SBA Hawaii District Office — lender relations, local SBA events and the lender match program.
• Hawaiʻi SBDC — no-cost consulting on loan packaging, projections and lender selection (funded in part by the SBA).
• USDA Rural Development programs in Hawaii — Business & Industry loan guarantees and the Intermediary Relending Program for businesses in rural areas.

SBA loans have the lowest rates but the slowest timelines — typically weeks to months. See our SBA loans page for the trade-offs.

What are the fastest business funding options in Hawaii?

Merchant cash advances, short-term working capital loans and draws on an existing line of credit are the products that realistically fund within one business day. SBA and bank loans take weeks; SSBCI-backed loans move at the lender's pace.

From Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Kapolei, Kaneohe and Waipahu, Hawaii owners use fast funding for payroll, inventory, equipment and repairs. Same Day Business Fund refers business owners to ROK Financial, a business-financing marketplace with working capital, lines of credit, equipment financing and merchant cash advances from $10,000 to $5 million. We may be compensated when a referral results in funding; that never changes the price you pay. Same-day products are priced with a factor rate rather than an interest rate — see how same-day funding works and what it costs before you sign anything.

Typical minimums for those programs are about 4 months in business and $10,000 in monthly sales, with the credit bar set by the product — the same-day funding guide has the full requirements table and a factor-rate worked example.

Looking for money you do not repay? See small business grants in Hawaii. Or browse bad-credit business loans and funding by industry.

Does Hawaii require lenders to disclose the cost of financing?

No. As of September 2026, eleven states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Texas, Utah and Virginia) require commercial financing providers to give standardized cost disclosures. Hawaii is not one of them.

That does not stop you from asking. Every funder already knows the total dollar cost, the payment amount and frequency, and the APR — that is how they priced your file. Ask for all three in writing before you sign, and compare offers on total payback, not on the advertised rate.

Sources: law-firm summaries of state commercial financing disclosure laws (Alston & Bird, January 2026; Venable, March 2026). Confirm current requirements with the state regulator.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• SBA Office of Advocacy — 2025 Small Business Profile: Hawaii (Census, BLS and FFIEC CRA data)
• U.S. Department of the Treasury — SSBCI Capital Program summaries and program contacts
• U.S. Small Business Administration — district offices; America's SBDC — state network directory
• USDA Rural Development — Hawaii state office
• ROK Financial — published qualification guidelines