The shadowy world of merchant cash advances
March 11, 2026
9 min
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228 of 300
March 11, 2026
The shadowy world of merchant cash advances
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Nprs Planet Money Episodes Around March 11, 2026
Episode 228 of 300 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
9:21This episodeThe shadowy world of merchant cash advances
Summary
During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve found a new market: small businesses that desperately need cash to pay tariffs.<br /><br />Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold.<br /><br /><strong>Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: </strong><a href="https://tix.to/pm-book-tour" target="_blank"><strong>https://tix.to/pm-book-tour</strong></a><strong>. </strong><br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: </strong><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-5721268/can-i-get-my-tariff-money-back-now" target="_blank">Can I get my tariff money back now?</a> <br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/nx-s1-5515756/three-ways-companies-are-getting-around-tariffs" target="_blank">Three ways companies are getting around tariffs</a> <br /><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.</em> <em>Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>. </em> <br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
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