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Smbliq B 031 Small Business Outlook 2020 04

Summary

The Visa Business and Economics Insights Small Business Outlook for Spring 2020, which reports Visa's Small Business Health Indexes and a national survey of small business owners on the effects of COVID-19. It states that small business spending declined sharply in Q1, that outstanding balances on Visa business credit cards dropped 2.6 points, and that delinquencies and charge-offs rose. The survey, fielded April 16-24, 2020 by Kelton, found 45 percent of small businesses at risk of closing and 5 percent anticipating closure. It reports cost cutting, layoffs, remote work and new technology tools, and that 81 percent said flexible payment options would help them stay afloat. The report includes a methodology section, disclaimers and quotations from Visa's chief economist.

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                                                                                                                                                                                       Visa Business and Economics Insights

                                                 Small Business Outlook
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Spring 2020


                                                 Visa’s proprietary Small Business Health Indexes and a nation-wide survey of small business
                                                 owners show early signs of America’s small businesses feeling the pain of COVID-19


                                                                           Small businesses were hit hard in Q1 by the pandemic, and it may be just the beginning
                           “Small businesses are facing
                           unprecedented challenges due to the             •     Small business spending declined sharply in Q1 as the uncertainty of the health crisis unfolded and sales plummeted due to
                           COVID-19 pandemic. While Congress                     stay-at-home orders. States are beginning to open up, with restrictions gradually being lifted in most places.
                           has enacted large SBA-led lending               •     Outstanding balances on Visa business credit cards dropped 2.6 points, but may increase as lost revenues kick in and borrowing
                           programs, the loss of demand due to                   becomes more necessary. Risk, on the other hand, ticked up with increases in both delinquencies (+3.3) and charge-offs (+6.6).
                           widespread stay-at-home orders has left               Whether federal assistance programs and forbearance regulations can help stem the tide remains to be seen.
                           most small businesses in a very                 •     Half of small businesses were either at risk of closing (45 percent) or anticipated they would need to close (5 percent) because of
                           precarious position.”                                 the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Q1 survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of Visa. Most small businesses are
                           Wayne Best                                            looking for assistance to stay afloat, either through flexible payment options (81 percent), relief from debt payments (78
                           Chief Economist, Visa Inc.                            percent), or access to loans (73 percent).



 Small Business Health Indexes: Based on proprietary Visa small business card data

 Small Business Spending Index                                                 Small Business Borrowing Index                                             Small Business Risk Index
            Payment volume on Visa business credit cards,*                               Outstanding balances on Visa business credit                                 Delinquencies and charge-offs on Visa business
            indexed to Q1-2013                                                           cards,* indexed to Q1-2013                                                   credit cards,** indexed to Q1-2013

240                                                                            125
                                                                                                                                                            110
200                                                                            115                                                                            90
160                                                                                                                                                                                  Charge-offs
                                                                               105                                                                            70
120

80                                                                             95                                                                                      Delinquencies
                                                                                                                                                              50
      2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020                                        2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020                                       2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
 *Payment volume and balances per active account. See methodology notes on page 2 for more details   | **Percent of balances delinquent and charged-off. See methodology notes on page 2 for more details      ©Visa 2020
Disclosures:

Disclaimer
Case studies, research and recommended practice recommendations are intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for marketing, legal, technical, tax, financial or other
advice. When implementing any new strategy or practice, you should consult with your legal counsel to determine what laws and regulations may apply to your specific circumstances The actual costs,
savings and benefits of a card program may vary based upon your specific business needs and program requirements. Visa makes no representations and warranties as to the information contained herein
and member is solely responsible for any use of the information in this presentation in connection with its card programs.


Forward-looking statements
This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are generally identified by words such as “outlook,”
“forecast,” “projected,” “could,” “expects,” “will” and other similar expressions. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make about Visa’s business,
economic outlooks, population expansion and analyses. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, are not
guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Studies, survey results, research,
recommendations, opportunity assessments, claims, etc. (the “Statements”) should be considered directional only. The Statements should not be relied upon for marketing, legal, regulatory or other advice.
The Statements should be independently evaluated in light of your specific business needs and any applicable laws and regulations. Visa is not responsible for your use of the Statements, including errors of
any kind, or any assumptions or conclusions you might draw from their use.


Methodology
Except were otherwise noted, statements herein are based on:

• Visa Small Business Health Indexes, based on proprietary Visa data and calculated as follows:
        • Spending Index: Changes in spending per spend-active small business credit card account.
        • Borrowing Index: Changes in balances per balance-active small business credit card account.
        • Risk Index: Changes in share of balances delinquent and balances charged-off in a quarter on Visa small business credit cards.

All indexes use Q1-2013 as their base period.

• The national small business survey of approximately 1000 small business owners, administered by Kelton once per quarter. The spring survey was fielded April 16-24, 2020.

For any further questions on this report please contact your Visa Account Executive.



                                                                                                  ©Visa 2020
Visa Small Business Outlook

COVID-19 Impact:                                                       The impact of COVID-19 on small businesses is significant, and its
                                                                       effects are becoming increasingly tangible.
Making cuts to stay in business



Most small businesses have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic                                    Struggling small businesses have reduced workforces and spending to try to
                                                                                                       remain afloat
Nearly all small businesses (83 percent) report that they have been impacted in some way by the
COVID-19 pandemic, with half of small businesses saying they were either at risk of closing (45        Three-fifths of small businesses (60 percent) have decreased spending overall whether they have
percent) or anticipated they would need to close (5 percent) because of COVID-19.                      directly felt a negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic or not. Among those who have been
                                                                                                       negatively impacted, more than one-quarter (27 percent) have had to, or are planning to, lay off
                                                                                                       employees. Reducing operational costs (42 percent) and decreasing marketing spend (33 percent) are
                          COVID-19 impact on small businesses                                          other ways that they have cut back on budget.

                    4%

                         5%
                                                                                                       Small businesses are cutting costs by:                 Small businesses who have had to lay-off
                                                  My business will close                               (Among those negatively impacted by COVID-19)          employees (by number of employees):
                                                                                                                                                              (Among those negatively impacted by COVID-19)
                                                  My business will be at risk of closing
         46%                      45%             My business won’t face any                                   42%
                                                  noticeable economic changes
                                                                                                                                33%
                                                  My business will expand                                                                                                 1-10 employees             22%
                                                                                                                                                  27%


                                                                                                                                                                          11-20 employees            30%


Millennial owners (17 percent) were more likely than Gen X owners (2 percent) and boomer                                                                                  21+ employees              34%
owners (4 percent) to say their business will close.
                                                                                                            Reducing         Decreasing        Employee
                                                                                                           operational       marketing          layoffs
Small businesses that have been in business for more than 15 years were more likely than those
who have been in business for 15 years or less to say their business will not face any noticeable             costs            spend
economic changes (55 percent vs. 38 percent)
  Visa Small Business Outlook

  COVID-19 Impact:                                                           Small businesses are taking action to combat the effects of
                                                                             COVID-19 and find ways to keep employees working effectively.
  Changing operational methods


Small businesses update policies and technology in order to stay in                                      Some small businesses introduce technology tools they haven’t previously
operation                                                                                                used as a result of COVID-19


Over half of small businesses (55 percent) have changed internal business practices, such as            Two-fifths (40 percent) have either begun using or plan to use virtual meeting software as a result of the
avoiding unnecessary meetings. Among small businesses that have been negatively impacted by             pandemic. Over a quarter (26 percent) have either begun or intend to begin using virtual communication
COVID-19, nearly half (47 percent) have allowed employees to work from home.                            tools, while 21 percent say the same about collaboration tools.


                                                                                                                                           Technology tool introduction
                                                               Small businesses with more than 10
                                                               employees are more likely than those
                                                               with fewer to have changed internal
               75%                                             business polices as a result of the      Collaboration resources/software            38%            12%    9%            41%
                                                               pandemic (60 percent vs. 52 percent).


                                                               Among those negatively impacted,
                                                               small businesses with revenues over           Virtual communication tools         25%         17%     9%              49%
  Three in four small businesses                               $1M are more likely than those with
  (75 percent) report some type                                less to have allowed employees to
      of day-to-day changes                                    work from home (59 percent vs. 37
                                                               percent).                                        Virtual meeting software         27%               32%         8%          33%

              Small businesses allowing WFH (by annual revenue):
                             (Among those negatively impacted by COVID-19)

                                                                                   69%                        Used prior to COVID-19                                 Began using as a result of COVID-19
                                                             57%
             31%                      39%
                                                                                                              Plan to start using as a result of COVID-19            Don’t use/don't plan to use


        Less than $100k            $100k-<$1M            $1M-<$5M               $5M-<$10M
Visa Small Business Outlook

COVID-19 Impact:                                                     Small businesses are seeking information and guidance from third
Requesting third party help                                          parties to navigate the impacts of COVID-19



“While COVID-19 has created significant     Small businesses are looking for assistance from                          Compared to small businesses with 20 employees or less,
challenges for small businesses, they       third parties                                                             businesses with more than 20 employees are more likely to
continue to seek guidance and support                                                                                 welcome help from third parties in the following areas (by share
from third parties to recover. Working      More than four-fifths of small businesses (81 percent) say that
across the ecosystem, we can identify
                                                                                                                      of small businesses with 20+ employees):
                                            flexible payment options by third parties would help them to stay
opportunities to partner and create new     afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, with most (78 percent) saying
paths forward to help them survive and      relief from debt payments or expenses, and access to loans (73
thrive.”                                    percent) would be helpful. In fact, over two-fifths of small businesses
David Simon
Global Head of Small and Medium
                                            (41 percent) who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 have
                                            already applied for emergency funding.                                                  71%                                           64%
                                                                                                                                    Relevant reading                              Information on how to
Businesses, Visa Inc.
                                                                                                                                    materials/resources                           market business online
                                                                                                                                    (vs. 52 percent)                              (vs. 50 percent)
 How third parties can help small businesses stay afloat during COVID-19:
    81%

                                                                                                                                    65%                                           55%
                   78%
                                  73%

                                                57%              54%             54%                                                Educational resources                         Help business to
                                                                                                                                    (e.g., financial planning)                    start selling online
                                                                                                  41%                               (vs. 50 percent)                              (vs. 37 percent)




                                                                                                                                      Small businesses who have been in business for 20 years
                                                                                                                                      or less are more likely than small businesses who have
  Flexible    Relief for debt     Access       Relevant      Educational   Information on       Help my                               been in business longer to say flexible payment options by
                                                                                                                                      third parties (85 percent vs. 74 percent) and relief for debt
 payment       payment or        to loans     materials/      resources    how to market        business
                                                                                                                                      payments or expenses (83 percent vs. 71 percent) would
  options       expenses                      resources                      my business      start selling
                                                                                                                                      help them stay open through the pandemic.
                                                                                online           online


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