small-business lender; shōkō lender
Refers to a nonbank financial institution that provides short-term loans to small and medium-sized businesses. Colloquial term.
We raised funds from a small-business lender.
small-business loan
Refers to the loan product itself, typically a short-term loan from a nonbank financial institution. Colloquial term.
We needed urgent working capital and used a small-business loan.
Compound of 商工 (commerce and industry) and ローン (loan). The term emerged in the late 20th century to describe nonbank lenders targeting small businesses.