How U.S. Bank Sees SMBs Navigating Tariffs and GenAI

Shruti Patel of U.S. Bank flags three themes in small-business banking. First of all with tariffs in the spotlight, U.S. Bank highlights that business owners are weighing in whether to absorb higher input costs or pass them to customers, choices that ripple through margins, pricing strategy, and cash conversion. Patel notes this is pushing demand for short-term liquidity to smooth operations and protect inventory turns.

Think revolving lines, quicker approvals, and cash-flow tools that help model pass-through versus absorb scenarios over a quarter or two. She points to expanded use of SBA-backed lending as a practical path to affordable working capital, especially for firms with solid fundamentals but thinner cushions after recent volatility.

Secondly, generative AI is now in production, not pilot. Patel sees usage spreading across everyday jobs: drafting marketing copy, summarizing support tickets, reconciling expenses, and assisting fraud review. U.S. Bank’s focus is twofold, deploying fit-for-purpose tools and training frontline bankers so they can coach customers on safe, effective adoption which means guidance on data handling, human-in-the-loop checks, and where AI can reliably save time without creating risk.

Thirdly, firms want integrated solutions that bundle banking, payments, and software. U.S. Bank highlights the productivity upside when deposits, pay-ins/pay-outs, invoicing, and accounting sync automatically: faster reconciliation, clearer real-time cash views, fewer manual steps, and better month-end close. For fintechs and banks, the opportunity lies in packaging these components through platform partnerships and embedded finance, connecting accounts, cards, payouts, and back-office workflows under one login and with shared data.