# The shadowy world of merchant cash advances

An episode of [The Indicator from Planet Money](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1320118593), 11 Mar 2026, 9:21.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510325/npr.simplecastaudio.com/0a4e8d3b-fe23-4948-9e39-20fcf16f9331/episodes/5703e7ed-fcf0-4530-a85a-91d94b67a53f/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=0a4e8d3b-fe23-4948-9e39-20fcf16f9331&awEpisodeId=5703e7ed-fcf0-4530-a85a-91d94b67a53f&feed=IFy3imsg&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5743977&p=510325&d=561&size=8979105

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. Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour. Related episodes: Can I get my tariff money back now? Three ways companies are getting around tariffs For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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