Buying a Business in Puerto Rico
What SBA acquisition lending actually looks like in Puerto Rico, from loan-level government data.
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
7
$2.4M approved
Median Loan
$192,500
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
42
$14.7M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
0.1%
Of change-of-ownership loans
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Puerto Rico
- 1. Oriental Bank24 loans
- 2. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico11 loans
- 3. FirstBank Puerto Rico4 loans
- 4. Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico2 loans
- 5. First Business Bank1 loans
A lender being active in Puerto Rico does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lender Match.
What Gets Bought in Puerto Rico
- Full-Service Restaurants4 loans
- Pharmacies and Drug Stores4 loans
- Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores3 loans
- Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance3 loans
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers2 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Industry Buy Guides.
Method & Source
Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Puerto Rico project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing. Free to cite with attribution.
Everything here is educational information, not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Figures are estimates or cited third-party data; verify anything that matters against primary sources and your own advisors before acting on it.