AI Meets Blockchain: NEWITY Secures $11M Strategic Investment to Transform $350B Gap in Small Business Loan Market

CMT Digital backs AI-powered fintech innovator to unlock billions in capital for America’s 33M small businesses

CHICAGO, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEWITY, a financial technology company transforming how small businesses access capital, today announced its $11M strategic investment led by CMT Digital. The capital will be used to scale its AI-driven lending infrastructure and to connect small business credit with blockchain-enabled capital markets.

The move positions NEWITY to address a critical market failure: while small businesses represent 99.9% of U.S. firms and employ nearly half the nation’s workforce, they face a $350 billion annual funding shortfall. By combining AI-powered underwriting with blockchain-ready capital market infrastructure, NEWITY aims to close that gap at scale while fully adhering to regulatory and compliance requirements.

NEWITY has already empowered more than 125,000 businesses to secure $12 billion in SBA loans while slashing funding timelines to one-third of the national average. Their recent launch of Growth Term Loans expanded access across the small business spectrum. Now, the company is deploying breakthrough technology to scale its impact exponentially.

Scaling AI‑Driven Origination and Expanding Capital Access

The investment will expand two key capabilities: scaling NEWITY's AI-first underwriting platform to further streamline loan origination and building infrastructure to connect small business credit with blockchain-enabled capital markets. Together, these advancements will help NEWITY's expert team guide more businesses through funding efficiently while transforming small business debt from an illiquid asset into digital, tradable instruments that continuously recycle capital back to entrepreneurs at scale.

“NEWITY has demonstrated the ability to move quickly and efficiently in one of the most operationally complex lending markets,” said Sam Hallene, Partner at CMT Digital. “Our investment is intended to support the next phase of growth: scaling origination through automation and expanding long-term liquidity options for small business credit through institutional and blockchain-native capital channels.”

Addressing a Critical Market Gap

Traditional small business lending faces two problems: slow origination and trapped capital. NEWITY's platform and CMT's investment address both issues head-on.

Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, NEWITY co-CEOs Luke LaHaie and David Cody combined their complementary expertise in capital markets and private debt to address the funding barriers entrepreneurs faced during the Paycheck Protection Program. Cody brings three decades of business development and capital experience from firms including Fortress Investment Group, while LaHaie brings deep private credit expertise as a former private debt fund manager and serial entrepreneur.

“We’re not improving small business lending, we’re reinventing the financial infrastructure that connects entrepreneurs to capital,” said Luke LaHaie, co-founder and co-CEO of NEWITY. “AI and blockchain give us the infrastructure to empower our team to operate at the scale that this market demands.”

“We built the rails that let small business credit flow to any investor – from banks and institutions to blockchain-native buyers,” added David Cody, co‑founder and co-CEO. “We’re not aiming to shrink the $350 billion gap; we’re building infrastructure to eliminate it.”

Small businesses seeking SBA 7(a) loans or Growth Term Loans can apply at https://newitymarket.com. Investors seeking early access to blockchain-enabled small business loan assets can contact blockchain@newitymarket.com.

About NEWITY

NEWITY is a financial technology company that has helped more than 125,000 small businesses secure $12 billion in affordable funding. The company combines artificial intelligence with expert guidance to streamline SBA 7(a) loans and Growth Term Loans and is pioneering on‑chain small business lending facilitation. For more information, visit https://newitymarket.com. NEWITY is not an SBA 7(a) lender; SBA loans are originated and approved by a participating SBA lender.

About CMT Digital

CMT Digital is a crypto-focused venture capital firm built on nearly a decade of blockchain investing and informed by decades of trading expertise. Founded in 2017, the firm has invested in over 200 blockchain and crypto-focused businesses, protocols, and tokens. CMT Digital is a division of CMT Group, a diversified investment firm that has operated for more than 25 years across exchange-traded options and futures, private and public equities, energy products, crypto, and other alternative assets.

Media Contact

Rachel Williams
rwilliams@newitymarket.com
312-520-0843

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.