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On 15 October 2026, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) explicitly stated for the first time how professional content creators should be classified for its funding and loan programmes: for predominantly audiovisual business models, the industry group NAICS 5121 (Motion Picture and Video Industries) is the starting point. This is an administrative simplification for US businesses – not a new blanket loan entitlement for influencers and not a change to German law.
What changes concretely for a creator business
The official SBA notice covers, among others, video creators, streamers, podcasters, digital publishers and production agencies, provided their main activity falls within this industry group. Within NAICS 5121, they should select the six-digit code that actually matches their work.
This solves a specific problem: a business that combines advertising revenue, affiliate commissions, sponsorships, its own videos and post-production previously often had to explain more often which industry it belongs to. SBA support was already possible before, provided the other requirements were met. The authority describes around 27 million creator-led businesses in the US – an SBA figure, not a count we have independently verified.
What a bank still wants to see
A creator with a matching NAICS code does not automatically receive money. For the SBA programme 7(a), the authority cites, among other things, a US business location, an appropriate business size, creditworthiness and demonstrable ability to repay. The guaranteed loans are applied for through participating lenders; the standard programme limit is 5 million dollars.
What matters most, therefore, is not the follower count but whether payment flows, recurring income, contracts, costs and possible default risks are documented. A single viral month is not a plannable income base. The Visa Creator Study 2025 illustrates the structural problem: 86 percent of the surveyed creators also financed their work with private funds, while 26 percent reported needing support with financial management, contracts, and tax and legal questions. The study is based on respondents, not a full survey of all creators.
The decisive rule is still open
In parallel, the SBA is working on a reform of its size standards. A special exception within the video industry has been proposed for creators; its outcome is pending. The comment period ends on 20 November 2026. A final exception rule or a specific future number of eligible businesses cannot yet be derived from this.
What German creators and brands can learn from this
The US industry codes do not apply in Germany. For self-employed people here, German trade, tax, contract and financing rules remain decisive. What is transferable, however, is the business logic: those who cleanly separate different monetisation sources, document invoices and usage rights, and build liquidity buffers are better prepared for conversations with banks, agencies and clients.
This fits a development we observe with journalistic creator businesses and their own newsletters and with creator marketing beyond pure follower counts. The creator economy education at US universities likewise covers business models, contracts and monetisation rather than just building reach.
The current Digiday coverage documents differing industry reactions. For now, the most reliable development is the clearer administrative classification. Whether this noticeably leads to more successful loan approvals or stronger negotiating positions has not yet been measured.
Image: Kyle Loftus / Unsplash (illustrative image).