At a time when many auto finance companies are pulling back on credit availability, Santander Consumer USA rolled out an expanded program on Monday that’s tailored specifically to applicants who can have a great impact on the entire economy.

Santander announced the expansion of its small business offering to all automotive dealers on its platform. This program can enable small business owners and entrepreneurs to finance vehicles through Santander, significantly broadening the financing options available to them.

With this program, Santander aims to support businesses with fewer than 10 vehicles in their fleet, such as small franchises and startups, by providing them with a broader range of financing solutions.

The company said the initiative also addresses a significant gap in the market, with dealers currently having few financing options when processing applications in a business’ name.

Now, executives said small businesses can submit applications and finance their business vehicles through Santander Consumer at dealerships nationwide.

According to the Census Bureau, 56.6% of all U.S. employers have fewer than five employees, and approximately 15 million businesses have fewer than ten employees.

Santander called these small businesses “the backbone of the U.S. economy,” further prompting the company to launch a comprehensive approach to ensure that its customers have a dependable financing option that provides dealerships with access to funding for all small business customers.

“This expansion is an exciting step forward for both our dealers and small business customers,” Santander Consumer USA president Betty Jotanovic said in a news release. “Dealers have expressed a strong need for more robust financing options, and small business owners have often been limited in their choices.

“By offering a full spectrum of vehicle financing options, we are making it easier for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and for dealers to better serve their customers,” Jotanovic went on to say.