WASHINGTON, DC / AGILITYPR.NEWS / March 05, 2026 / Ascendus, a national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) committed to financial ascension for all, announced that Jennifer Spaziano, Senior Vice President of Operations & Innovation, attended The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability, a forum hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition on March 5, 2026.

The forum brought together policymakers, small business owners, lenders, technologists, and advocates to examine the forces reshaping small business finance — from artificial intelligence and shifting entrepreneurship patterns to market and policy dynamics that are redefining access to capital.

For Ascendus, participation in cross-sector convenings like this one reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of responsible innovation in community development finance. The conversations happening at this forum — about infrastructure, data, transparency, and outcomes — are directly relevant to the work we do every day alongside small business owners.

“Access without understanding is not opportunity.”

— A theme that emerged from the forum, and one that is central to how Ascendus approaches lending and financial education.

The forum explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping lending operations, from document collection and underwriting support to customer service, and how clean, categorized financial data can unlock more accurate cash-flow-based lending for small businesses. Speakers also addressed the persistent gap between the speed of technological innovation and the infrastructure many lenders still rely on — built for a different era.

As a CDFI that integrates capital and financial coaching, Ascendus brings a practitioner’s perspective to these national conversations. Our model is built on the belief that technology must serve better outcomes for small business owners, not simply faster transactions.