Financing a World Fuel Services with an SBA loan
Since FY2020, 26 World Fuel Services locations changed hands on an SBA 7(a) loan. Here is what those deals looked like, what the brand costs to open, which lenders wrote the loans, and where the brand stands with the SBA.
What a World Fuel Services deal looks like
World Fuel Services is an established brand in the SBA loan file: 26 acquisitions cleared underwriting in the last five years. The median loan was $1,984,450 at 8.88 percent. Amortized over 25 years, that is about $16,491 a month, or $197,888 a year in debt service. SBA's 10 percent minimum equity injection on a deal that size is roughly $220,494 of buyer cash, some of which a seller note on standby can sometimes cover.
Illustrative only: the median loan is not a purchase price, and every deal differs. Model your own in the deal analyzer or the DSCR calculator.
7(a) or 504 for a World Fuel Services?
World Fuel Services deals often include the real estate, which is why the median loan here is large and runs long. When the building is part of the purchase, the SBA 504 program is usually the better fit: a 50/40/10 stack, a bank first lien, a fixed-rate CDC debenture, and 10 percent down, with the real estate amortized up to 25 years. Model that structure in the 504 calculator.
When you are buying an existing World Fuel Services as a going concern without the real estate, a 7(a) loan is the usual route, typically over 10 years. Price it in the 7(a) calculator.
Lenders that actually write these
The banks below approved the most World Fuel Services acquisitions in the file. A lender that has funded this brand before is the fastest path through underwriting.
- Celtic Bank Corporation4 World Fuel Services loans
- Commonwealth Business Bank2 World Fuel Services loans
- Landmark National Bank2 World Fuel Services loans
- Merchants Bank of Indiana2 World Fuel Services loans
- UniBank2 World Fuel Services loans
SBA conditions on this brand
Distributor may not file anything against the SBA Real Estate Collateral
Every franchise the SBA will finance carries an entry in its directory, and some carry conditions like this one about how the real estate and the lease may be held. A lender has to clear these before funding, so they are worth reading before you make an offer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a World Fuel Services?
In the SBA loan file, the median 7(a) acquisition loan for World Fuel Services was $1,984,450 (change-of-ownership approvals, FY2025 to FY2026 Q3). The purchase price a buyer pays runs somewhat higher than the loan, since SBA requires at least a 10 percent equity injection.
Can you buy a World Fuel Services with an SBA loan?
Yes. 26 World Fuel Services locations were acquired with SBA 7(a) financing since FY2020, and the brand is listed in the SBA Franchise Directory. The directory attaches a lender condition to this brand, so a lender clears that before funding.
How much do you need for a down payment on a World Fuel Services?
SBA requires a minimum 10 percent equity injection. On the median World Fuel Services loan of $1,984,450, that is roughly $220,494 of buyer cash, though a seller note kept on full standby can cover part of it. The rest is financed over about 25 years, around $16,491 a month at the median rate.
Which lenders finance World Fuel Services acquisitions?
Celtic Bank Corporation, Commonwealth Business Bank and Landmark National Bank wrote the most World Fuel Services acquisition loans in the federal file. A lender that has funded the brand before knows its franchise agreement and tends to move faster. See the full lender detail above.
Other fuel brands buyers finance
Loan counts, median size, median rate, and lender ranking are computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file, change of ownership approvals, FY2025 to FY2026 Q3, as of June 30, 2026. Eligibility, the identifier code, and any conditions are from the SBA Franchise Directory, effective August 11, 2026. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by World Fuel Services or its franchisor, and directory listing is not an endorsement of any individual deal. Methodology.