The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is a federal Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada. Its mandate is to help create and develop Canadian businesses through financing, growth and transition capital, venture capital and consulting services, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. The bank was founded in 1944 and its corporate headquarters is located in Montreal. BDC has more than 100 business centres across Canada and more than 30,000 clients