[4] BDC's debt obligations, secured by the Government of Canada, are issued to public and private sector institutions.

During its first years, the bank's main role was to help small "industrial enterprises" convert from military production to peacetime operations after World War II.

By 1964, 20 years after its foundation, IDB had 22 branches across Canada, covering main cities such as Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver, including operations in relatively rural areas.

It mandated BDC to promote entrepreneurship, focusing on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to fill gaps in the market and maximize financing alternatives for businesses by offering services that were complementary to those available from other financial institutions.

[11] In April 2021, the Bank announced the appointment of Isabelle Hudon as President and Chief Executive Officer as of August of the same year, at the end of the term of current CEO Michael Denham.

[12] In 2023, current and former staff raised concerns about spending at the bank, including expenditure on consulting services from McKinsey & Company and air transport for a private chauffeur.

[20][21] BDC is a complementary lender, offering commercial loans and investments that fill out or complete services available from private-sector financial institutions.