Astra
Also a provider — view Astra’s profile →“Can a single instant-payments API become the de facto infrastructure layer for embedded disbursements across BaaS, lending, EWA, and SaaS verticals?”
Founded2016
HQSan Francisco, CA, USA
Total raised$10M equity + $30M credit line
Latest roundSeries A, October 2022
IndustryInfrastructure / Payments
The story
Astra, Inc. started as an API for financial automation and money movement. The company pivoted into instant payments infrastructure, specifically enabling card-to-card (debit) transfers — a capability it launched in 2021 via a partnership with Cross River Bank and Visa Direct. By 2022 it had raised a Series A and positioned itself as a multi-vertical instant payments API serving BaaS platforms, earned wage access providers, lenders, and SaaS companies that want to embed instant disbursements.
Last 12 months
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Product timeline
2016
Astra, Inc. founded as a money-movement automation platform focused on bank-to-bank and card transfers.· pivot
2021
Launched first-ever card-to-card instant payment API in partnership with Cross River Bank and Visa Direct.· banking
2022
Secured $10M Series A led by FPV Ventures and a $30M line of credit via CoVenture; surpassed $100M annualized gross payment volume.· pivot
2022
Expanded product suite to serve BaaS platforms, payroll/EWA providers, lenders, and SaaS companies via a single API.· banking
The stack
5 layers disclosed in Astra’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
Money movement
in the full report
Banking / BaaS
in the full report
Lending
in the full report
FX & payouts
in the full report
Accounting gap: minor
8 more providers across 4 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.