“Can a single API aggregating real-time SMB accounting, banking, and cash flow data become the standard underwriting and decisioning infrastructure for small business lenders and financial institutions?”
ForwardAI started as an accounting data infrastructure provider, building APIs to connect small business accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero) to financial institutions for lending underwriting and cash flow forecasting. Over time the company expanded from pure data connectivity into a broader open finance platform — adding banking data, payment data, and commerce data aggregation. A sister product, Forwardly, emerged as a real-time payments tool for SMBs, demonstrating the company's move from B2B infrastructure into closer-to-end-user embedded finance tooling. The core thesis remains infrastructure-first: enabling lenders, banks, and fintechs to access real-time SMB financial data without manual document collection.
Forwardai moves money over RTP.
Forwardai integrates with QuickBooks Online, Xero and NetSuite.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in Forwardai's stack: Money movement (RTP); Lending (SMB lending underwriting API, Cash flow-based pre-qualification, DSCR analysis, Days cash on hand analytics and 1 other); Accounting (QuickBooks Online, Xero and NetSuite).
Forwardai is headquartered in Canada.
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