Mercury Beta
“Can a startup-focused neobank become the full financial OS for SMBs and eventually own its own bank charter to eliminate sponsor-bank dependency?”
Founded in 2017 as a fintech neobank targeting tech startups, Mercury built a deposit and payments product on top of sponsor banks. Over time, it layered in treasury management, corporate cards, spend management, bill pay, and lending — evolving from a pure banking interface into a comprehensive financial OS for startups and SMBs. In 2024–2025, Mercury accelerated competition with Brex and Ramp by launching expense management and invoice automation. Mercury's most significant strategic shift is its pursuit of an OCC national bank charter, which would reduce dependency on sponsor banks and dramatically expand its regulatory autonomy.