Strike
“Can Strike become the full-service financial operating system for Bitcoin holders globally — owning the stack from buy/sell/custody through lending, payments, and business accounts?”
Founded2017
HQChicago, IL, USA
FoundersJack Mallers
IndustryFintech / Crypto
The story
Founded in 2017 as Zap Solutions with a focus on Lightning Network tooling, Strike rebranded and pivoted to a consumer-facing Bitcoin financial platform. It expanded globally via a Checkout.com partnership in 2022, enabling fiat-to-Bitcoin on-ramps in 65+ countries. More recently, Strike has built toward becoming a full-service Bitcoin financial suite — adding bitcoin-backed lending, business accounts, and private client services — positioning itself as the financial OS for Bitcoin holders rather than a simple exchange.
Product timeline
2017
Founded as Zap Solutions, building Lightning Network payment infrastructure.· pivot
2021
Rebranded to Strike and launched consumer Bitcoin app with Lightning Network payments for US users.· banking
2022
Partnered with Checkout.com to enable Bitcoin purchases via debit card in 65+ countries, accelerating global expansion.· pivot
2025
Launched bitcoin-backed loans and revolving line of credit for individuals and businesses; upgraded in May 2025 with tiered rates starting at 9.5% APR and no maximum loan size.· lending
2025
Announced Strike has added 1,500 bitcoin to its own treasury at the 2025 Bitcoin Conference.· banking
The stack
7 layers disclosed in Strike’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
Money movement
in the full report
Banking / BaaS
in the full report
Lending
in the full report
Sponsor bank
in the full report
FX & payouts
in the full report
Crypto
in the full report
Accounting gap: minor
7 more providers across 6 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.