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← Embedded Finance Index 2026/Banks

Column Bank

Infrastructure bank
Sponsor BankFX / Payouts

Infrastructure bank tracked in the Embedded Finance Index. Named by 3 companies, most often as their fx & payouts. Sells embedded finance as Column.

columnbank.com ↗Also analysed as a company — its own stack →
TypeInfrastructure bank
OfferingColumn
Used asFX & payouts, Sponsor bank
Rank#70 of 179 in FX / Payouts
Buyers3 companies
HeadquartersSan Francisco, CA, United States
Founded2021

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How companies use Column Bank

3 companies name Column Bank in their stack. The most common role is fx & payouts (2). A company can use the same bank for more than one thing. Compare it with what Column Bank says it sells, below.

FX & payouts2
Sponsor bank1
How Column sells embedded financeInfrastructure bank

Column ↗

Column presents itself as a nationally chartered bank built for developers to build and fund financial products. Its argument is vertical integration: it runs its own hardware with direct connections to the Fed, TCH and Swift, so builders don't depend on middleware.

“We run our own dedicated hardware that connects to the Federal Reserve, TCH, and Swift to give you granular control and freedom from vendors and middleware.”
column.com ↗
What it offers
  • Payments. ACH, wire, real-time, international wire, book transfers and checks.
  • Accounts. Checking, savings, sub-ledger, clearing and sweep accounts.
  • Card programs. Debit, credit, charge and secured cards.
  • Lending. Loan origination and secondary-market loan purchase.
  • Debt financing. Warehouse and forward-flow facilities.
Sells to
fintechsdeveloperslenders
Delivery
Direct APIs
Claims and record
  • $4.5T+ in annual transaction volume; $100B+ in international payments a year. column.com ↗
  • #1 US issuer of real-time payments (self-reported). column.com ↗
Programs and partners it names
Named customer.
source ↗
Named customer.
source ↗
Named customer.
source ↗
Named customer.
source ↗
The bank’s own positioning and claims, checked against its pages 2026-10. Partners named here come from the bank and are not counted as buyer disclosures. Compare how banks sell embedded finance.
Background · from Column Bank’s own dossier

Column was founded in 2021 by ex-Plaid co-founder William Hockey and Annie Hockey after acquiring a small nationally chartered bank (Northern California National Bank). The thesis: eliminate the middleware layer between fintechs and banks by being both the bank AND the software company. Unlike Unit, Synctera, or Treasury Prime (which sit on top of partner banks), Column holds its own OCC national bank charter and connects directly to the Federal Reserve. In 2025 they expanded from pure banking/payments infrastructure into a full-stack credit platform — originating loans, providing capital, and integrating credit with payments/deposits/cards.

Latest round: Series A, 2022
Recent developments
  • 2026-09-17Launches native stablecoin capabilities on its banking core: no-prefunding, 24/7 conversion between USDC (on Solana and other major chains) and US dollars, one ledger for the stablecoin address and the bank account, fiat rails via SWIFT, FedNow/RTP and checks, and stablecoin-backed cards; names Slash and Brex as customers and cites tens of billions in annualised volume. source ↗
  • 2025-10Launched three new capital products on top of existing loan origination — bank capital and debt financing offerings. source ↗
  • 2026-03-01Crossed $200M annual revenue with ~110 employees; powers banking infrastructure for Brex, Mercury, Ramp and Wise in the US. source ↗
  • 2026-09-16Launched full-stack card issuing (built its own issuer-processor from the ground up, replacing its prior sponsored card-program model) alongside global banking services and multi-currency accounts with local payments — clients now manage banking, processing and capital through a single integration for Mastercard and Visa programs across debit, credit and stablecoin-backed cards. Announced by co-founder/CEO William Hockey. source ↗
Acquisitions
Northern California National Bank2021
Acquired a nationally chartered US bank to become the regulated entity underlying Column's developer infrastructure platform.
Full dossier: Column Bank’s own stack, layer by layer →
Who uses Column Bank
3 companies disclose Column Bank in their stack
AffinitiLiliLili Bank
What the disclosures say
Lili
“lili.co/international-payments and lili.co/legal-documents/reg-gg-notice state: 'Wire Transfer service provided by Column Bank N.A., Member FDIC.' lili.co/us-business-account mentions 140+ currencies and $0 FX fees on the debit card.”
Lili Bank
“The Lili Visa® Debit Card is issued by Sunrise Banks, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc.' Wire services provided by Column Bank N.A.”
The complete buyer list and each company’s full embedded-finance stack are in the Embedded Finance Index report. Represent Column Bank? Claim this profile above to unlock your own full list.
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Other banks in FX / Payouts

Other banks named for FX / Payouts in the index, by the number of companies that disclose them. A count of public disclosures, not a ranking of the products.

Banking Circle12 buyers →JPMorgan7 buyers →Deutsche Bank4 buyers →Citi3 buyers →Citibank2 buyers →ClearBank2 buyers →Goldman Sachs Transaction Banking2 buyers →Singapore Gulf Bank2 buyers →
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Ranked #70 of 179 in FX / Payouts — Embedded Finance Index 2026
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Column Bank — frequently asked

Which companies use Column Bank?

3 companies are linked to Column Bank in the Embedded Finance Index 2026, through their own public disclosures or Column Bank's published customer list, including Affiniti, Lili and Lili Bank.

What do fintechs use Column Bank for?

Column Bank is a infrastructure bank. Companies in the Embedded Finance Index 2026 name it as their fx & payouts (2) and sponsor bank (1).

Does Column Bank offer embedded finance?

Yes, as Column. Column presents itself as a nationally chartered bank built for developers to build and fund financial products. Its argument is vertical integration: it runs its own hardware with direct connections to the Fed, TCH and Swift, so builders don't depend on middleware.

What are the alternatives to Column Bank?

The most-named FX / Payouts alternatives to Column Bank are Banking Circle (12 buyers), JPMorgan (7 buyers), Deutsche Bank (4 buyers), Citi (3 buyers), Citibank (2 buyers) and ClearBank (2 buyers).

Who founded Column Bank?

Column Bank was founded by William Hockey and Annie Hockey and is founded in 2021, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.

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