As fintechs scale their merchandise, improve transaction volumes, and navigate higher regulatory complexity, they want a associate financial institution constructed to grow alongside them.
Pathward®, N.A. helps its partners throughout funds, sponsorships, and lending, adapting to their evolving wants whereas offering the banking, operational, and compliance infrastructure they require.
Pathward applies this mannequin throughout its associate base, from earned-wage entry companies equivalent to Clair to B2B funds platforms like BluePenguin, in addition to client finance corporations. With greater than 20 years of expertise in partnership banking, the financial institution strikes greater than $8 billion day by day by way of ACH and wire companies and helps greater than 1,000 monetary establishment partners.
Tearsheet named Pathward Partner Bank of the Year within the 2026 Big Bank Theory Awards. We spoke with Will Sowell, Chief Customer Officer at Pathward, about what fintechs want from a associate financial institution at this time, methods to pair innovation with danger and compliance controls, and the way Pathward is adapting to the altering market.
Q: What does Pathward consider an excellent associate financial institution ought to convey to the desk past banking infrastructure?
Will Sowell, Pathward: At Pathward, we consider an excellent associate financial institution brings deep business experience and a real dedication to partnership. Our position shouldn’t be merely to allow applications, however to work alongside partners, providing the steering and capabilities they should innovate and grow responsibly. The strongest relationships are constructed on belief, collaboration, and a shared give attention to sustainable outcomes for partners and the shoppers they serve.
Q: How does the financial institution assist partners as their banking wants increase?
Will Sowell, Pathward: Pathward helps convey collectively seasoned banking experience, operational excellence, consultative danger and compliance infrastructure, and a powerful understanding of partnership to assist its partners’ progress.
We work carefully with partners all through their lifecycle, serving to them reply to new progress alternatives by way of new product choices, evolving regulatory necessities, and altering buyer expectations.
A robust instance of that is our work with TabaPay, a cash motion platform for innovators in rising and controlled industries. Pathward and TabaPay started working collectively in 2020 with a shared give attention to sooner funds by serving to facilitate funds transfers to eligible network-branded playing cards by way of Mastercard Move (Mastercard’s portfolio of cash switch options) and Visa Direct. And, below a brand new settlement, the collaboration now helps PULSE disbursements to route push funds to Discover® Network branded playing cards. Today, Pathward helps TabaPay by way of multi-threaded alternatives to allow sooner funds and tailor-made options that deal with evolving buyer wants by offering lending disbursements, cross-border cash motion, and most popular account funding.
With our devoted assist and entry to broader capabilities, our partners can increase their applications whereas preserving the steadiness and operational self-discipline wanted for sustainable progress.
Q: How does the financial institution stability sooner innovation with the danger and compliance calls for of associate banking?
Will Sowell, Pathward: Innovation and accountable danger administration go hand in hand at Pathward. We embed danger and compliance issues into product improvement and associate collaboration from the outset, serving to options transfer ahead with the protection, soundness, and regulatory self-discipline anticipated of a financial institution. Our expertise throughout a number of regulatory cycles additionally helps us assist applications constructed to adapt, scale, and endure.
Q: What is Pathward seeing change most rapidly in what fintechs count on from their financial institution partners?
Will Sowell, Pathward: The greatest shift we’re seeing is that fintechs more and more count on their financial institution partners to function as strategic partners. They are on the lookout for earlier engagement, extra consultative assist, and capabilities that may evolve with their companies. While pace stays vital, fintechs are inserting higher worth on transparency, scalability, and relationships constructed for long-term progress throughout a number of merchandise and use circumstances.
An instance of that is our work with Oportun. Oportun wanted a associate financial institution that would present the infrastructure to originate unsecured and secured loans nationwide and the experience to proceed growing a collection of accountable lending options for customers who could also be underserved by conventional monetary establishments.
We work carefully with Oportun to anticipate challenges, establish alternatives, and supply further experience and repair. Through this collaborative spirit, we assist assist lending options that increase entry to credit score and advance monetary inclusion.
Q: What is Pathward altering in its personal mannequin because the position of the associate financial institution continues to evolve?
Will Sowell, Pathward: Pathward has developed its working mannequin to align progress, buyer success, funds capabilities, and danger experience extra carefully round associate wants. This mannequin positions us to assist innovation and progress whereas aiming to assist our partners obtain higher success and income enablement. By bringing these groups nearer collectively, we will present stronger lifecycle assist and earlier entry to the steering and assets partners want as their applications evolve. It additionally provides us higher visibility into partners’ wants and allows our groups to offer insights earlier within the course of.
