Innovative products underscore how next-gen platforms are leveling the playing field in credit for banks and FinTechs
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 27, 2021 – i2c inc., a leading provider of digital payment and banking technology, today announced a string of partnerships and credit product launches including Archa, Community Bank of the Chesapeake (CBTC) and Credit Sesame. According to the company, the collaborations are representative of how modern issuing processing platforms are leveling the playing field in credit cards, for a variety of innovators around the globe.
Each use case shares several key attributes, including the relative ease with which product features and functionalities were assembled to address specific opportunities, speed to market, and the establishment of a path for accelerated innovation cycles and expansion.
“These visionary partners each embody in their own way the democratization of product innovation in financial service, and particularly in credit – a product class notable for its complexity and dominance by the top five issuers,” said Amir Wain, CEO and founder of i2c, adding, “For years, banks and new entrants have struggled to innovate in the credit space with legacy platforms and to find partners willing and capable of bringing their ideas to life. That’s all changed now.”
Australian Fintech, Archa, started with the simple idea of addressing a gap in their region’s corporate card market, where banks often don’t underwrite corporate credit cards for small businesses. The company’s neo-banking corporate credit platform offers small businesses instant credit on a functional card platform, integrating with existing business practices without a personal guarantee.
“Building our corporate card platform from scratch, we wanted a flexible solution that would meet several bespoke needs, without needing to use multiple vendors,” said Archa CEO, Oliver Kidd. “i2c solved that for us in that we immediately gained a payments partner with deep experience, integrations and partnerships like with Mastercard, plus proven speed to market,” he added.
As a leading bank serving Southern Maryland and the Fredericksburg region with an emphasis on being close to their customers, CBTC sought to level the playing field through the creation of a credit program for its business and consumer clients that could compete with those offered by the largest institutions.
“We know the customers and how to serve and reward them. We just didn’t have access to the same tools. Partnering with i2c lets us capitalize on what we have, allowing us to compete and provide a best-in-class, highly-relevant experience that simply wasn’t accessible just a few years ago,” said Jimmy Burke, President of CBTC.
Credit Sesame, a credit wellness platform that guides consumers on a path to financial freedom using AI and machine learning, was looking for a trusted partner to help take its digital banking business to market and accelerate growth and expansion across services geographies.
“In order to deliver on our global aspirations, we needed a partner that had the footprint to make it happen. i2c’s platform, with its powerful API layer and card account lifecycle management capabilities, allows us to quickly bring new products and services that push the boundaries of financial wellness innovation and bring it to life, across the world,” said Miro Pavletic, General Manager of Global Banking, Credit Sesame.
About Archa
Archa is an Australian fintech building neo corporate cards; digital accounts that offer small businesses instant credit, without a personal guarantee, on a functional platform that integrates with their existing business practices. Archa provides business owners a range of sophisticated tools to manage their spend in a way that works for them and their staff. Archa intends to bring to market a suite of tools for businesses and consumers to help them better manage their spend and make the most of their money. For more information, visit www.archa.com.au.
About Community Bank of the Chesapeak
Headquartered in Waldorf, Maryland, Community Bank of the Chesapeake is a full-service commercial bank, with assets of approximately $2.0 billion. Through its 12 banking centers and four dedicated commercial lending centers, Community Bank of the Chesapeake offers a broad range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. Community Bank of the Chesapeake is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Community Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: TCFC). More information about Community Bank of the Chesapeake can be found at www.cbtc.com.
About Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame’s mission is to help consumers work toward financial stability and ultimately create better opportunities for themselves and their families. Strong credit health is inextricably linked to financial health and stability, and with the launch of Sesame Cash, Credit Sesame will help consumers manage both. Credit Sesame has helped millions of consumers improve their credit scores, increase their approval odds, lower the cost of credit and save money. Credit Sesame is funded by leading venture capital firms and strategic investors, including Menlo Ventures, Inventus Capital, Globespan Capital, IA Capital Groups, NortonLifeLock, Capital One Ventures, Stanford University, and ATW Partners, among others. Credit Sesame currently operates in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Credit Sesame, visit www.creditsesame.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About i2c Inc.
i2c is a global provider of highly-configurable banking and payment solutions. Using i2c's proprietary building block technology, clients can easily create and manage a comprehensive set of solutions for credit, debit, prepaid, lending and more, quickly and cost-effectively. i2c delivers unparalleled flexibility, agility, security and reliability from a single, global SaaS platform. Founded in 2001, and headquartered in Silicon Valley, i2c's next-generation technology supports millions of users in more than 200 countries/ territories and across all time zones.
For more information, visit i2cinc.com and follow us at @i2cinc.