Column

Column is a nationally chartered US bank built from the ground up to serve developers directly, rather than a fintech sitting on top of a partner bank. Founded by a Plaid co-founder, Column wrote its own core banking system and ledger and has a direct connection to the Federal Reserve, which it uses to offer money movement and banking primitives through a clean API without the middleware layers that typically sit between a startup and a sponsor bank. Its products include ACH origination and receipt, domestic and international wires, real-time book transfers between accounts on Column, an API-native ledger, FDIC-insured bank accounts that programs can open for their customers, card issuing programs, and credit and lending products backed by Column's balance sheet. Because Column is itself the bank, programs get fewer intermediaries, more direct control over settlement, and clearer compliance ownership. It has become the banking partner for a number of fast-growing fintech and technology companies, and reported revenue well over a hundred million dollars in 2025 split between deposit interest income and usage and interchange fees. Column is sold as a paid platform with pricing based on transaction volume, accounts, and the products used.