Affiniti Taps Column to Fuel Financial Overhaul for Main Street SMBs

NEW YORK, NY – March 09, 2026 – Financial technology firm Affiniti today announced a significant financing agreement with Column N.A., the nationally chartered bank built to power FinTech innovation. The deal provides Affiniti with committed funding to accelerate the growth of its AI-driven financial platform, which is rapidly gaining traction among the small and medium-sized businesses that form the backbone of the U.S. economy.

The partnership is set to expand Affiniti's corporate card product and fuel its ambitions to build a comprehensive, all-in-one financial operating system for businesses often overlooked by traditional financial institutions. By combining Affiniti's user-focused technology with Column's modern banking infrastructure, the collaboration aims to deliver a seamless financial management experience where it's needed most.

A Modern Lifeline for Underserved Industries

For decades, small businesses in critical sectors like independent pharmacies, HVAC contracting, and property management have navigated a financial landscape of fragmented services, manual processes, and limited access to capital. These businesses, which often operate without dedicated finance teams, have been left to grapple with spreadsheets, paper invoices, and banking products not designed for their specific needs. Research shows that a staggering 87% of SMB loan applications to large banks are rejected, with minority-owned firms facing even higher denial rates.

This is the gap Affiniti, founded in 2022, was built to fill. The company has focused intently on these "backbone industries," partnering with trade associations to build trust and understand their unique pain points. The approach has paid off. Since launching its initial expense management and credit card products in late 2024, Affiniti has seen rapid adoption, onboarding 1,800 customers and processing over $20 million in monthly transactions by mid-2025.

Affiniti's platform moves beyond single-point solutions, integrating corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, and banking into a unified system. The platform's AI-powered automation helps business owners streamline operations, gain clearer insight into cash flow, and reclaim time previously lost to administrative tasks. For many of its clients, Affiniti represents their first foray into modern fintech, replacing legacy systems and providing a level of efficiency previously out of reach.

The All-in-One Advantage in a Crowded Field

Affiniti is entering a fiercely competitive market for SMB financial services, where well-funded players like Brex, Ramp, and Mercury have already captured significant mindshare. However, Affiniti's strategy carves out a distinct niche. While many competitors focus on high-growth tech startups, Affiniti's dedication to traditionally non-digital, underserved sectors provides a key differentiator.

This new financing from Column is a critical component of that strategy, providing the capital necessary to evolve from a popular card and expense tool into a full-fledged financial hub. The funding will directly support the rollout of integrated banking and bill pay services, solidifying the platform's all-in-one value proposition.

"Affiniti is building an all-in-one financial platform for backbone SMBs, where banking, payments, and spend management come together with AI-powered automation that helps businesses operate more efficiently every day," said Aaron Bai, CEO and Co-Founder of Affiniti. "Partnering with Column strengthens our ability to scale our card offering and accelerate our mission of delivering modern financial infrastructure to underserved industries."

This mission is particularly relevant as SMBs show a clear preference for integrated solutions. Market data indicates that while 83% of SMBs are interested in accessing financial services through software platforms, only 9% currently do, highlighting a massive, untapped opportunity for platforms that can effectively consolidate these functions.

The Infrastructure Powering Innovation

At the core of this partnership is Column N.A., a unique entity in the banking world. Founded in 2019 by Plaid co-founder William Hockey, Column was established by acquiring a small community bank and rebuilding it from the ground up as a technology-first, API-driven institution. Eschewing venture capital, the bank is founder-owned and designed specifically to serve as the regulatory and technical foundation for other FinTechs.

Column provides what it calls "bare-metal access" to the banking system, offering direct connections to payment rails and lending programs without the layers of legacy middleware that slow down traditional banks. This model has made it the banking partner of choice for a roster of top-tier FinTechs, including Brex and Mercury.

With over $849 million in assets and net revenue that doubled to $200 million in 2025, Column brings significant financial stability and scale to the table. Its role extends beyond just processing payments; it deploys its own balance sheet to fund lenders and partners like Affiniti, enabling them to grow without the immediate need for complex, separate debt financing arrangements.

"Affiniti has built an incredible platform for the small businesses that keep America running," noted Brian Fishbein, Chief Investment Officer at Column. "As Affiniti grows, Column will support their product vision with scalable and capital-efficient banking infrastructure — giving SMBs a faster and more efficient option to manage their financial operations."

This collaboration exemplifies the broader trend of embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), where symbiotic partnerships between nimble FinTechs and modern infrastructure banks are redefining the financial services landscape. For Affiniti, the deal provides both the capital and the technical horsepower to pursue its vision. For the thousands of small businesses it serves, it promises a future of more streamlined, intelligent, and accessible financial management, allowing them to focus on what they do best.