Onbe Taps Insider Melissa Hentschel as CEO to Lead Payouts Revolution

CHICAGO & PHILADELPHIA – May 06, 2026 – Corporate payouts platform Onbe has named veteran payments executive Melissa Hentschel as its new Chief Executive Officer, a strategic move that signals both continuity and a renewed focus on growth. Hentschel, formerly the company's Chief Client Officer, will also join the Board of Directors, succeeding the retiring Bala Janakiraman.

The leadership transition comes as Onbe, a key player in the fintech space, aims to deepen its penetration into the burgeoning $3 trillion B2C payouts market. This vast sector is experiencing a seismic shift away from traditional checks and legacy disbursement methods, creating a significant opportunity for platforms that can offer instant, digital, and seamless payment experiences. Hentschel's promotion from within the company’s ranks underscores a strategy centered on leveraging deep institutional knowledge and strong client relationships to navigate this evolving landscape.

A New Chapter with a Familiar Face

Melissa Hentschel is not a new face to Onbe or the payments industry. With over two decades of experience building and scaling payments businesses, her career is marked by leadership roles at Ingo Money and KeyBank, as well as successful exits as an operating executive at Parago (acquired by Blackhawk Network) and daVinci Payments, which merged to create Onbe.

Her journey with the company is foundational. Hentschel served as Chief Delivery Officer at Onbe's inception, leading the critical operational work that established the company's platform. In 2023, she was promoted to Chief Client Officer, taking direct responsibility for Onbe's most vital enterprise relationships. Her work in this role, which involved delivering operational excellence for clients and payment recipients alike, has been widely recognized. In 2022, she was a finalist in the Women in PayTech Awards and received a silver Globee® for Woman of the Year, partly for her commitment to mentoring future female leaders in fintech.

This deep-seated experience with the company's operations, clients, and culture makes her a natural successor. The move suggests a focus on doubling down on what has made Onbe successful: a client-centric approach backed by a robust and flexible technology platform. Hentschel’s leadership is expected to further enhance the value delivered to clients and partners, driving innovation that supports long-term growth.

"The demand for a better way to move money to consumers is accelerating across every industry, and I have never been more excited about what comes next," said Melissa Hentschel in the official announcement. "Onbe is built for exactly this moment; with the platform, expertise, partnerships, and a team that has proven it can execute. We have built a strong foundation, and we are just getting started. I am honored to lead this company."

The Janakiraman Legacy

Hentschel steps in to lead a company built on a solid foundation laid by outgoing CEO Bala Janakiraman. After nearly five years at the helm, Janakiraman retires leaving a legacy of significant growth and strategic consolidation. He took charge at a pivotal moment, following the 2021 merger of daVinci Payments and North Lane Technologies that formed Onbe.

His mandate was complex: to unify two businesses, two platforms, and two distinct cultures into a single, formidable entity. Under his leadership, Onbe was scaled into a modern payouts platform, successfully expanding its enterprise client base into new markets and use cases. This work established the company as a recognized leader in corporate payouts, delivering strong financial performance and achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 54, a testament to the team's client-first focus.

"Bala built Onbe into a formidable business with a client roster and platform that speak for themselves," noted Juli Spottiswood, Executive Chairman of the Board, who will continue in her role. "The Board is grateful for his leadership, and we could not be more confident in where Onbe goes from here."

Janakiraman himself reflected on the journey, stating, “Leading Onbe through its first five years has been the opportunity of a lifetime... As I step into my next chapter, I do so with deep gratitude for the people of Onbe and complete confidence in Melissa’s leadership. She knows our business, our clients and partners, and our people, and her deep orientation toward delivering value is exactly what Onbe needs in its next leader.”

Navigating the $3 Trillion Payout Revolution

The leadership transition is strategically timed as the B2C payments market reaches an inflection point. The global B2C payment market, estimated at $1.5 trillion in 2024, is projected to more than triple to $4.9 trillion by 2033. This explosive growth is driven by a powerful confluence of factors, including the expansion of the gig and creator economies, the rise of e-commerce, and increasing consumer intolerance for slow, cumbersome payment methods like paper checks.

Enterprises across industries—from automotive and healthcare to insurance and telecom—are under pressure to modernize how they pay consumers. Whether for refunds, rebates, incentives, or compensation, recipients now expect instant, secure, and flexible payment options. This is where Onbe has positioned itself, offering a turnkey solution that offloads the cost, complexity, and risk of managing these payment operations in-house.

Onbe's platform is designed to sit at the center of this transformation. By providing a comprehensive menu of payout choices, it empowers clients to offer recipients their preferred method, including virtual cards, direct transfers to digital wallets like PayPal and Venmo, push-to-card payments for near real-time settlement, and traditional options like physical cards and ACH transfers.

Onbe's Competitive Edge in a Crowded Field

In a competitive fintech landscape, Onbe differentiates itself with its comprehensive, compliance-focused approach. The company's "compliance-by-design" infrastructure is a key selling point for clients in highly regulated industries, embedding essential functions like escheatment management, real-time fraud monitoring, and KYC/AML protocols directly into the platform.

This robust framework supports a diverse client base that ranges from mid-market companies to Fortune 500 giants. The company's reach is evident across numerous sectors. In the automotive industry, seven of the top ten global brands use Onbe for everything from test-drive incentives to auto loan refunds. In partnership with HALO, Onbe upgraded the rewards program for a Fortune 50 client, seeing over 90% of participants choose one of its digital payment options.

During the pandemic, Onbe enabled a major market research firm to pivot to an all-digital payment experience for survey participants, resulting in a 95% increase in digital issuance in the first month. This ability to provide agile, scalable solutions is central to its value proposition.

With Hentschel—the former Chief Client Officer—now at the helm, Onbe is poised to deepen these relationships and further refine its client-centric strategy. Her leadership, combined with the company's proven platform and the powerful tailwinds of digital transformation, positions Onbe to not only participate in the payout revolution but to actively lead it.