Author: Carrie Zoucha, Vice President, Commercial Payments-Centime Business Strategy
In this case study:
- A 92.65% increase in ACH payment count (June 2024 to November 2025)
- A 275% growth in gross payment volume
- Same-day ACH integration
- Embedded compliance within application flow
When Centime set out to build finance automation software for mid-market businesses, the team knew one thing for certain: they weren't going to become a bank.
Their expertise was in building workflow tools that integrate with accounting systems and automate accounts payable processes. But payments? That required a different kind of partner.
"We're a software company, not a bank," explained Andrew Waters, head of strategic partnerships at Centime. "Our passion is building the experience our customers need and bringing automation to their financial processes. But payments are absolutely crucial to making that work."
That's where FNBO entered the picture.
Scaling ACH Payments Through Strategic Bank-Fintech Partnership
The relationship between Centime and FNBO runs deeper than a typical vendor-client arrangement. The companies have collaborated across multiple product lines for years.
Centime's platform serves FNBO's business banking customers, and together they launched Centime Checking Plus* to bring institutional-grade business checking to mid-market companies.
This foundation made the ACH payments partnership particularly effective. Between June 2024 and November 2025, Centime processed 92.65% more payments through FNBO's ACH rails, with gross payment volume growing 275%.
These results demonstrate what happens when a fintech partners with a bank that invests in modern ACH infrastructure while maintaining the stability that comes with more than a century in business.
FNBO brought what most banks couldn’t: fintech-ready APIs combined with the operational maturity to manage compliance and risk at scale.
Modern ACH APIs Built for Fintech Integration
Rather than forcing Centime to work around legacy banking systems, FNBO built out a modern integration layer that handles the complexity behind the scenes.
For Centime's customers, this translates into practical advantages. The platform can push payments multiple times per day to take advantage of every Federal Reserve ACH cutoff window. Transaction status updates flow back in real time. Same-day ACH isn't just available; it's a competitive differentiator that helps Centime win deals against competitors still relying on traditional settlement accounts.
"They've worked with us to build a funds flow that really offers the best experience for our customers," Waters said.
The architecture avoids the common pitfall of omnibus FBO accounts, where multiple customers' funds mix together in a single account. Instead, each Centime customer has dedicated settlement infrastructure, while onboarding remains streamlined. Funds stay traceable. Reconciliation remains clean. Risk exposure is reduced.
This design became especially important as the fintech industry watched high-profile reconciliation failures create operational challenges elsewhere. Centime and FNBO intentionally built their model to avoid those scenarios.
Embedded Compliance Without Friction
ACH payments require rigorous compliance:
- Know Your Customer (KYC)
- Know Your Business (KYB)
- Risk assessment
- Ongoing monitoring
Most banks manage this through manual reviews and email chains that can take days or weeks.
FNBO integrated compliance review directly into Centime's application flow. When a customer applies for ACH within the Centime platform, their information routes automatically to FNBO for review. Once approved, the ACH credentials flow back through the API, and the customer is ready to process payments without leaving the platform.
"We take compliance and onboarding seriously. So does FNBO," Waters said. "Having that integrated flow for both onboarding and day-to-day operations has been really powerful."
Beyond Infrastructure: Strategic Investment and Co-Innovation
The relationship extends beyond technical integration.
For FNBO, the partnership reflects a broader strategy: building bank-grade infrastructure that enables fintech innovation without compromising regulatory rigor.
FNBO invested in Centime and offers Centime's platform to its own customer base. The companies partnered on Centime Checking Plus, bringing best-in-class business checking accounts to Centime customers.
When technical issues do surface, FNBO’s API team responds quickly to fix them.
That responsiveness matters when you're processing millions of dollars in ACH payments for customers who expect their AP automation to work flawlessly.
"We kind of take it for granted now," Waters reflected, "but they put significant effort into building out these APIs early in our partnership. The price is good, they scale with us comfortably, and they do a good job with the technical execution."
Why This Matters for Fintechs
Fintech platforms that rely on legacy bank integrations often struggle with:
- settlement delays
- reconciliation complexity
- manual compliance workflows
API-first ACH infrastructure reduces operational risk, accelerates onboarding and supports scale without re-architecting.
Infrastructure Built to Scale
As Centime continues to grow, FNBO's infrastructure scales alongside it. The 275% increase in payment volume required no architectural changes or migrations. The APIs handled the load, compliance scaled with new customer onboarding and the partnership performed exactly as designed.
For fintechs evaluating banking partners, that's the essential question: Will this infrastructure support 10x growth?
Centime found its answer in FNBO's combination of modern API-first technology, experienced operations and a partnership-driven approach.
The payments continue to flow. Customers continue to grow. And both companies benefit from banking infrastructure designed to scale from day one.
About the Author
Carrie has over 20 years of banking and payments industry experience. In her current role, she has the opportunity to work with large corporate clients. She enjoys learning about their business and helping them grow by providing a range of solutions, including commercial card and corporate treasury services.
*Centime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking products and services are provided by FNBO, Member FDIC.
