Affiniti & Column Partner on SMB Fintech
Affiniti, an AI-powered platform for SMB financial operations, announced a financing agreement with Column N.A. to expand its card product and enter new product lines. AI-driven banking services for the SMB market are a fast-growing niche, ideal for founders looking to wedge into B2B fintech with workflow automation.
Affiniti, founded in 2021, aims to provide AI-powered financial solutions for SMBs, a sector comprising 99.9% of US businesses and contributing 43.5% of the nation's GDP. The founders, Aaron Bai and Sahil Phadnis, identified that SMBs often lack resources for tracking spending, saving, and financial analytics. Affiniti launched its initial offerings, an expense management platform and a small-business credit card, in November 2024. Column N.A., founded in 2019 by Plaid co-founder William Hockey, is a nationally chartered bank designed to help companies build and scale financial technology products. Column aims to modernize banking infrastructure and empower businesses through efficient financial services. Column has a direct connection to the Federal Reserve and a developer focus. The partnership with Column will support the expansion of Affiniti's card product and the development of its all-in-one financial platform, including new product lines like banking and bill pay. Affiniti's AI agents are designed to manage financial operations for SMBs, encompassing banking, bill payments, and sales analytics. Affiniti is building an integrated platform that brings together banking, bill pay, cards, expense management, and AI-powered automation into one unified system. The global fintech market is projected to reach $460.76 billion in 2026 and $1.1 Trillion by 2030. SMBs are expected to increase their technology budgets by 5.2% in 2026. Competitors to Affiniti include Vyapar, CAMS, and AutoPRO.
