Prashant Matta

Early on, every business has that one big customer who decides whether you live or die. How you show up in the hard moments with them is what matters. Ours was Metalbird. They’re an e-commerce business out of New Zealand, and their co-founder Jason opened a Relay account as they were expanding into the US. (Jason would later tell me that, at the time, he didn’t realize they were signing up for, in his words: “Yoseph in a garage.”) They start using us for some everyday transactions, running some ad spend through Relay, moving money around. Then comes a moment when Jason needs to send a large amount of money to buy inventory. At the time we had just launched Domestic Wires, so I recommend they use that. It’s faster. More reliable. We’ll even waive the fee for you, I say. Jason sends the wire the night before he's set to pick up the inventory. The next day, I'm at a conference in San Diego. I’d just finished talking to a room full of prospects. My phone rings. It's Jason. He's sitting on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest. He’d just walked out of his supplier’s warehouse empty handed. The money hadn’t landed. He's mad. And as we're talking, I must’ve said "I understand" one too many times. He interrupts me and goes: "No. I *don't* think you understand—at all." And he was right. Because there's a difference between saying you understand someone's problem and actually feeling the full weight of it. So I stopped. "Jason, we can fix this. And if we can't, I will personally spend a day helping you move to another platform. I'll clear my calendar. This is where we are. And I'm really sorry." When you're in crisis mode, the instinct is to manage: say the right things, de-escalate, protect the relationship. But customers can feel the difference between someone who's protecting themselves and someone who's in it with them and for them. Metalbird is still with us today. Our payments infrastructure is in a completely different place than it was that day, wires included, and we facilitate payments for 100,000+ customers every month. But I don't think that's why Metalbird stayed. Next time, I'll tell you about everything we had to do to actually keep them.

Today, we’re proud to launch Relay Capital. ⚡ Meet term loans for businesses that need fast, flexible funding, without the friction. Over the years, we’ve heard countless business owners tell us how hard it is to get the financing they need, when they need it. Your business can’t pause for a lender's timeline. Every day, you're thinking about how to kick off your next stage of growth—whether that's hiring, inventory expansion, renovations or a new location. So, when the next opportunity pops up, you can’t afford to miss it because of weeks-long back and forth with traditional lenders (who could still reject you at the end of it all). Relay Capital is the lending small businesses deserve: easy access to capital the moment it matters most. If you’re an existing customer and you prequalify, a term loan offer will be waiting for you in your dashboard. Businesses can prequalify for loans between $1,000 and $250,000, based simply on their Relay account activity.* You choose your terms and decide what to draw. Upon approval, you can receive funds in as little as 1 to 2 business days. Most business owners know exactly where they want to go, but they need access to capital to realize their ambitions. Relay Capital term loans are our first step toward fixing that. We're just getting started. — * Relay Capital funding is provided by Fundbox, an external third-party provider, or its bank partner, Lead Bank. All financing is subject to credit approval of a completed application. Fundbox and its bank partners base loan eligibility on their respective credit and risk policies, applicable legal requirements, and other business considerations. Financing may not be available in all states and may be subject to local restrictions where applicable. All loans are subject to credit approval and applicable terms and conditions. Borrowing involves fixed repayment obligations and applicable interest and/or fees. Approval timing based on typical experience; actual decision and funding times may vary.

For the second year running, we made the @Forbes Fintech 50 list! 🚀🚀🚀 We’re proud and grateful to be recognized again as a market leader. Moments like this are a great reminder of why we do what we do. We're here to make every small business great with money. And, this is as much a win for us as it is for the mom and pop flower shops, main street boutiques, and neighborhood electricians who use @bankwithrelay every day to control their cash flow. When 99% of businesses are small businesses, we all win when entrepreneurs can chart a clear path to profitability. Stronger small businesses mean stronger families, teams and communities, and we’re lucky to be a part of that 💚 In 2026, we're only accelerating. We’ve got big plans on the horizon: Relay Capital (new lending product), instant payments, AI-powered financial tools, a second season of our video podcast Becoming Self Made. The list goes on! 🔥 🔥🔥 If this sounds like work you’d like to be apart of, come build the future of small business banking. Open roles below!