regional-banks
(2)
The $99 Billion Bank That Wants Money to Stop Keeping Office Hours
Western Alliance built a national commercial bank out of specialist desks, local judgment and a willingness to learn odd corners of the economy. Its newest bet is that regulated dollars should move at the speed of the businesses using them.
Clockout
Clockout is a fintech company that lets banks and credit unions offer earned wage access (EWA) directly inside their own mobile and online banking apps, so customers can tap a portion of their pay before payday without waiting on their employer. Founded in 2022 by childhood friends from Venezuela, Clockout started as a traditional EWA service for South Florida restaurant groups, then pivoted in 2024 to become the embedded infrastructure layer - often described as the 'Zelle for earned wage access.' The platform connects to more than 1,600 payroll systems and plugs into major core banking providers including Q2, Jack Henry, Alkami and Candescent, letting an institution launch EWA in roughly ten days. Clockout closed a $2 million seed round in June 2025.