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Zelle® Expands Access for Community Banks and Credit Unions in 2025

In a major development for financial services, Zelle® announced a remarkable expansion of its digital payment network, bringing onboard 337 community banks and credit unions in 2025. This initiative facilitates real-time payment solutions for a broader spectrum of users, enhancing accessibility across different communities in the U.S.

Zelle's growth is predominantly driven by community-focused institutions, with 97% of the new affiliations involving banks and credit unions holding assets of less than $10 billion. These financial institutions cater to a diverse clientele, from rural farmers and educators to small business proprietors and historically underserved populations, particularly within Black communities. This strategic focus underscores Zelle’s commitment to providing essential financial services that cater to all Americans, ensuring that everyone has access to fast and reliable payment solutions.

As highlighted by Denise Leonhard, the general manager of Zelle, their objective last year was not only to widen user access but to do so intentionally and extensively. She emphasized the variation in deployment strategies between rural credit unions and larger metropolitan banks, recognizing that different institutions operate with different technical capacities. To address these disparities, Zelle has aggressively expanded its reseller partnerships, effectively reducing the technological burden on financial institutions. This initiative accelerates adoption rates while maintaining consumer protection standards, which are pivotal to Zelle's operational ethos.

Zelle has become a vital part of everyday life for many Americans, often being utilized for crucial living expenses such as rent and utility payments. It serves not merely as a tool for convenience but as a critical means through which individuals support their families, contribute to local businesses, and connect with their communities. This real-world applicability emphasizes the necessity of increasing Zelle’s reach, particularly among community banks and credit unions, to ensure all Americans can manage their essential payments efficiently and securely.

Another noteworthy aspect of Zelle's expansion strategy includes its recent collaboration with Velera. This partnership particularly aims to empower Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), enabling them to access the same robust real-time payment solutions typically afforded to more prominent financial services providers while fulfilling their community service missions.

Additionally, the integration of Zelle into existing infrastructures was boosted through a new partnership with Alacriti, which embeds Zelle into its Orbipay Payments Hub. This integration streamlines how community banks and credit unions can implement Zelle, making the payment processing seamless and efficient.

Matt Wilcox from Fiserv, which is Zelle's largest partner representing around two-thirds of the financial institutions offering this service, praised the collaboration with Early Warning Services. He stated that Zelle has set new industry standards for real-time, frictionless payments, which consumers now expect from all digital transactions.

Community banks and credit unions play a pivotal role in this expansive journey toward increased accessibility. Leveraging their trusted local relationships enables these institutions to deliver prompt and secure financial transactions. By working closely with these banks and integrating their systems into existing banking experiences, Zelle continues to elevate its service, ultimately benefitting American consumers and small businesses alike.

About Zelle®

Zelle® facilitates quick and reliable peer-to-peer digital payments, facilitating transactions exceeding $1 trillion between millions of consumer and small business accounts at U.S. banks and credit unions. The platform operates through a vast network of over 2,300 financial institutions, allowing users to send and receive money directly without the need for cash, checks, or third-party applications. Owned and managed by Early Warning Services, LLC, Zelle strives to encourage prosperity, foster innovation, and enhance payment efficiencies across the nation.

About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) stands as a leader in global payments and financial technology, driving innovation in various fields including digital banking solutions, merchant processing, and e-commerce. As a prominent member of the S&P 500® Index, Fiserv continues to revolutionize the way money moves in today's digital economy.