Column vs Stripe Treasury

Column is a nationally chartered bank providing banking infrastructure and APIs for companies building financial products. Its payment connections include the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House, SWIFT and card networks, for moving money in the United States and globally. APIs support checking, savings, trust, subledger, clearing and sweep accounts, including multiple account numbers for a single account. Column says its programmatically created bank accounts are FDIC-insured.

Companies can launch debit, credit, unsecured, charge or secured card programs, using their own balance sheet or Column’s. Lending offerings include credit origination, warehouse and forward flow facilities, with dedicated funding for lending programs. Column also describes support for USDC and USDT, accounts and cards for verified customers globally, and foreign-currency accounts with conversion to and from U.S. dollars. Its card issuing connects to Visa and Mastercard and supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Garmin Pay. Developers can use API documentation, a sandbox and payment workflow guides. Column says its security program follows NIST and FFIEC guidance and is subject to governmental audits and independent third-party assessments. Pricing is on request; prospective customers are directed to contact sales.

Stripe Treasury combines banking and payments functions so businesses can receive, store, send, and spend funds in one place. Stripe says businesses can open an account in minutes and access settled Stripe payment balances instantly. The service supports USD, OUSD, GBP, and EUR balances, instant currency conversion starting at 0.5% of the converted amount, and payouts to 160+ countries through traditional and stablecoin networks; payout and FX fees may apply. Virtual and physical debit cards include spending limits, reporting, real-time authorization controls, and 2% cashback, subject to exclusions for cash-like, high-risk resale, gambling, and government payment transactions. Xero and QuickBooks integrations, balance and transaction reporting, and automated reconciliation support accounting workflows. Treasury also supports agent workflows through Stripe’s Model Context Protocol, including paying invoices, moving funds, converting currencies, and issuing cards. ACH funding is included, wire funding is $2.00 per wire, and there are no storage fees or minimum balance requirements. Stripe is a financial technology company, not a bank; checking accounts are provided exclusively by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Eligible USD funds there may be insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, subject to conditions.