Cliq and Vast Bank Announce Payment Partnership
The two firms have entered a multi-year agreement to provide ACH payment processing services to merchants nationwide.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Financial Services
Live Poll
Do you trust bank partnerships with fintech companies to provide better services for your business?
Cliq has entered into a multi-year partnership with Vast Bank to expand its payment processing infrastructure. The deal allows Cliq to offer ACH payment services backed by the federally regulated national charter of Vast Bank.
Why it matters
The agreement supports the fair access banking strategy maintained by Vast Bank. It combines Cliq’s established merchant service technology with the institutional regulatory backing of a long-standing national bank.
Cliq currently manages 73,000 merchant accounts and processes $39 billion in payments annually. The firm also provides issuing services to over 300 stakeholders and supports 700 ACH customers.
The players
Cliq
Cliq is a payment processing firm that provides merchant services and issuing capabilities to customers across the United States.
Vast Bank
Vast Bank is a federally regulated national bank headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over 40 years of banking experience.
The details
Cliq acts as a third-party payment processor for Vast Bank under this new arrangement, leveraging the bank’s national charter. This integration allows Cliq to streamline its operations for existing and future merchants within the United States.
Timeline
Cliq began operating within the regulated payments system in 2007.
Cliq and Vast Bank announced their new multi-year partnership on October 15, 2026.
Market Landscape
This partnership mirrors the trend of fintech firms seeking closer integration with traditional national charters to ensure regulatory stability. It aligns with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Fair Access to Financial Services rules by leveraging a national charter for broader service deployment.
The partnership aims to stabilize and expand the payment processing options available to current Cliq merchant clients. Business owners utilizing Cliq services may see improved reliability for their ACH transactions due to the underlying backing of a national bank.
The takeaway
Strategic alliances between fintech processors and traditional banks remain a key path for operational scaling. Such partnerships help ensure that payment services remain compliant while maintaining the transaction speeds necessary for modern commerce.
Further reading
For more on industry shifts, see Financial Services.
Live Poll
Do you trust bank partnerships with fintech companies to provide better services for your business?
