Clerq is at the center of that transformation. The startup just raised $21 million in fresh funding to expand its next-generation bank payments infrastructure, a system built to help merchants drive sales, reduce transaction fees, and process instant, verified payments directly from customers’ bank accounts.

The round was backed by a high-profile syndicate, including 645 Ventures, FirstMark, Fika Ventures, Commerce Ventures, and Dash Fund, showing clear investor confidence in Clerq’s ability to take on one of fintech’s most entrenched systems: the credit card networks.

---

Reimagining How Businesses Get Paid

Led by Truett Dwyer, Clerq was built around a simple question - what if merchants could process payments without the burden of card fees, delays, or fraud risk?

Clerq’s platform provides guaranteed, low-cost bank payments using open banking APIs. This means businesses can receive funds directly from customers’ accounts with instant authorization and settlement, bypassing legacy card networks altogether.

It’s a fundamental shift in how commerce works. For companies handling high-ticket transactions - like real estate, travel, automotive, or B2B SaaS - Clerq’s system can cut costs by up to 70% per transaction, while improving reliability and security.

Dwyer explains, “Businesses are tired of paying billions in card fees to move their own money. Clerq gives them a direct line - faster, safer, and built for the future of digital payments.”

---

The Global Surge in Bank-Based Payments

Across the world, direct account-to-account (A2A) payments are gaining ground. According to Accenture, A2A transactions are growing at 13% annually, projected to reach $850 billion in value by 2030.

In Europe, open banking has already enabled A2A payments to account for over 20% of e-commerce transactions, while in the U.S., adoption is expected to triple within the next five years, thanks to instant payment networks like FedNow and The Clearing House (TCH).

This shift is driven by simple economics: card interchange fees cost businesses nearly $100 billion annually, according to McKinsey. With margins tightening across industries, that inefficiency has become impossible to ignore. Clerq’s solution eliminates those costs by cutting out intermediaries, allowing money to flow directly between verified accounts with built-in fraud protection and settlement assurance.

---

Ultra Value Drop: The Founder’s Hidden Playbook on Building Infrastructure That Becomes Inevitable

Here’s where Clerq’s approach becomes a masterclass for founders building in fintech - or any regulated, high-barrier industry.

Most startups chase speed and visibility. They launch fast, optimize for adoption, and aim to out-market incumbents. Clerq went the opposite route - it built slowly, invisibly, and indispensably.

Rather than fighting for the consumer’s attention, Clerq built for the businesses behind every transaction. It is a designed infrastructure so essential that once integrated, it’s nearly impossible to replace.

That’s the real insight here: the deepest moats are built in the background.

When your technology quietly powers someone else’s success - when their business performance depends on you - your value becomes systemic. You don’t just win market share; you embed yourself in the market’s bloodstream.

This is what founders often miss about fintech: disruption doesn’t always mean confrontation. Sometimes, the smartest way to replace incumbents is to make yourself the infrastructure incumbents wish they had built.

Clerq didn’t pitch rebellion against card networks - it built a more efficient alternative under their shadow. That’s why investors see scalability: every new merchant Clerq powers strengthens the network, every API call reinforces the moat, and every transaction creates a feedback loop of reliability.

For founders, the takeaway is universal:

• Don’t optimize for noise; optimize for necessity.
  
• Build for the layer that others will depend on.
  
• Win not by shouting louder, but by becoming the system everyone quietly relies on.
  

Clerq isn’t trying to own the spotlight - it’s trying to own the rails. And that’s where the next generation of billion-dollar fintechs will be built.

---

A Market Hungry for Change

The timing couldn’t be more ideal. The global payments market was valued at $2.7 trillion in 2024 and is expected to hit $5.5 trillion by 2032, per Statista. Within that, the account-to-account payments sector is one of the fastest-growing segments, powered by open banking regulations, enterprise adoption, and demand for faster, cheaper, and more transparent transactions.

In the U.S., only 11% of digital payments currently use A2A transfers - but that number is projected to more than double by 2030, according to PwC. As merchants and consumers grow frustrated with credit card fees and chargeback complexities, A2A infrastructure like Clerq’s offers a smarter alternative that’s secure, API-driven, and globally scalable.

---

Investors Backing the Future of Payments

Clerq’s $21 million round brings together a consortium of investors with deep expertise in fintech infrastructure and SaaS scalability.

• 645 Ventures and FirstMark have backed multiple category-defining startups in payments and enterprise tech.
  
• Fika Ventures brings strength in data and security innovation.
  
• Commerce Ventures and Dash Fund specialize in go-to-market acceleration for emerging fintech platforms.
  

Together, they’re fueling Clerq’s growth as it scales across North America and into emerging open banking markets in Europe and Asia.

---

What’s Next for Clerq

The company plans to use its new funding to expand engineering, compliance, and partnerships, enhancing its developer tools and API accessibility for enterprise integration. Clerq will also continue investing in fraud analytics, enabling real-time payment verification and smarter transaction routing across international markets.

By merging enterprise-grade trust with the agility of modern fintech, Clerq is quietly building the next default layer of global payments infrastructure.

As credit card networks brace for disruption, Clerq’s vision feels inevitable - a future where money moves instantly, securely, and without friction.

And for founders studying how the best infrastructure startups are built, Clerq offers a timeless reminder: the products that change industries don’t make noise - they make systems run.

---