Branch has made instant payments a core workforce benefit, pairing capital-efficient growth with a mission to give working Americans quicker, easier access to earnings.
Transformative workforce payment solutions don’t happen overnight.
They’re built through a relentless focus on solving real problems for working Americans. Branch, a fintech led by founder and CEO Atif Siddiqi helps millions of workers get paid faster.
“We started with a simple question: if we live in a real-time world, why shouldn’t we get paid right away? That’s still our north star — giving workers faster access to their earnings and more control over their financial lives,” says Siddiqi.
Branch’s story is about spotting an inflection point in workforce payments early — and acting decisively. For Great North Ventures, it began with an ambitious founder and a belief that instant payment technology could improve how Americans handle their money — with faster access leading to better control over daily expenses. Our conviction led us to invest in Branch’s Series B round, joining other forward-thinking partners to fuel its next phase of growth.
At the time, Branch had already shown remarkable market penetration: over 300% year-over-year revenue growth in 2020 and a 700% jump in enterprise clients using the platform. Their solution for instant payments resonated with gig platforms, staffing firms and enterprise employers alike — a rare signal of both market pull and technical execution. Lee Fixel’s Addition led the Series B equity totaling $48 million, complemented by a $500 million credit facility from Neuberger Berman, validating our early thesis with one of tech’s most respected investors joining the syndicate.
Branch fit perfectly into our ‘solving labor problems’ theme — following our strategy of backing startups that transform labor markets with technology. Diligence revealed a company already moving well beyond basic earned wage access, expanding its offerings to digital tips, 1099 contractor payouts, paycard alternatives, real-time financial wellness tools and more. By mid-2021, Branch was trusted by giants like Kelly Services, Domino’s, and platforms like Rippling, integrating seamlessly into payroll systems for enterprise scale.
Business model and pivot
To understand Branch’s momentum story, it’s important to understand how the business model evolved. Here’s what Branch looked like in its early days around 2015-2016:
Product: Branch began as a scheduling tool for hourly workers, helping them claim unfilled shifts. Within just two months of launching its fintech product, it surpassed all the growth achieved in two years of selling a B2B SaaS product. Building on that momentum, the company began offering additional workforce payment solutions.
Traction: Branch was in the early stages of finding momentum in offering faster payments, transitioning from shift scheduling to what would become their core workforce payments platform.
Team size: A small startup team is focused on identifying the right market opportunity.
The inflection point came when Siddiqi realized that hourly and shift workers struggled with irregular income and financial stress between paydays. As Branch worked closely with businesses and frontline workers, they identified a broader financial pain point: employees needed faster, more flexible ways to access the wages they had already earned, rather than waiting for biweekly or monthly pay cycles.
Employers found that offering earned wage access boosted retention, attracted new hires and improved overall employee satisfaction. Branch case studies showed employee retention rates increasing over 37% and application rates doubling when earned wage access was offered. The earned wage access market began showing significant growth, with opportunities opening up for fintech providers who could deliver innovative employee benefits.
Current market position
Now, let’s take a look at where Branch stands in the market today.
Product: Branch is a comprehensive workforce payments platform offering instant payments, cashless tips, 1099 contractor payouts, earned wage access, paycards and financial wellness tools. The company recently launched a full-service paycard delivered through the Branch App and Card.
Traction:
- Branch has raised $133 million in equity funding. Investors include Addition, Drive Capital, General Atlantic, Crosscut Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, and Indeed, among others. Great North Ventures invested in the firm’s Series B Round.
- More than $23 billion in payouts
- 240+ employees
- Over 5.7 million Branch Cards issued
- Thousands of businesses actively using the platform
The company serves major clients like Uber, Nursa, Indeed Flex, Jimmy John’s and numerous healthcare and hospitality businesses. Branch’s June 2025 partnership with Instacart marked another major milestone. By powering Instacart’s Shopper Rewards Card, Branch will enable thousands of Instacart gig workers — shoppers who pick and deliver groceries — to instantly receive their earnings through automatic deposits after each completed order run.
Competitive landscape: Branch has positioned itself as a leader in easy to launch payment solutions and the rapidly growing embedded finance space. According to new reports, embedded B2B payments are projected to handle $16 trillion in transactions by 2030. As companies are increasingly looking to embed earned wage access and other financial services, the value of the global earned wage access software market is projected to hit $173.33 billion by 2032, up from $28.24 billion in 2024 — a CAGR of 25.5% between 2026 and 2032.
Three growth drivers
How has Branch achieved capital-efficient growth? Three insights emerge from its journey.
1. A laser focus on verticalization: Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, Branch made a strategic decision to verticalize their go-to-market approach. The company focused on business niches including hospitality (primarily restaurants), healthcare staffing and business services. This allowed it to develop deep expertise in each sector’s unique payment needs.
“Taking that vertical approach has allowed us to be very methodical in how we continue to grow. We validated new verticals coming into this year like construction — another big problem when it comes to antiquated payout methods,” Siddiqi said in a recent podcast interview.
2. A strategic partnership approach: Branch’s growth is built on partnerships with major platforms and employers. Increasingly, companies have turned to Branch to build custom branded payments solutions. Through Branch White Label, companies can partner with Branch to create their own custom payments experience and debit card and enjoy the advantages of a powerful end-to-end payments solution while saving time and resources. The company’s work with Uber demonstrates this perfectly through the Uber Pro Card powered by Branch, a business debit card and account built for drivers and couriers. Enhancing Uber’s driver loyalty program, the Uber Pro Card engages and supports drivers with financial benefits, discounts, rewards, and other perks. Branch can get drivers and couriers paid right after each trip. This faster cash flow drives meaningful value for both workers and the platforms they serve.
3. Technology infrastructure investment: Branch invested in real-time payment infrastructure and data connectivity to deliver on its promise to users. Branch is focused on expanding ways for companies to embrace faster payment rails. They did this first through the Branch App and Card, allowing companies to make instant payments to a digital wallet. In 2023, they launched Branch Direct, a way for companies to make instant payouts to an existing bank account. This has enabled businesses multiple options to accelerate payouts to their workforce.
The road ahead
Branch is poised for expansion at a critical moment. Industry data shows that 83% of employees believe they should have daily access to their pay. Employers offering on-demand pay attract 2.5 times more applicants, per Branch’s customer research. Embedded payment transaction value is expected to surpass $2.5 trillion globally by 2028, a significant increase from $1.1 trillion in 2024.
With rising worker demand, clear employer incentives, and a rapidly expanding addressable market, Branch has a first-mover advantage. The company’s capital-efficient growth, deep vertical expertise, and proven ability to scale through strategic partnerships position it to continue to grow market share and deliver strong investor returns.
“What continues to motivate us is the impact we’re having on everyday working Americans,” says Siddiqi. “Almost 70% of the economy works in hourly, tipped, or independent contractor jobs — solving their financial challenges is what keeps us going.”
