i2c and Affiniti Partner on Trade Association Co-Branded Credit Programs

i2c and Affiniti Finance said Monday (June 3) that they are providing trade associations with credit programs that include features and rewards specific to each industry.

Their offering, which was launched in the first quarter, enables trade association partners to offer co-branded, association-endorsed credit programs to small businesses, the companies said in a Monday press release.

“Since partnering with i2c, we have seen triple-digit growth in revenues and transaction volumes month after month,” Aaron Bai, CEO of Affiniti, said in the release. “Additionally, we’ve been able to launch tailored programs across various industries and regions, responding to the high demand for financial technology solutions for niche uses cases.”

Affiniti is a FinTech focused on serving small business industries in the United States, according to the release. The company currently provides financial tools to sectors like HVAC, community pharmacy and podiatry.

i2c provides digital and banking solutions, including a customizable payments platform, the release said.

Together, the companies will be providing specialized services to a growing number of clients that currently includes 17 trade associations that represent nine industry verticals, per the release.

Their credit card and expense management product include cards that are issued both physically and digitally and provide business owners with features like team controls, expense tracking and accounting integrations, according to the release.

“This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to pioneer payment solutions that are customer-centric at their core, enabled by a platform that can quickly and efficiently respond to the ever-changing needs of today’s small to mid-sized businesses,” Serena Smith, chief client officer at i2c, said in the release.

Virtual cards are about to change the game when it comes to B2B payments, Dan Hanks, vice president of global product development at i2c, told PYMNTS in an interview posted in July 2023.

Because virtual cards provide simplification and flexibility for companies, there is a lot of growth in this area, Hanks said.

“Virtual cards are a great tool for getting all that friction out of the B2B process: vendors can process them immediately with no wait,” Hanks said.

In January, i2c and The Bank of Missouri (TBOM) partnered to help FinTechs accelerate their launch of digital banking products. Together, they aim to meet FinTechs’ growing need to offer easier access to checking and savings accounts, consumer and small business loans, credit cards, rewards programs, virtual cards and other digital banking services.