What Legacy Issuers Miss When Launching a Credit Program — How Highnote and OatFi Are Changing What’s Possible

Launching a credit product has always been one of the most complex undertakings in financial services. Brands see the opportunity. They see the demand from their customers. They see the value in owning more of the financial experience. Yet when it comes time to launch, most teams hit the exact same wall.

It is not the card design. It is not the rewards. It is not the onboarding flow or the statement experience.

It is the high costs associated with building out risk and capital markets capabilities.

Risk management is the structural backbone of any credit program, but for most fintechs and financial institutions, sourcing capital partners and building out credit risk and capital markets teams is where costs rise and everything slows down. Long negotiations, complex risk models, operational overhead, multiple vendors, and rigid legacy infrastructures stall launches that should be fast, scalable, and modern.

This is the reality that Highnote and OatFi are solving together.

The Hidden Roadblock: Liquidity + Issuing are Still Fragmented for Most Providers

Most modern brands assume issuing platforms already provide access to capital partners. The truth is that traditional and legacy issuers rarely do. Their infrastructures were built decades ago for static programs, not for dynamic credit products that need working capital partners who understand API-driven, real-time, digital-first transactions.

As a result, fintechs are forced into a time-consuming sequence:

• Identify a capital markets partner
• Negotiate commercial terms
• Align risk frameworks
• Build custom integrations
• Layer on servicing, reporting, and compliance models
• Stand up internal teams to manage it all

This process can take months. In some cases, years. And every step adds cost, complexity, and operational drag.

For brands racing to launch corporate expense cards, AP and bill pay solutions, fleet programs, or any B2B credit product, the gap between strategy and execution continues to widen.

Why Modern Use Cases Need a Better Path

Across B2B payments, four use cases consistently show the highest demand for fast, flexible credit programs:

• Accounts Payable: Real-time payment options and flexible terms keep businesses moving
• Bill Pay: Companies need working capital support as they automate payables
• Corporate Expense: Spending controls and instant issuance require immediate access to credit lines
• Fleet: High-volume programs need reliable funding and clear risk servicing

Each category is growing and needs the infrastructure plus capital to scale. And each category requires underwriting, origination, and servicing capabilities tailored to their existing payment flows.

That is where Highnote and OatFi fit naturally together.

Why OatFi’s Infrastructure Matters

OatFi is pioneering a first-of-its-kind B2B credit network that embeds modular, API-first working capital tools at the point of payment. Their infrastructure includes risk management, servicing, reporting, and liquidity support that allow fintechs to scale with far greater control and visibility.

This is exactly what modern credit programs require. Not a lender sitting off to the side, but an end-to-end working capital solution embedded directly into the transaction flows of a program.

Through the partnership, Highnote subscribers can now access OatFi’s capabilities instantly from within the Highnote platform. No separate pipelines. No lengthy negotiations. No custom integrations. No additional compliance burden.

Just immediate access to the working capital infrastructure required to launch.

A Unified Platform Changes What is Possible

At Highnote, we believe a unified platform should unify everything that matters. Issuing. Acquiring. Credit. Money movement. And the capital access required to bring those programs to life.

Our partnership with OatFi brings that belief into practical form.

Instead of building complex risk frameworks in-house, instead of stitching together fragmented servicing processes, instead of spending months finding the right capital markets partner, fintechs can now start with a foundation built for speed and scale.

With OatFi integrated into Highnote’s platform, brands gain:

• Faster time to market
• Better unit economics
• Stronger risk controls
• Lower operational lift
• Clear scalability across multiple B2B use cases

This is not incremental improvement. It is a structural shift in how credit programs can be built.

What This Means for Modern Brands

Fintechs and financial institutions no longer need to choose between speed and sophistication. They no longer need to stall their roadmap while capital partners are sourced. And they no longer need to navigate complex capital markets infrastructure alone.

Together, Highnote and OatFi offer a truly end-to-end solution to scale programs efficiently and responsibly.

A Better Future for B2B Payments Begins Now

The next generation of B2B payments products will not be built on fragmented systems. They will be built on unified platforms where working capital will be table-stakes to facilitate B2B transactions.

Highnote and OatFi are proud to help drive that future forward.

To learn more about the partnership or explore opportunities for your credit product, get in touch at https://highnote.com/contact.