Increase, founded by Stripe's first employee, bought its own community bank.

Banking-infrastructure fintech Increase acquired a community bank and launched Increase Bank, putting a modern core and a charter under the same roof so businesses can build financial products without a sponsor-bank intermediary. Vertical integration is the move worth noting, since most BaaS providers rent charters, and the 2023-25 sponsor-bank enforcement wave is why owning one now looks cheaper than renting.