Sila Inc., a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service, announced that it partnered with dash.fi, a vertical fintech company serving the multi-million digital advertising industry, to create the first charge card purpose-built for advertisers. Close to $500 billion dollars are currently spent on digital ads globally every year. That number grew by 30% in 2020 and 25% in 2021. In partnering with Sila’s payment technology, dash.fi has designed its next-day-settle charge card to meet the specific operational and liquidity needs of e-commerce merchants that spend millions on marketing.
“It’s almost as if successful advertisers whose campaigns take off and deliver are being punished and crippled by credit card rules that were written by an industry decades ago”
Traditional banks and credit card providers can’t meet the needs of eCommerce brands because their legacy credit card products don’t provide flexibility in underwriting, spending limits, or the transparency that growing eCommerce brands require to successfully scale their businesses. dash.fi’s 10x revenue growth in 2021 is evidence that this underserved segment of the credit card market is a massive market opportunity waiting to be captured.
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dash.fi and Sila have partnered to solve complex payment-related problems for advertisers with a charge card that addresses:
- Seasonal fluctuations in ad spend experienced by eCommerce brands
- Daily surge spending that takes place during peak spend days like Presidents Day, Black Friday or Prime Day
- The global, multi-platform nature of the digital advertising market that puts tremendous pressure on existing payment solutions
“It’s almost as if successful advertisers whose campaigns take off and deliver are being punished and crippled by credit card rules that were written by an industry decades ago,” said Zach Johnson, Founder and CEO, dash.fi. “The legacy card providers and other financial institutions simply don’t understand the everyday needs of eCommerce brands as they work to grow their businesses. The dash.fi card meets the critical needs of advertisers and makes sure they have everything they need to maximize growth in a highly competitive market. We look forward to working with Sila to continue to innovate for our customers.”
Sila’s payment infrastructure as a service allows dash.fi to access bank accounts securely and in compliance with applicable regulatory regulation. Sila’s KYC and KYB services reduce the risk of fraud and provide critical data points that allow dash.fi to provide better services to its commercial clients. The ability to use Sila’s technology to offer numerous virtual cards is a significant competitive advantage for dash.fi’s when talking to its customers.
“The new financial world that we at Sila are envisioning is all about replacing generic one-size-fits-all solutions with tailored services that make all the difference for a specific audience,” said Shamir Karkal, CEO and co-founder of Sila Inc. “dash.fi is a shining example of what is possible and we are proud to be their technology partner.”
Financial institutions and legacy card issuers manage the risks associated with debit and credit cards very similarly across their entire business portfolio. While this approach makes sense for most commerce, participants in the online advertising industry including ecommerce brands, performance marketers, and advertising agencies that spend north of $250,000 a month with their credit cards remain woefully underserved in many ways and often suffer severe consequences.
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The dash.fi card includes numerous payment-related innovations for advertisers, including:
- Access to an unlimited number of virtual cards to better manage ad accounts across multiple platforms and in many different countries
- Risk profile that matches advertisers with the way ad networks perceive risk to avoid bogus fraud flags and prematurely-terminated ads
- Individualized statement cycles that takes into consideration the merchant’s cash flow cycle and payback period on ad spend rather than the calendar month to allow for higher spending limits
- Rewards program that abandons “travel rewards” for a more relevant rewards program including significant cash back opportunities
- Concierge service that matches brands with media buyers based on proven performance, vertical expertise, and experience to help them increase profits and advertising success
The global advertising industry currently tops $768 billion and is on pace to be a 1 trillion dollar industry by 2025. Digital ad spend makes up for 65% of global ad spend and grew by 30% in 2020 and 25% in 2021. The US advertising market adds up to $384 billion, close to 50% of the global ad spend. There are 10 million advertisers on Facebook, 4 million on Google, and 1.9 million Amazon Sellers.
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