Mercury Acquires AI Payroll Platform Central to Expand Financial Operations

Mercury, a fintech banking platform serving startups and SMEs in the US, announced the acquisition of Central, an AI-native payroll and benefits platform. The acquisition allows Mercury to integrate payroll and benefits directly into its financial operations stack, moving closer to an all-in-one embedded finance offering for its startup customers. Central's AI-powered payroll capabilities will complement Mercury's existing banking, payments, and treasury management tools.

Financial terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed. The move reflects a growing trend of fintech banking platforms expanding beyond core accounts and payments into adjacent verticals like payroll through acquisitions. For Mercury's customer base of startups and growth-stage companies, the integration promises a more seamless financial operations experience.

The deal underscores the competitive dynamic among startup-focused neobanks to deepen platform stickiness through broader embedded finance services.