Payload Raises Strategic Investment Led by Fifth Third for Embedded Payments
Payload, an embedded payments platform, closed a strategic investment led by Fifth Third on Aug 19, 2026. The round is Payload's first outside capital since its founding in late 2019. Co-founders Ryan Rybolt and Ian Halpern built the platform from bare metal, processing the first payment in Jan 2020.
By May 2026, monthly volume reached nearly $500 million, a run rate trending above $6 billion annually, with revenue growth exceeding 100% year over year. Payload has gained traction in residential real estate as a processor of earnest money deposits in the United States and Canada, and has expanded into legal payments, property management, homebuilding, and franchises. The round size was not publicly disclosed.
Rybolt, who began his career at Fifth Third before founding Infintech in 2004, said the investment will enable Payload to expand into new markets and industries.
- Traditional banks are increasingly making strategic investments in embedded payments startups rather than building in-house
- Fifth Third deepens its embedded finance strategy, positioning itself as both investor and banking partner in the BaaS ecosystem