Configuring your build on Unit
How to think about ownership in your embedded finance program across technical, operational, and economic dimensions
Most companies building financial products face the same decision: how much do we own, and when? A team validating a new revenue stream has different needs than a team making financial products core to their product.
Partners can build directly on Unit's Platform, using building blocks to gain direct access to payment rails, account primitives, and card issuing infrastructure. You interact with the building blocks using tooling (API, dashboard, and UI components). Program management covers the risk, compliance, and operations work involved in running a financial product, whether you run it yourself or delegate it to Unit.
The Platform is modular and configurable. For example, you can choose to use UI components to power your front end, or you can build your own. You can choose to use the Platform's KYC/KYB capabilities and operations, or you can bring your own vendor. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. What you choose to use off the shelf or build yourself is a function of your product, market, and strategy.
Not all partners need that level of control and configurability. Some are optimizing for speed to market with a standard financial product. For these partners, we've built Managed Solutions. Managed Solutions are built on top of the Platform and operationalized by Unit. They embed into your product in one line of code. Over time, you have the option to deepen that integration.
Building directly on the Platform and using Managed Solutions both run on the same infrastructure. What differs is how much of three dimensions of ownership you hold: Technical (what you build), Operational (what you run), and Economic (what you earn and what you're responsible for).
Building on the Platform: you own all three dimensions
- Technical. With one line of code, you can embed a full financial dashboard for your customers that gives them visibility and solutions for cash flow. You can embed the entire dashboard, or choose one or more of the layers to start: Banking or Bill Pay. Adding a second product requires no additional technical work on your end. Unit builds and maintains the product interface your customers see. The product continues to get better over time, with no investment from you.
Webhooks let you connect financial events to your own platform's logic. A payment received can trigger an action in your system. An account created can kick off a workflow. Partners use this to link accounts payable transactions directly to jobs in their product. The financial layer and the core product stay in sync without your team building or maintaining the financial experience itself. - Operational. Unit supports and manages a broader range of operational functions under your brand: end-customer support, escalations, bank-led compliance programs, and outbound communications from your domain. Unit provides you with branded enablement and tooling to drive adoption of the new product within your user base.
- Economic. You assume substantially less operational and economic responsibility than when you build directly on the Platform. You earn a share of transaction revenue and deposit revenue.
This is the right starting point when:
- You want to validate demand before investing engineering and operational resources
- Your team doesn't have the bandwidth to build and run a financial product right now
Where you start isn't where you have to stay
Because Managed Solutions run on the Platform, moving between them or combining them doesn't require a new build. There’s no migration to a different ledger, no new bank partnership to establish, and typically no full re-onboarding of your users, although bank policies and regulatory requirements may still apply.
A partner who uses a Managed Solution to start, but wants more control can configure their build on the Platform. The underlying infrastructure doesn't change: same ledger, same underlying bank integrations, same rails. What changes is operational ownership: your team takes on the work of building the customer experience, managing risk, and aligning the product to your customers’ specific needs.
A partner who built directly on the Platform who doesn't have the bandwidth to build a particular product from scratch can layer on a Managed Solution for that use case. You keep full ownership of the products you've built, and let Unit manage the ones you haven't.
Find your starting point
How central are financial products to your value proposition today? If you're testing the thesis, Managed Solutions let you validate with minimal overhead. If financial products are already how your customers think about your platform, building on the Platform gives you the control to make them exceptional.
Do you need to control your own program terms? With a Managed Solution, certain program terms are set by Unit in coordination with the bank partner and aren't adjustable by the platform (e.g., interest rates on deposit accounts, identity verification rules for onboarding, the specific criteria used to approve or decline users). If your business requires more flexibility over those parameters, building on the Platform provides additional options.
What can your team take on right now? Managed Solutions mean Unit builds the product and runs the operations. Building on the Platform means your team owns those layers. That lift is real, and it should match your current capacity.
What risk profile works for your business? Managed Solutions generally involve substantially less operational and economic responsibility than building directly on the Platform. However, building on the Platform means more favorable economics in exchange for owning that risk.
If you're still working through those questions, talk to our team.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take a combined approach, with some products on the Platform and using a Managed Solution for others?
Yes. You can build products directly on Unit's Platform while embedding a Managed Solution for another product you don't want to build or operate yourself. Both run on the same underlying infrastructure.
Can I move from a Managed Solution to building on the Platform later?
Yes. Because both approaches run on the same infrastructure, the transition is primarily a change in product and operational ownership, not a technical migration to a new platform.
What does building on Unit's Platform look like?
You build on Unit's API or UI components and own the front-end and product roadmap. Explore the sandbox and read the docs to see how it works.
What do I own versus what does Unit handle?
It depends on your approach. When you build on the Platform, your team has more control over the product experience and operating model. When you embed a Managed Solution, Unit builds and maintains the product and takes on more of the operational work, including end-customer support, escalations, and outbound communications under your brand.
The specific allocation of responsibilities depends on the implementation and applicable Roles & Responsibilities framework. Learn more about program management and operating responsibilities.
Can I pick just one Ready-to-Launch module?
Yes. Banking and Bill Pay are available as discrete modules. You can embed the products you need while building others directly on the Platform.
How long does it take to launch on each path?
Managed Solutions are designed to get you to market in three weeks or less. Timelines for building on the Platform depend on what you're building. A team launching a single deposit account use case will typically move faster than one building a multi-product financial workflow. Talk to our team to get a realistic estimate for your scope.
