CRB Group, the parent of Cross River Bank, has agreed to acquire Accrue, a provider of branded wallets, stored-value infrastructure and customer loyalty software. The deal would bring technology already connected to the bank into its embedded finance business. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction remained subject to customary closing conditions as of late October 2026. Cross River was already Accrue’s partner bank, holding Accrue Balance funds as an FDIC-insured depository and issuing linked Visa debit cards. Accrue’s software includes merchant-specific stored-value ledgers and a way to route merchandise refunds into store credit rather than back to an outside card issuer. Founder and CEO Michael Hershfield is set to lead Cross River’s embedded finance suite, while Accrue’s 26 staff members are expected to join Cross River’s workforce. The acquisition would move the two companies from a banking partnership to a shared operating structure, if completed.
CRB Group, the parent of Cross River Bank, agreed on October 20, 2026, to acquire Accrue, a fintech focused on merchant-branded digital wallets and customer loyalty. Accrue founder and CEO Michael Hershfield and his team are expected to join Cross River to lead its embedded wallet and loyalty offerings when the deal closes. Financial terms and a completion date have not been disclosed, and the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. The companies already had a banking relationship: Cross River held deposited funds and issued Visa debit cards for Accrue programs. The acquisition would bring Accrue’s wallet capabilities into that existing arrangement. Closed-loop wallets can keep payments and refunds within a merchant’s branded balance, offering an alternative to routing every transaction through card networks. The deal also illustrates why embedded finance providers are looking beyond payment-processing margins toward wallet software and stored-value services, though the companies have not disclosed the acquisition’s expected financial impact.

