The Fintech Log
# Customer Loyalty

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.

Oct. 22, 2026 • 2 min read